[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 608 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 608

   Condemning the escalating levels of religious persecution in the 
                      People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 14, 2005

Mr. McCotter submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the escalating levels of religious persecution in the 
                      People's Republic of China.

Whereas the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic of China purport to 
        provide for religious freedom, however, these freedoms are substantively 
        ignored;
Whereas all religious groups and spiritual movements must register with the 
        Chinese Government, which monitors religious services and judges the 
        legitimacy of religious activities;
Whereas unregistered religious groups in China continue to experience official 
        interference and members of religious groups have been subjected to 
        intimidation, harassment, and detention;
Whereas many religious leaders and adherents in China, including those in 
        official churches, have been detained, arrested, or administratively 
        sentenced to prison terms in reeducation-through-labor camps;
Whereas religious believers are denied the ability to hold public office not by 
        law, but by a logical extension of the fact that most government 
        positions go to members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and CCP 
        membership and religious belief are considered incompatible;
Whereas numerous abuses of unofficial Catholic clergy have occurred, including 
        the detentions of Bishop Zhao Zhendong, Bishop Jia Zhigou, Bishop Yao 
        Liang, Bishop Su Zhimin, Bishop An Shuxin, Bishop Gao Kexian, Father Han 
        Dingxian, and Father Li Hongye, as well as other Catholic priests and 
        lay leaders who have been beaten or otherwise mistreated;
Whereas the whereabouts of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the boy identified by the Dalai 
        Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama and detained by Chinese authorities ten 
        years ago, when he was six years old, are still unknown;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, Chinese authorities continue to 
        restrict Muslim religious activity, teaching, and worship in Xinjiang, 
        including reported prohibitions on the participation and religious 
        education of minors;
Whereas the Chinese Government continues its brutal campaign to eradicate the 
        Falun Gong spiritual movement and thousands of its members have been 
        subject to excessive force, abuse, detention, and torture, including Liu 
        Chengjun who died in 2003 after reportedly being abused in custody in 
        Jilin Province and Huang Wei who is currently detained in Hebei 
        Province, among others;
Whereas Cai Zhuohua, a Beijing underground church leader, was sentenced on 
        November 8, 2005, to three years in prison for distributing Bibles and 
        other Christian materials;
Whereas the Haidian Lower People's Court in Beijing also sentenced Mr. Cai's 
        wife, Xiao Yunfei, to two years in prison and her brother, Xiao Gaowen, 
        to 18 months in prison; and
Whereas on November 20, 2005, after attending services at the Gangwashi Church 
        in Beijing, President George W. Bush stated: ``A healthy society is a 
        society that welcomes all faiths and gives people a chance to express 
        themselves through worship with the Almighty'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives condemns the imprisonment 
        of religious leaders and people of faith in the People's 
        Republic of China and urges their release; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that it 
        should be the policy of the Government of the United States to 
        promote and defend religious freedom and freedom of conscience 
        in China.
                                 <all>