[Minghui.org] U.S. House of Representatives Passes Falun Gong Protection Act

 May 7, 2025 | By Minghui correspondent Li Jingfei

“The Chinese Communist Party has hunted down Falun Gong practitioners—torturing, imprisoning, and forcibly harvesting their organs, in a campaign of state-sponsored evil,” said Congressman Andy Ogles. “I’m proud to co-sponsor Rep. Perry’s legislation to punish these crimes against humanity and ban CCP organ traffickers from ever reaching our shores.”

(Minghui.org) The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Falun Gong Protection Act on the afternoon of May 5, 2025. Congressional members called the bill a milestone, as it would be the first time the U.S. Congress made a binding commitment to impose legal sanctions on those who participate in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, including the crime of live organ harvesting. The bill also demands that the CCP stop its persecution of Falun Gong immediately.

H.R.1540, also known as the Falun Gong Protection Act, was sponsored by Republican Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Now that the bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, it will be sent to the Senate. Once passed, the bill will be submitted to the U.S. President to sign.

Congressman Scott Perry proposed the Falun Gong Protection Act during the previous Congress, and the House of Representatives passed the bill on June 25, 2024.

After the 119th Congress began, Rep. Perry again introduced the Falun Gong Protection Act on February 24, 2025. It was again unanimously passed by the House of Representatives.

Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, sponsor of H.R.1540, addressed the House before the vote.

Screenshot of the official web page of the Falun Gong Protection Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1540

Stopping a Crime Against Humanity

Before the vote, Congressman Perry called on his colleagues to oppose the CCP’s systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. “This barbaric practice must end and must end now,” he said.

Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, has been targeted by the CCP since 1999. An estimated 70 million people practiced Falun Gong before the persecution began.

“This popularity triggered a brutal response from the CCP unleashing a campaign of illegal detentions, forced labor, torture and most horrifically, forced organ harvesting, a practice that amounts to mass murder,” Rep. Perry explained. “On July 20, 1999, the CCP detained hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners, and banned their practice outright. Since then the persecution has only intensified.”

An independent tribunal in the UK reviewed clear evidence of forced organ harvesting by the CCP. “Falun Gong practitioners are the primary victims of this barbaric organ harvesting system. The tribunal’s findings are staggering. They concluded that forced organ harvesting have been committed for years on a massive scale, with Falun Gong practitioners as the main source,” Rep. Perry said.

“The report states the CCP and its leaders have actively incited the persecution, imprisonment murder, torture and humiliation of these individuals solely to eradicate their beliefs. This is not just a violation of human rights, it’s a crime against humanity.”

Paving the Way for Sanctions

Congressman Perry said H.R.1540 is a historic step forward because it is the first binding commitment by Congress to take decisive legal action against the persecution and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners. “This bill imposes sanctions on those who participate in or facilitate forced organ harvesting in China. It directs the Secretary of State to investigate whether the CCP’s actions constitute crimes against humanity or genocide and report on China’s organ transplants policies. It also establishes U.S. policy to reject any cooperation with the PRC’s illicit organ transplant industry while the CCP remains in power,” he said.

“This bill paves the way for accountability, sanctions and punishment and acknowledgment of those complicit in these atrocities. The United States cannot continue to stand idly by,” he said.

Safeguarding Principles

In his speech, Congressman Perry emphasized the bill’s significance. “We must use our authority. We must use our positions as leaders in the world to curb these practices and send a clear message to everybody that not only we will not tolerate this assault on human dignity or humanity itself, but that no country, no people should. That’s why I urge a vote in favor HR1540,” he said.

“Let’s stand together, not just for Falun Gong practitioners but for millions suffering under the CCP’s oppression,” he added. “Let us affirm that the United States will always champion truth, compassion, and tolerance.”

Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee Urges Strong Support

Brian Mast (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke before the vote on May 5, 2025.

