[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20612-20616]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING OPPRESSION BY CHINA OF FALUN 
                    GONG IN UNITED STATES AND CHINA

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 304) expressing the sense of 
Congress regarding oppression by the Government of the People's 
Republic of China of Falun Gong in the United States and in China.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 304

       Whereas Falun Gong is a peaceful spiritual movement that 
     originated in the People's Republic of China but has grown in 
     popularity worldwide and is now accepted and practiced by 
     thousands in the United States;
       Whereas demonstrations by Falun Gong practitioners in the 
     People's Republic of China and the United States have been 
     peaceful, meditative sessions;
       Whereas the Constitution of the People's Republic of China 
     provides to the citizens of that country freedom of speech, 
     assembly, association, and religious belief;
       Whereas members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, 
     members of Chinese pro-democracy groups, and advocates of 
     human rights reform in the People's Republic of China have 
     been harassed, libeled, imprisoned, and beaten for 
     demonstrating peacefully inside that country;
       Whereas the Chinese Government has also attempted to 
     silence the Falun Gong movement and Chinese prodemocracy 
     groups inside the United States;
       Whereas on June 12, 2003, 38 Members of Congress filed an 
     Amended Brief of Amicus Curiae in support of the Falun Gong 
     at the United States District Court, Northeastern District of 
     Illinois, Eastern Division;
       Whereas Chinese consular officials have pressured local 
     elected officials in the United States to refuse or withdraw 
     support for the Falun Gong spiritual group;
       Whereas Dr. Charles Lee, a United States citizen, has 
     reportedly been mentally and physically tortured since being 
     detained by Chinese authorities in early 2003;
       Whereas the apartment of Ms. Gail Rachlin, the Falun Gong 
     spokeswoman in the United States, has been broken into 5 
     times by agents of the Chinese regime since the regime banned 
     Falun Gong in 1999 in China;
       Whereas over the past 5 years China's diplomatic corps has 
     been actively involved in harassing and persecuting Falun 
     Gong practitioners in the United States;
       Whereas on June 23, 2003, Falun Gong practitioners were 
     attacked outside a Chinese restaurant in New York City by 
     local United States-based individuals with reported ties to 
     the Chinese Government;
       Whereas 5 Falun Gong practitioners were assaulted outside 
     of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago on September 7, 2001, 
     while exercising their constitutionally protected rights to 
     free speech, leading to battery convictions in Cook County 
     Criminal Court of Jiming Zheng on November 13, 2002, and 
     Yujun Weng on December 5, 2002, both assailants being members 
     of a Chinese-American organization in Chicago, the Mid-USA 
     Fujian Township Association, which maintains close ties with 
     the Chinese Consulate;
       Whereas individuals that physically harassed Falun Gong 
     practitioners in San Francisco on October 22, 2000, were 
     later seen at

[[Page 20613]]

