U.S. State Department Urges an End to the Persecution of Falun Gong in China

(Minghui.org) The U.S. Department of State recently called on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to stop the suppression against Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation group based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

“Tomorrow, we recognize 22 years since the People’s Republic of China launched a campaign of repression against the Falun Gong movement and its millions of practitioners, advocates, and the human rights defenders working to protect their rights,” remarked the agency’s spokesperson Ned Price during a press briefing on July 19.

“Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners face detention, harassment, and reported torture and abuse each year for simply seeking to peacefully practice their beliefs,” he continued, “We call on the PRC to immediately cease its campaign against Falun Gong practitioners and release those imprisoned due to their beliefs.”

Ned Price, spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State 

Since the CCP began to suppress Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, tens of millions of practitioners have been arrested, sent to forced labor camps, imprisoned, tortured, or even had their organs harvested while they were still alive. The CCP did all these to deprive them of the belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

At least thousands of practitioners have been confirmed to have died due to the persecution. In addition, an unknown number of practitioners have died after being subjected to forced organ harvesting. 

The CCP’s brutality has raised serious concerns in the international community. When releasing the 2020 International Religious Freedom Report on May 12 earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced to sanction against a CCP official for the persecution against Falun Gong. 

This individual was Yu Hui, former director of the Central Leading Group on Preventing and Dealing with Heretical Religions in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. “He is designated for his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the arbitrary detention of Falun Gong practitioners for their spiritual beliefs,” added Blinken. According to Section 7031 (c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act 2021, both Yu and his immediate family would be denied entry into the United States.

This is the first time that a 610 Office official has been sanctioned by the U.S. government. On the Human Rights Day of December 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of State also announced designating 17 officials from foreign governments and their immediate family members as human rights violators. They included Huang Yuanxiong, a police chief from Xiamen City, Fujian Province in China.