Brian Mast, a Republican congressman from Florida and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke before the vote and thanked Congressman Perry for sponsoring the Falun Gong Protection Act.

“This bill signals the United States will not tolerate the use of state violence to extract profit from the bodies of the persecuted,” he said. “I urge strong support of this legislation.”

Lawmakers from Both Parties Call to Hold CCP Accountable for Its Crimes

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both parties support the Falun Gong Protection Act. From top left: Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin; Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan of New York; Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina; Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis of Florida; Democratic Congressman John A. Olszewski Jr. of Maryland.

After the Falun Gong Protection Act was passed by the House, lawmakers from both parties condemned the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong and called to hold the CCP accountable and impose sanctions on the persecutors.

“The Chinese Communist Party has hunted down Falun Gong practitioners—torturing, imprisoning, and forcibly harvesting their organs, in a campaign of state-sponsored evil,” said Congressman Andy Ogles. “I’m proud to co-sponsor Rep. Perry’s legislation to punish these crimes against humanity and ban CCP organ traffickers from ever reaching our shores.”

Congressman Pat Ryan said he is proud to see such wide bipartisan support for this effort. “I’m doing everything in my power to hold organ traffickers accountable for their unspeakable crimes,” he said. “I will continue to speak out unwaveringly against the restriction of human rights and the persecution of religious groups, wherever they occur.”

Tom Tiffany, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin, said, “The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong, including torture and forced organ harvesting, is barbaric. The U.S. must not tolerate these atrocities. The Falun Gong Protection Act helps hold the CCP accountable.”

“This bill represents a step toward justice and accountability against the CCP’s brutal repression against the Falun Gong,” said Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina.

“Sanctioning perpetrators of forced organ harvesting is a moral imperative. In doing so, we can take a powerful stand against a horrific crime that violates the sanctity of life and human dignity. By holding those responsible accountable, we not only protect the most vulnerable but also affirm the fundamental right to bodily autonomy and the shared values of humanity,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a Florida Republican.

“This legislation is particularly important given the CCP’s horrific human rights record and ongoing treatment of Falun Gong and other religious minorities. My hope is that this legislation will help to change the CCP’s abhorrent behavior and offer greater protections to those who have been oppressed and so gravely abused,” he said.

John A. Olszewski Jr., a Democratic congressman from Maryland, expressed his support for the bill before the House vote. He said, “We cannot remain silent in the face of such cruelty. We must stand with the victims. Show them they’re not forgotten and ensure perpetrators face justice.”

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Original Chinese article

Source: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2025/5/7/226566.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

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CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH How Could the Chinese Communist Party be Afraid of Falun Gong?(https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1g6k9p0cc8e3465rdgbDW6H461221c)

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Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

[NTD.com] Engineer Calls on Beijing to Release His Mother, Shares Impact Persecution Has Had on Him and His Family

 By Flora Hua/ NTD.com

November 18, 2024

A poster spotted on the streets of Tokyo is getting attention. It bears a powerful message, and a plea: “Set my mother free.” A young engineer working in Japan is trying to raise awareness for his mother, who is detained in China because of her faith.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH [NTD.com] Engineer Calls on Beijing to Release His Mother, Shares Impact Persecution Has Had on Him and His Family

(https://www.ntd.com/engineer-calls-on-beijing-to-release-his-mother_1029518.html)

Source: https://www.ntd.com/engineer-calls-on-beijing-to-release-his-mother_1029518.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

---

Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?

http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?

http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

[FalunInfo.net] Wave of Falun Gong Show Trials Ahead EU-China Summit Includes Father of Berlin Resident

 Updated on April 10, 2024

“They intimidated her by saying that, because of the rescue action I organized abroad, they kept my father in prison.” Lebin told Bitter Winter. “Frightening, but it shows one important thing: publicity on these cases and going international really helps. The Chinese authorities are very afraid that their illegal persecution may get huge international attention abroad.”

