Thursday, January 14, 2021

Dear Reader,

WITH ALL THE LOCK-DOWNS ACROSS CHINA, one would think the Chinese Communist Party would ease up on persecuting religious minorities. Sadly, we’re seeing the exact opposite. Comparing November 2019 with November 2020, there was a 100% increase in the number of people arrested for their Falun Gong faith and over a 1,000% increase in the number of people harassed by police, which typically takes the form of police intimidation at home or work, the ransacking of homes, or extortion of money. Organ harvesting has not stopped, either. That’s why a bi-partisan bill in U.S. Congress is aiming to stop the gruesome crime and punish its perpetrators.

In this newsletter, we take a closer look at these trends, and how the CCP’s “Zero-out” campaign is driving increases in persecution cases. We also highlight a few specific cases of illegal imprisonment and torture.

Lastly, we feature a supportive statement from Canada’s opposition leader, as well as a variety of insights provided by experts in the area of Chinese human rights during a panel held on International Human Rights Day.

JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

A Democrat and two Republican Congressmen introduced a bill to stop forced organ harvesting of innocent people in China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They cited a London tribunal that examined evidence of organ harvesting against people who practice Falun Gong and issued a unanimous “guilty” verdict.

“Under our bill, organ harvesters and traffickers, who often prey on vulnerable populations like political prisoners or minorities, will be identified and exposed by the State Department with the goal of punishing perpetrators,” says co-signer Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey).

“Members of the Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for these unspeakable actions,” says Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-New York). “Forced organ harvesting has no place in our world.”

PERSECUTION TODAY

Ms. Du Hongfang and her son at 12 years old.

Mr. Guo Yunqing, his wife Du Hongfang, and their son Guo Fengqing of Jilin Province, used to be a happy family. But since the CCP began the persecution of the couple’s faith in Falun Gong in 1999, security forces abducted the husband multiple times. They wrongfully sentenced him to 14 years after his latest detention in 2007. His wife became paralyzed after being jailed and tortured for eight years. And their son was forced out of school and faced discrimination everywhere he went.

Ms. Yu Wenze passed away on September 11, 2020, after suffering two decades of harassment, extrajudicial arrests and detention for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. The authorities threatened to arrest her family and deny her grandson from going to school if they disclosed her unlawful sentencing to international media.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

The Honorable Erin O’Toole is the Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party who commemorated International Human Rights Day with a message of support for Falun Gong and a warning to the CCP who harasses and persecutes religious minorities.

“Freedom of worship is a pillar of our democracy,” O’Toole says. “It’s a natural extension of Canadian values… Canada must defend religious freedom around the world including standing up for the Falun Gong. Hundreds of thousands have suffered forced labor, torture and execution since 1999 without any cause or justification. And here in Canada Chinese agents have posed to students, tourists and workers in order to get into our country and threaten those who practice Falun gong.”

INSIDE CHINA

2,038 People Targeted for Their Faith in Falun Gong in China in November 2020

Among the 2,038 people arrested and harassed, 285 had their homes ransacked. Twenty-six practitioners and their relatives had a total of 689,110 yuan (USD $106,418) confiscated by the police, ranging from 1,000 yuan to 220,000 yuan each, with an average of 10,302 yuan per person (USD $1,590). A total of 144 targeted people, including 64 arrested and 80 harassed, were over the age of 65, with the oldest above 90 years old. Thirty-one practitioners were in their 80s.

INTERNATIONAL EFFECTS

• Alex Neve, former Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada (Speech Notes)
• Hon. David Kilgour, former Canadian MP and Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and co-author of Bloody Harvest, Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China (Speech Notes)
• David Matas, international human rights lawyer, co-author of Bloody Harvest (Speech Notes)
• Levi Browde, Executive Director of the Falun Dafa Information Center (Speech Notes)
• Garnett Genuis, Canadian MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for International Development and Human Rights, and Canadian Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Speech Notes)
• Hon. Irwin Cotler, Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Canadian Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, and former Minister of Justice (Speech Notes)