[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING PERSECUTION OF FALUN GONG

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 16, 2010

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 605. I am pleased to cosponsor this resolution, which 
recognizes the continued persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 
China. The peace-loving people who practice Falun Gong have endured the 
Chinese Government's coordinated campaign to delegitimize and eradicate 
their belief system for over a decade. In China, Falun Gong has been 
officially labeled an `evil cult,' and its practitioners have suffered 
censorship, extrajudicial arrests and detentions, involuntary 
reeducation through labor, torture, and even death for their personal 
beliefs.
  Disappearances of Falun Gong practitioners are not uncommon and are 
especially difficult for family members who must live in uncertainty 
about the fate of their loved ones. I recently was informed by one of 
my constituents about the heartbreaking case of Jiang Feng, who simply 
vanished after going through airport security at Shanghai's Pudong 
Airport and before he made it to the gate for his flight to Newark, NJ. 
Jiang Feng and his wife, Mei Xuan, both are Falun Gong practitioners 
and were arrested in the 1999 crackdown. Because of repeated 
imprisonments, the couple has been separated for most of their decade-
long marriage. Mei Xuan is a well-known musician in Shen Yun Performing 
Arts, which rekindles the traditional Chinese arts and portrays current 
events, including the persecution of Falun Dong practitioners. She was 
expecting finally to reunite with her husband here in the United 
States. Now, she awaits word on his whereabouts and his fate, fearing 
the worst.
  Stories like Mei Xuan's are far too common. As Americans and members 
of the international community, we have a responsibility to speak out 
against persecution and to stand up for the truths and unalienable 
rights that we hold dear. Falun Gong practitioners, and all those 
seeking to exercise the universal right to freely practice the religion 
of their choice and to express their beliefs openly, deserve profound 
U.S. leadership on their behalf. I am pleased to vote for this 
resolution and to give voice to all those who continue to suffer 
needlessly and cannot speak for themselves.

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