FalunInfo.net

In the early morning on May 12, 2023, over 10 plainclothes police officers stormed the tea farm of Ding Yuande and his wife, Ma Ruimei in the rural area outside Rizhao City in Shandong Province, China. The officers restrained the couple and proceeded to ransack the property.

Ding Lebin petitions for his father’s release beside The Brandenburg Gate (Courtesy of Lebin Ding)

Amidst the ransacking, the couple’s son who lives in Germany, Ding Lebin, phoned his mother to see how his parents were doing. Lebin’s mother told him, “Bad guys came into the house. They handcuffed me. My hands are numb now.” The call ended after 33 seconds.

Lebin’s parents practice Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa), a meditation practice that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted since July 20, 1999. Upon finding Falun Gong books and leaflets, officers took the couple into custody.

It came out later that the couple’s arrest was part of a province-wide mass arrest of roughly 70 Falun Gong practitioners ahead of World Falun Dafa Day on May 13. The day is the anniversary of Falun Gong’s introduction and has become a sensitive date for the regime carrying out a campaign to eradicate the group.

A Son’s Plight for His Parents

“My parents were arrested, then silence.” Lebin said in an interview with Bitter Winter. “Nobody knew where they were detained.”

Since then, Lebin has gone to great lengths to advocate for his parents, calling on multiple human rights organizations and governmental bodies to call for his parent’s release. He has spoken to media, participated in rallies, and initiated a letter campaign to Chinese officials.

Joining in Lebin’s plea, the International Society for Human Rights, an NGO with UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) status sent letters requesting the release of Ding’s parents to the Chinese Ambassador to Germany, the former Chinese Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, CCP Provincial Secretary of Shandong Province, Lin Wu, and Rizhao City, the former CCP Municipal Secretary, Zhang Hui.

Volunteers with the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) flooded police stations in the region with phone calls, inquiring about Lebin’s parents and requesting their immediate release.

Efforts Bring Results

Lebin’s efforts seem to have been effective. His mother was released on bail on May 24, 2023, however, she is under tight surveillance and still faces prosecution.

Meanwhile, Lebin’s father remains in detention and was transferred to Rizhao Detention Center on June 13. The next day, two officers from the Donggang Police Station visited Lebin’s mother and threatened to sentence Yuande if Lebin kept up his advocacy efforts in Europe. According to Ms. Ma, they seemed fearful of the attention the case has received.

However, Lebin has charged ahead with his efforts. “They intimidated her by saying that, because of the rescue action I organized abroad, they kept my father in prison.” Lebin told Bitter Winter. “Frightening, but it shows one important thing: publicity on these cases and going international really helps. The Chinese authorities are very afraid that their illegal persecution may get huge international attention abroad.”

Over the past 7 months, he has traveled across Europe petitioning for his parent’s unconditional freedom. Members of the European Parliament, the German Federal Parliament, and the Berlin State Assembly, members of parliament in Belgium and the Czech Republic, as well as Japanese councilors have written to Wu Ken, the Chinese ambassador to Germany, and officials in China, calling for Ding Yuande’s release.

Show Trials ahead of EU-China Summit, Sanctions against Perpetrators Needed

Lebin’s father was tried on November 28 at the Wulian County People’s Court. In a statement issued the day before Yuande’s trial, Mrs. Jasna Causevic, an expert on genocide prevention at the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) in Göttingen said, “As a Falun Gong practitioner, he is following a path of meditation and cultivation that runs counter to the atheism and materialism of the dictatorial Communist Party of China. The charges against him are as arbitrary and absurd as the circumstances of his arrest. The Communist regime is aware that there is no basis for this under Chinese law. The pseudo-legal farce is part of a repressive campaign against Falun Gong practitioners, which the Chinese government has been following through with for the past 24 years.”

On December 15, 2023, Ding Yuande was sentenced to three years in prison and fined approximately $2,100 USD (or 15,000 yuan).