     anti-Falun Gong meetings and the Chinese Consulate in San 
     Francisco;
       Whereas San Francisco City Supervisor Chris Daly, after 
     receiving complaints that Chinese officials were intimidating 
     his constituents, authored a resolution condemning human 
     rights violations and persecution of Falun Gong members by 
     the Chinese Government;
       Whereas Mr. Daly and the other members of the San Francisco 
     City Council subsequently received a letter from the Chinese 
     Consul General in San Francisco, claiming that Falun Gong was 
     an ``evil cult'' that was undermining the ``normal social 
     order'' in the People's Republic of China, and that Mr. 
     Daly's resolution should therefore be rejected, which it 
     subsequently was;
       Whereas in November 2000, the former Mayor of Saratoga, 
     California, Stan Bogosian, issued a proclamation honoring the 
     contributions of Falun Gong practitioners to the Saratoga 
     community, which prompted the Chinese Consulate in San 
     Francisco to write to Mr. Bogosian urging him to retract his 
     support for local Falun Gong activities;
       Whereas many local and national media organizations have 
     reported that other local officials across the United States, 
     including the mayors of several major cities, have been 
     pressured by Chinese consular officials to recant statements 
     of support for the Falun Gong;
       Whereas journalists have cited fear of hurting trade 
     relationships as the motivation for some local United States 
     officials to recant their support for Falun Gong after 
     receiving pressure from Chinese consular officials; and
       Whereas the Constitution of the United States guarantees 
     freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and the right to 
     speak freely, and the people of the United States strongly 
     value protecting the ability of all people to live without 
     fear and in accordance with their personal beliefs: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     should--
       (A) immediately stop interfering in the exercise of 
     religious and political freedoms within the United States, 
     such as the right to practice Falun Gong, that are guaranteed 
     by the United States Constitution;
       (B) cease using the diplomatic missions in the United 
     States to spread falsehoods about the nature of Falun Gong;
       (C) release from detention all prisoners of conscience, 
     including practitioners of Falun Gong, who have been 
     incarcerated in violation of their rights as expressed in the 
     Constitution of the People's Republic of China;
       (D) immediately end the harassment, detention, physical 
     abuse, and imprisonment of individuals who are exercising 
     their legitimate rights to freedom of religion, including the 
     practices of Falun Gong, freedom of expression, and freedom 
     of association as stated in the Constitution of the People's 
     Republic of China; and
       (E) demonstrate its willingness to abide by international 
     standards of freedom of belief, expression, and association 
     by ceasing to restrict those freedoms in the People's 
     Republic of China;
       (2) the President should, in accordance with section 
     401(a)(1)(B) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 
     1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)(1)(B)), and with the intention of 
     dissuading the Chinese Government from attempting to stifle 
     religious freedom in the People's Republic of China and the 
     United States, take action such as--
       (A) issuing an official public demarche, a formal protest, 
     to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in response to the repeated 
     violations by the Chinese Government of basic human rights 
     protected in international covenants to which the People's 
     Republic of China is a signatory; and
       (B) working more closely with Chinese human rights 
     activists to identify Chinese authorities who have been 
     personally responsible for acts of violence and persecution 
     in the People's Republic of China;
       (3) the Attorney General should investigate reports that 
     Chinese consular officials in the United States have 
     committed illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or 
     inappropriately influence Falun Gong practitioners or local 
     elected officials, and, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     State, determine an appropriate legal response; and
       (4) officials of local governments in the United States 
     should--
       (A) in accordance with local statutes and procedures, 
     recognize and support organizations and individuals that 
     share the goals of all or part of the local community, 
     including Falun Gong practitioners; and
       (B) report incidents of pressure or harassment by agents of 
     the People's Republic of China to Members of Congress, the 
     Attorney General, and the Secretary of State.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 304, the 
resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to commend my colleagues, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), 
for their dedication and support of this resolution. I would also like 
to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), as well as the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), our ranking member, and our 
entire leadership for bringing this resolution to the floor today.
  I rise today to call attention to the horrific specter of the 
repression imposed upon a peaceful spiritual movement, the Falun Gong, 
by the largest authoritarian regime in the world today, the Communist 
regime in China.
  On July 22, 1999, a date which will live in the annals of human 
rights violations as a day of infamy, the Beijing authorities declared 
the Falun Gong illegal, branding it a so-called ``evil cult.'' This 
immediately prompted mass arrests, torture and reported deaths of Falun 
Gong practitioners in official custody, which continues unabated to 
this present day.
  These Falun Gong practitioners still in Chinese custody include at 
least one American citizen, Dr. Charles Lee. Members of Congress have 
repeatedly called for his immediate release, and we renew that call 
here today.
  This chamber has repeatedly condemned the Chinese regime's abhorrent 
violations of human rights and the violations of freedom of belief and 
conscience of the Falun Gong. We have done so by rendering our 
overwhelming support to bipartisan resolutions that I have introduced 
with my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), and 
numerous others.
  However, H. Con. Res. 304 is different. This resolution before us 
today is addressing something even more ominous. With over 70 
cosponsors, this resolution focuses on reports and investigations on 
the use of fear, intimidation and oppression, often connected with 
violence, right here within the borders of our own country, within the 
United States.
  Falun Gong practitioners, while peacefully and nonviolently 
exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and assembly, 
have been intimidated from California to New York by agents of the 
Chinese regime. They have, as we have outlined in this resolution, been 
physically harassed on the streets of San Francisco, assaulted on the 
streets of Chicago outside of the Chinese consulate and attacked on the 
streets of New York by individuals with reported ties to the Chinese 
regime.
  Let those listening to this debate, including representatives of any 
foreign governments having strategies for suppressing free speech in 
this country, remember one thing: This is the United States of America, 
the cradle of freedom and democracy. We will not sit idly by as you 
infringe upon the rights of our citizens and residents who practice 
Falun Gong. Any interference in the exercise of free speech inside our 
land will result in the expulsion of those who engage in such actions.
  In the land of the free, all voices will be heard. In the home of the 
brave, a hundred or more flowers will bloom, including the Falun Gong's 
spiritual movement.
  I ask my colleagues to send a clear message to the Chinese regime and 
to immediately and unconditionally stop its deplorable treatment of the 
Falun Gong spiritual movement, both inside China and specifically here 
in the United States.
  I ask for a ``yes'' vote on H. Con. Res. 304.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page 20614]]


