Statement of NOW (National Organization for Women) President Patricia Ireland

July 19, 2001

What a terribly ironic confluence of events we have had this month: As the second anniversary of the Chinese government's campaign of terror against the Falun Gong community approached, the United States celebrated our freedom and independence and the International Olympic Committee, without a single word of protest from the United States government, awarded the 2008 games to China.

All who practice Falun Gong in China are being targeted by their government for brutal attacks, and women practitioners are being singled out for particularly vicious rapes and sexual assaults.

The world has long seen the use of rape as a weapon of war, oppression and genocide. Finally, this year for the first time in history, three military men were convicted of crimes against humanity for the systematic rape of women.

And yet in the case of China, our government and governments around the world not only look the other way, but actually allow the Chinese government to be rewarded, and international businesses and financiers continue to make deals with a regime that has blood on its hands.

The U.S. government should be taking strong action against the religious persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese government. The White House should be taking the lead. Since they will not, we must.

The National Organization for Women joins with all those gathered here today, and people of good conscience everywhere, in a campaign to end the Chinese government's unprovoked, uncivilized and unimaginable violence against those who practice Falun Gong, and the savage sexual brutality against women practitioners.