Meanwhile, another 22 Falun Gong practitioners, who are the victims of the mass arrest in May are scheduled to be tried at the same court as Yuande. The trials are set to take place from December 4-6, 2023, just before the European Union-China summit on December 7 and 8.

Ding Lebin, as well as the various human rights groups and others who have joined and amplified his cause are calling for decisive action. In the statement issued by the STP, which has advisory status at both the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and at the Council of Europe, this German human rights organization called for the implementation of sanctions:

On the occasion of the upcoming EU-China Summit in Beijing on December 7 and 8, the STP demands the European Union and, in particular, the German Federal Government, to bring about concrete sanctions – including measures of criminal prosecution against individuals and companies participating in the decades-long crimes against Falun Gong practitioners. The sanctions could include the denial of visas, freezing of assets, expulsion from EU territory, criminal prosecution, or international criminal charges.

Ms. Zhang Hui was the former party secretary of Rizhao City and first party secretary of the military in Rizhao City, at the time of the mass arrest. As of August, she is now the deputy party secretary of Qingdao, the former German colony city. Because forced organ harvesting has long been conducted in military hospitals, Zhang Hui’s military connection raises concern about the lives of Mr. Yuande Ding and others. This brutal crime against Falun Gong practitioners is considered as “cold genocide” and has been repeatedly condemned by the European Parliament in EU resolutions. 

The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established in 2020, “enables the EU to target individuals, entities and bodies – including state and non-state actors – responsible for, involved in or associated with serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide.” The EU should make full use of its sanctioning ability to target perpetrators against Falun Gong practitioners.

Editors note: On January 18, the EU Parliament passed a resolution calling for the release of Ding Yuande and condemning the persecution of Falun Gong.

The Falun Dafa Information Center learned on April 10, 2024 that Mr. Ding Yuande was transferred to Shandong Province Prison in Jinan, Shandong Province on March 20, 2024.

Source: https://faluninfo.net/wave-of-falun-gong-show-trials-ahead-eu-china-summit-including-father-of-berlin-resident/

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

---

WATCH Missing My Child

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srg4o2pI-WI)

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Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

[Minghui.org] U.S. Senator Marco Rubio Says Chinese Communist Party Must Release All Incarcerated Falun Gong Practitioners

 July 22, 2021 | By Minghui correspondent Wang Ying

“The CCP has detained Falun Gong practitioners, and in some cases, multiple times, in ‘transformation-through-reeducation’ centers. CCP officials have subjected Falun Gong practitioners to physical and sexual assault, forced labor, and torture to make them renounce their beliefs. Even more disturbing are the credible allegations of forced organ harvesting.”

(Minghui.org) On the 22nd anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued a statement in commemoration of the fallen victims of the persecution and demanded that the communist regime release all incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline based on the teachings of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. It’s accompanied by five slow-moving exercises and helps practitioners to achieve both mental and physical health.

U.S. Senator Rubio

Senator Rubio said in his statement: “As we mark the 22nd anniversary of the beginning of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal crackdown against the Falun Gong spiritual movement, I honor the lives of the hundreds of thousands, perhaps more than a million, innocent Chinese who have been targeted because of their spiritual beliefs.

“The CCP has detained Falun Gong practitioners, and in some cases, multiple times, in ‘transformation-through-reeducation’ centers. CCP officials have subjected Falun Gong practitioners to physical and sexual assault, forced labor, and torture to make them renounce their beliefs. Even more disturbing are the credible allegations of forced organ harvesting.”

He said that such cruelty continues unabated to this day: “For example, on April 23, 2021, security agents in Shandong province broke into the home of Zhou Deyong and detained him on the charge of ‘sabotaging the enforcement of laws by organizing and utilizing cult organizations.’ Mr. Zhou was formally arrested on May 31 for possessing Falun Gong materials that belonged to his wife in the United States.