  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I strongly support this resolution. It is a very important 
resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.
  Mr. Speaker, 5 years ago, the Chinese government launched a very 
brutal crackdown of the Falun Gong spiritual movement throughout China. 
Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners were brutally beaten, 
thrown in jail and tortured.

                              {time}  2000

  Over 800 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed and tens of 
thousands remain locked up in Chinese prisons, in psychiatric 
institutions, and reformed through labor camps. The ongoing Chinese 
suppression of the Falun Gong is one of the greatest human rights 
abuses of our time and will, undoubtedly, be marked as one of the 
darkest periods in modern Chinese history.
  Congress has repeatedly spoken out against the repression of Falun 
Gong practitioners in China. The resolution before us today, however, 
focuses the spotlight on a new element of the Chinese Government's 
anti-Falun Gong campaign, the attempt to quash any support for Falun 
Gong in the United States.
  Over the past 5 years, Chinese diplomats in the United States have 
engaged in a campaign of intimidation and pressure against Falun Gong 
practitioners here in the United States and those who advocate on their 
behalf. Apparently not satisfied with the brutal suppression of Falun 
Gong adherence in China, China has decided to export these repressive 
policies to the United States.
  As the resolution notes, local officials in the United States have 
been pressured to vote against resolutions condemning the persecution 
of Falun Gong. Practitioners of Falun Gong in the United States have 
also been harassed and physically assaulted by individuals associated 
with Chinese diplomatic missions. Media organizations attempting to 
fairly cover the treatment of Falun Gong have been pressured by Chinese 
officials, particularly if their papers ran editorials critical of the 
Chinese Government.
  Mr. Speaker, the Chinese Government's heavy-handed tactics against 
Falun Gong in the United States will backfire. As Americans see 
firsthand the extremes to which the Chinese Government will go to stop 
Falun Gong, sympathy for the plight of Falun Gong practitioners 
everywhere is sure to grow. Mr. Speaker, this resolution puts the 
Congress firmly on record against such pressure tactics, and I strongly 
support its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Woolsey), whose leadership on this issue is to be commended and 
who has worked in a bipartisan fashion with the gentlewoman from 
Florida to bring this resolution to the floor.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 
304, a resolution that condemns the harassment of Falun Gong 
practitioners in China and here in the United States. I first want to 
thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), with whom I 
coauthored and introduced this important resolution in October of last 
year. I also want to thank the House leadership for allowing this 
important legislation to come to the House floor, and the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lee) for yielding me this time.
  Finally, I want to thank the loyal and dedicated Falun Gong 
practitioners who have diligently stopped by my offices over the last 2 
years. It has been my pleasure to work with them on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, in April of 1999, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners staged 
a peaceful demonstration in front of the Communist Party headquarters 
near Tiananmen Square. They protested China's oppressive regime. Of 
course, we are all familiar with the events that took place in 
Tiananmen Square in 1989, when thousands of individuals protesting the 
Chinese regime were brutally beaten and many killed, but China's abuses 
of Falun Gong practitioners both in China and here in the United States 
have not received the same attention.
  China's rulers have condemned Falun Gong since the 1999 protest, 
calling this peaceful spiritual movement an evil cult, and embarking on 
an official campaign to eradicate the movement. China has imprisoned, 
tortured, and even murdered hundreds of people simply because they 
peacefully practice Falun Gong. Included among those who have been 
jailed and tortured are American citizens of Chinese descent.
  Charles Lee, a California native, is one such victim. In the year 
2003, he traveled to China to visit his extended family. Immediately 
upon stepping off the airplane, Charles Lee was arrested by Chinese 
officials. Despite the United States State Department appeals for his 
release, he has been jailed and tortured in a Chinese prison since his 
abduction.
  Other American Falun Gong practitioners have been assaulted, robbed, 
and harassed right here in America. Miss Gail Rachlin, the Falun Gong 
spokeswoman in the United States, has had her New York apartment broken 
into not once, not twice, but five times over in the last 5 years; and 
it appears the break-ins have been by Chinese agents.
  China's diplomats to the United States too have been actively 
involved in harassing and persecuting Falun Gong practitioners here in 
the United States. When San Francisco City Supervisor Chris Daly heard 
some of his constituents had been harassed by Chinese officials, he 
authored a resolution for the San Francisco Board condemning the 
persecution of Falun Gong members by the Chinese Government. In 
response, the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco sent Mr. Daly a 
harshly worded letter, claiming that Falun Gong undermines the normal 
social order in China and should be condemned.
  The same experience has been repeated time and time again in dozens 
of cities across the country. A local official introduces a resolution 
in support of Falun Gong, and in response the Chinese consulate in the 
U.S. condemns that resolution as well as the local official who 
sponsored it.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why H. Con. Res. 304 expresses the sense of 
Congress that the Government of the People's Republic of China 
immediately stop interfering in the exercise of religious and political 
freedoms within the United States, including the right to practice 
Falun Gong. This resolution also states that China immediately cease 
its harassment, detention, and torture of any individual exercising his 
or her legitimate rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, 
and freedom of association, as affirmed by the Constitution of the 
People's Republic of China.
  The right to practice the religion or spiritual movement of one's 
choice is ingrained in the very fabric of the United States 
Constitution. That is why it is counter to what we stand for in our 
country that Chinese officials have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners 
and harassed local American officials right here in our country.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution. 
Send a strong message to China that we demand the proper treatment of 
both Americans and Chinese individuals who practice the Falun Gong 
spiritual movement.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge passage of H. 
Con. Res. 304, expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of 
the People's Republic of China should cease its persecution of Falun 
Gong practitioners in the United States and in China. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, 
I commend you for introducing this legislation and for speaking out 
against human rights abuses throughout the world.
  Members of Congress need to be aware of the brutal suppression of 
human rights and religious freedoms being carried out by the People's 
Republic of China. From forced abortion and labor camps, to the 
imprisonment and sometimes even execution of brave Chinese who dare to 
stand up for their faith or political beliefs, Hu Jintao's regime, like 
that of Jiang Zemin before, is one of the worst violators of human 
rights in the world.
  While Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and Muslim Uighurs are all being 
persecuted for the faith, the suffering of peaceful Falun Gong

