Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia: "The International Community as a Whole Should Address This Situation of State Terrorism as One of Extreme Urgency"

(Clearwisdom.net) On September 12, 2003, Mayor Maurice D. Cox of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, issued a proclamation which condemns the systematic escalation of horrific attacks launched by Jiang Zemin's regime against Falun Gong practitioners in China over the past three years. Mayor Cox said in the proclamation that the international community as a whole should address this situation of State terrorism as one of extreme urgency. He asked that China immediately cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, immediately dismiss the notorious government "610" offices throughout China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners through organized brainwashing and torture, and immediately release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners.

City of Charlottesville

Virginia

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Proclamation

Whereas, Falun Gong is a peaceful cultivation and practice system to improve people's mind and body with 100 million practitioners in over 50 countries, the core principles of Falun Gong are truthfulness, compassion and tolerance; and

Whereas, in the last three years, a systematic escalation of horrific attacks has been launched by Jiang Zemin's regime against Falun Gong practitioners in China; and

Whereas, this policy violates China's own constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and

Whereas, Jiang Zemin's regime has created notorious government "610" offices throughout China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder; and

Whereas, propaganda from China's state-controlled media has inundated the public in an attempt to breed hatred and discrimination; and

Whereas, the number of known deaths from torture has reached 780 so far, tens of thousands have been tortured while confined in labor camps, prisons, and mental hospitals, and hundreds of thousands forced to attend brainwashing classes; and

Whereas, women in particular have been the target of numerous forms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, and forced abortion; and

Whereas, several United States citizens and permanent residents have been imprisoned, tortured, and subject to arbitrary detention; and

Whereas, the campaign of persecution has been generated by the Chinese Government carried out by government officials and state police, and permeated every village and every level of government in China, the international community as a whole should address this situation of State terrorism as one of extreme urgency.

Now, Therefore, Be it Resolved that I, Maurice D. Cox, Mayor of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, ask that the Government of the People's Republic of China immediately cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, immediately dismiss the notorious government "610" offices throughout China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners through organized brainwashing and torture, and immediately release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners.

Signed and sealed this 12^th day of September, 2003

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Maurice D. Cox, Mayor