“In July 2016, security agents in Yuxi municipality in Yunnan province detained Deng Cuiping and four others for publicly distributing materials promoting Falun Gong. The Eshan County People’s Court tried the five in February 2017, and sentenced Deng to 6 years in prison. Deng served 3 years in prison from 2006 to 2009 as a result of her practice of Falun Gong. Countless others have suffered for their belief in Falun Gong.”

Senator Rubio demands that the CCP release all incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners: “I call on Beijing to stop undermining freedom of religion, and to once and for all end the ban on Falun Gong practice. The CCP must release all individuals and practitioners who are held in prisons and in various detention centers throughout China.”

All articles, graphics, and content published on Minghui.org are copyrighted. Non-commercial reproduction is allowed but requires attribution with the article title and a link to the original article.

Chinese version available

Source: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2021/7/22/194200.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

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WATCH The House Passed the Falun Gong Protection Act

(https://x.com/RepScottPerry/status/1805715116253381063)

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Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

[The Epoch Times] MPs Urge China to Release Canadian Falun Gong Practitioner, Family Members of Citizens

 By Andrew Chen / The Epoch Times

“She refused to renounce her faith or to admit any guilt, and as such she endured extended periods of squatting and standing, had freezing cold water poured on her. She was deprived of food and sleep, [and] was forced to do unpaid labour.”

Eight MPs presented a petition in the House of Commons on Oct. 30 urging Ottawa to demand that the Chinese regime release a Canadian citizen and the family members of 12 others detained for practising Falun Gong.

The MPs who presented the petition highlighted the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) systemic use of torture, live organ harvesting, forced labour, and various other forms of abuse to suppress members of the spiritual discipline, and called for an end to the persecution campaign against Falun Gong.

Initially, 13 Conservative MPs were scheduled to present the petition, but only eight were available on Oct. 30: Cathay Wagantall, Larry Brock, Damien Kurek, Scott Reid, Brad Vis, Jeremy Patzer, Tako Van Popta, and Marc Dalton.

Falun Gong practitioners whose family members have been arbitrarily detained in China for their faith pose for a photo on Parliament Hill on Oct. 30, 2024. That day, MPs presented a petition in the House of Commons calling on the Chinese regime to end its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. NTD

Five other Conservative MPs—Garnett Genuis, James Bezan, Greg McLean, Tom Kmiec, and Dave Epp—supported the petition but were unable to be present in the House on Oct. 30 due to time constraints.

Wagantall said the CCP views religions as a threat to its atheist ideology and has specifically targeted Falun Gong, perceiving its popularity in China as a challenge to the regime’s authoritarian rule.

Conservative MPs Garnett Genuis (1st L), Tom Kmiec (5th L), Larry Brock (6th L), Jeremy Patzer (8th L), Damien Kurek (C), Greg McLean (11th R), and Marc Dalton (2nd R) stand with Falun Gong practitioners calling for an end to the persecution campaign against Falun Gong in China. The Epoch Times

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is rooted in Buddhist traditions and involves meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Following its introduction in 1992, Falun Gong gained widespread recognition for its health benefits, attracting an estimated 70 million to 100 million practitioners by the end of the decade.

In July 1999, the Beijing regime launched a campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, resulting in the suppression of Chinese citizens “in the thousands, and perhaps even millions,” Wagantall said. She highlighted the case of Yunhe Zhang, who was arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities in February 2002 and has not been heard from since.

Zhang’s sister, Tianxiao, who lives in Toronto, said the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has had a “catastrophic impact” on countless families in China and should serve as a stark reminder in human history.

“Numerous Falun Gong practitioners, many of whom are unknown by name, have died and had their organs harvested due to the CCP’s persecution, which is a tragedy for both China and the world,” she said in Mandarin in an interview with NTD Television, a sister company of The Epoch Times.

“I hope that one day, when the CCP’s crimes are recorded in history, it will remind future generations to never again allow the existence of such a regime.”