[[Page 20615]]

practitioners has been especially intense. In 1999, China's dictators 
launched a brutal campaign to completely eradicate Falun Gong from 
their country through whatever means necessary, claiming that Falun 
Gong was a threat to ``social order'' in China. The reason behind this 
campaign of brutality is clear: by the mid to late 1990s, the number of 
Falun Gong practitioners began to exceed the number of members of the 
Communist Party. Like all dictators and totalitarian terror systems, 
the PRC fears and hates what it cannot control. So it sought to destroy 
and intimidate those who practice Falun Gong. I would also note that 
the regime has labeled as ``cults'' and is now oppressing other groups 
with followings comparable to that of the Falun Gong, such as the Xiang 
Gong, Guo Gong, and Zhong Gong qigong groups.
  Falun Gong is not a religion, per se, but rather more like a 
philosophy. Based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and 
Tolerance, Falun Gong uses a series of five physical and mental 
exercises to assist its members to purify themselves spiritually and 
peacefully resolve conflicts. Whatever one may say about the merits of 
their beliefs, the evidence is very clear that Falun Gong practitioners 
are peaceful individuals who want to be left alone to practice their 
beliefs as they see fit.
  To carry out the task of smashing those who practice Falun Gong, the 
Beijing dictatorship created ``610'' offices throughout China to 
oversee and direct the persecution of Falun Gong through brainwashing, 
torture, and murder.
  The State Department Human Rights Report for 2003 has several pages 
documenting the plight of the Falun Gong. We know at least 250 Falun 
Gong members have died as a result of torture thus far. For instance, 
in only a three-month period from June to August last year, more than 
50 Falun Gong died in custody, many from torture in detention camps. 
Other estimates place the total body count higher. Bodies of the 
tortured victims are often cremated immediately to conceal evidence of 
torture. The report indicated that Falun Gong adherents sent to mental 
health institutions have been administered psychiatric drugs and 
electric shock treatments by Chinese authorities.
  Several thousand Falun Gong practitioners--estimated at 125,000 or 
higher--are held in labor camps, prisons, and mental hospitals, where 
they are forced to endure torture brainwashing sessions. For example, 
in December 2003, Liu Chengjun, sentenced to 19 years in prison in 
March 2002 for involvement in illegal Falun Gong television broadcasts, 
was reportedly beaten to death by police in Jilin City Prison.
  The government continues to find new ways to crack down on Falun 
Gong. Over the past year, the Government initiated a comprehensive 
effort to round up practitioners not already in custody and sanctioned 
the use of high-pressure tactics and mandatory anti-Falun Gong study 
sessions to force practitioners to renounce Falun Gong. Even 
practitioners who had not protested or made other public demonstrations 
of belief reportedly were forced to attend anti-Falun Gong classes or 
were sent directly to reeducation-through-labor camps, where in some 
cases, beatings and torture reportedly were used to force them to 
recant. These tactics reportedly resulted in large number of 
practitioners signing pledges to renounce the movement.
  At the National People's Congress session in March, Premier Wen 
Jiabao's Government Work Report emphasized that the Government would 
``expand and deepen its battle against cults,'' including Falun Gong. 
Thousands of individuals were still undergoing criminal, 
administrative, and extrajudicial punishment for engaging in Falun Gong 
practices, admitting that they adhered to the teachings of Falun Gong, 
or refusing to criticize the organization or its founder.
  During April to June 2003, the Government launched fresh accusations 
that Falun Gong practitioners were disrupting SARS-prevention efforts. 
State-run media claimed that, beginning in April, Falun Gong followers 
``incited public panic'' and otherwise ``sabotaged'' anti-SARS efforts 
in many provinces by preaching that belief in Falun Gong will prevent 
persons from contracting SARS. Authorities detained hundreds of Falun 
Gong adherents on such charges, including 69 in Jiangsu Province during 
May and 180 in Hebei Province during June.
  But Beijing is not confining its disgusting torture and brainwashing 
campaign to its own people. Chinese-American citizens and permanent 
residents are also victims. One American citizen, Dr. Charles Li, was 
arrested January 22, 2003 in China upon his arrival at an airport. A 
Falun Gong practitioner, the Chinese government alleges he attempted to 
sabotage television and radio equipment, even though he had just 
arrived in the country. Dr. Li has gone on continual hunger strikes to 
protest his arrest but been subject to forced feedings. There are 
reports that he is being subjected to brainwashing and anti-Falun Gong 
propaganda. At least 37 other Falun Gong practitioners who have family 
members that are residing in the U.S. are also in prison in China. 
Authorities also detained foreign Falun Gong practitioners from other 
countries. For example, in January 2003, two Australian citizens were 
deported for engaging in Falun Gong activities in Sichuan Province.
  As my colleagues know, a sizeable number of Falun Gong practitioners 
reside here in the United States. They attempt to raise awareness about 
the horrors their fellow believers are subject to through meeting with 
government officials and through holding peaceful protests. Just this 
past August, Falun Gong members gathered on the Mall to pass out 
literature and inform Americans of the great suffering those in their 
faith are enduring. When Hu Jintao and other state leaders responsible 
for this purge are visiting foreign countries, Falun Gong members 
travel overseas to protest and raise awareness of the brutal 
persecution.
  In response, China's persecution against the Falun Gong has moved 
outside of China's own borders. Large numbers of Falun Gong in the 
United States have reported to have been harassed. The FBI is currently 
investigating beatings of Falun Gong practitioners in Atlanta and 
Chicago. On June 23, 2003, Falun Gong practitioners in New York were 
harassed and physically violated by Chinese nationals associated with 
the consulate. Charges have been filed with the authorities. Li Li and 
some of her friends were involved with this incident.
  Persecution of Falun Gong in China is horrific enough itself. The 
fact that China is now exporting its repression to weaker foreign 
nations under the guise of ``safety'' and ``public order'' is even 
worse. The cancer of China's repression is spreading all over the 
world. The PRC is not content to beat and torture and silence those 
inside its own borders. Now it is seeking to bully other nations into 
doing its bidding. When will this country wake up and stand up to this 
kind of nonsense?
  I call upon all members of this body to support H. Con. Res. 304. I 
call on the administration to step up its efforts to speak up for the 
Falun Gong and out against the actions of the Chinese government 
immediately.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. State Department's 2004 
International Religious Freedom report for China begins as follows: 
``During the period covered by this report, the Government's respect 
for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience remained poor, 
especially for many unregistered religious groups and spiritual 
movements such as the Falun Gong.''
  According to the report, the arrest, detention, and imprisonment of 
Falun Gong practitioners continued, and practitioners who refuse to 
recant their beliefs are sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in 
prisons and reeducation-through-labor camps and there have been 
credible reports of deaths due to torture and abuse.
  Foreign observers estimate that half of the 250,000 officially 
recorded inmates in the country's reeducation-through-labor camps are 
Falun Gong adherents.
  Falun Gong blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and the meditation 
techniques and physical exercises of qigong (a traditional Chinese 
exercise discipline) with the teachings of Falun Gong leader Li 
Hongzhi. Despite its spiritual content, Falun Gong does not consider 
itself a religion and has no clergy or places of worship.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution calls upon the government of China to 
immediately end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and 
imprisonment of individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights 
to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of 
association as stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of 
China.
  The importance of this cannot be overstated--the protection of 
religious freedom is intimately connected to the protection of other 
fundamental human and civil rights, as well as to the growth of 
democracy.
  A government that acknowledges and protects freedom of religion and 
conscience is one that understands the inherent and inviolable dignity 
of the human person, and is more likely to protect, the other rights 
fundamental to human dignity, such as freedom from arbitrary arrest or 
seizure, or freedom from torture and murder.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution sends an important message to the 
government of China that we will not look the other way when they 
violate the basic rights of their people, and that we demand of our 
partners in the international community the protection of the most 
basic human rights--freedom to worship freely.

[[Page 20616]]


  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my support for H. 
Con. Res. 304, a resolution honoring the tradition and practice of 
Falun Gong. As a cosponsor of this resolution, I urge my colleagues to 
vote yes on this important piece of legislation.
  H. Con. Res. 304 calls on the Chinese Government to stop interfering 
with the religious and political rights of individuals in the United 
States to practice Falun Gong. The Chinese Government has gone so far 
as to spread falsehoods about Falun Gong and to harass, detain, abuse 
and imprison Falun Gong practitioners. The practitioners are simply 
exercising their legitimate right to freedom of religion and 
expression, and the actions of the Chinese Government conflict with 
international standards of freedom and human rights and must end 
immediately.
  I have an admiration for the practitioners and adherents of Falun 
Gong and I am invested in the movement both in the United States and 
abroad. I remain committed to the task of making Falun Gong safe to 
practice in any country in the world. The members of Falun Gong are 
opposed by a Chinese government that unjustly views them as dissenters. 
This view is entirely without merit. In reality, Falun Gong is an 
inherently peaceful, apolitical movement that stresses nonviolence and 
meditation. Since Falun Gong was outlawed in 1999, hundreds of 
nonviolent practitioners have been arrested, tortured, libeled, and 
detained without charge or proof of any wrongdoing.
  Sadly, the unwarranted and unprovoked aggression against Falun Gong 
has not ceased, nor is it limited to China. There have been unprovoked 
attacks in the United States and Falun Gong members have been subjected 
to a humiliating and denigrating blacklist.
  One incident that I found particularly offensive took place in June 
2003. Falun Gong members were attacked and beaten while holding a 
nonviolent protest in New York City. In an effort to end the 
discrimination that confronts Falun Gong practitioners, I wrote a 
letter to the Manhattan District Attorney, Robert Morgenthau, 
requesting an investigation of this case. I hope that justice prevails 
in this case.
  With passage of H. Con. Res. 304, we can send a strong signal 
condemning China's human rights abuses and we can take one step closer 
to ensuring Falun Gong members the freedom of religion and assembly 
guaranteed to them by law.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. 
Res. 304.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________