In December 2022, MPs from all political parties unanimously voted in favour of Senate Bill S-223, which establishes criminal offences related to forced organ harvesting and trafficking abroad. This legislation aligns Canada with other countries that have similar laws, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Belgium, Norway, Spain, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Montreal resident Kelly Cong said she was “very happy” to see MPs openly supporting Falun Gong practitioners and denouncing the CCP’s human rights violations. Her 80-year-old mother, Lanying Cong, a practitioner in Shandong Province, was arbitrarily detained in February 2023 and sentenced to four years in prison.

Torture, Forced Labour

The CCP’s detention of Canadian citizen Sun Qian is perhaps the most well-known case among those mentioned in the petition presented by MPs. Sun was arbitrarily detained at her residence in Beijing in February 2017 and subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison in June 2020.

During her detention, Sun reportedly endured prolonged physical and mental torture, including being shackled to a steel chair, pepper-sprayed in the face, and subjected to sustained brainwashing and psychological manipulation, as reported by the Falun Dafa Association of Canada.

Sun Qian, a Falun Dafa practitioner who has been illegally detained in China since February 2017, in an undated photo. The Epoch Times/Handout

MP Patzer detailed the torture endured by Yongmei Li, the mother of Calgary resident Suting Liu. According to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based Falun Gong information website, Li was first detained in 2014 for practising Falun Gong and was incarcerated for nearly two years.

“[Yongmei Li] received her second prison sentence in 2023 for five years because she is a practitioner of Falun Gong. Her phone has been monitored for six months, and her home was ransacked by police. She was strung up by her wrists with her feet in the air during the interrogation,” Patzer said.

“She refused to renounce her faith or to admit any guilt, and as such she endured extended periods of squatting and standing, had freezing cold water poured on her. She was deprived of food and sleep, [and] was forced to do unpaid labour.”

‘Responsibility to Do Something’

Kurek, the Conservatives’ heritage critic, called for the release of Yan Liu, the mother of Toronto resident Mingyuan Liu, who was detained and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in April 2022. Pointing to the many other Falun Gong practitioners who have faced persecution, he noted the importance of ensuring that “their freedoms are respected.”

“As Canadians, [we have a] responsibility to do something about it,” Kurek said.

Yan Liu (L) with her daughter, Liu Mingyuan, and her husband in a file photo. Yan Liu was arrested in China on Sept. 30, 2021, for her belief in Falun Gong. Courtesy of Liu Mingyuan

Many Falun Gong practitioners with ties to Canada have been detained while trying to raise awareness in China about the CCP’s persecution campaign. Other persecuted groups include Christians, Uyghurs, Tibetans, human rights advocates, and democracy activists.

Huafeng Tang, a 62-year-old retired middle school teacher from Shanxi Province, was arrested and sentenced to 3.5 years in June 2021 for distributing materials related to the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. She is the mother of Canadian citizen Alice Zhang, who resides in Vancouver.

Similarly, Lizhong He, the brother of Toronto resident Lizhi He, was detained in July 2023 and sentenced to seven years in prison for sharing short videos about Falun Gong. He is being held in a prison in Gansu Province known for its violence toward Falun Gong prisoners of conscience, according to Minghui.org. His family has been denied visitation for over a year since his arrest and has no information about his health or safety.

Zhoubo Liu, father of Ottawa resident Jack Liu, received a three-and-a-half-year sentence in April 2023. Liu has been unlawfully detained for nearly two years in Beijing No. 3 Detention Center after being kidnapped from his home in November 2021. This is not his first detention; he previously spent nine years in prison for raising awareness about crimes against Falun Gong.

Others Detained

The persecution campaign against Falun Gong that began under former CCP leader Jiang Zemin in 1999 continues to this day.

Recent cases include Mingguang Xie, father of Regina resident Xingxing Xie, who was abducted from his home by Chinese police in February of this year and is now detained in Lichuan Detention Center in Hubei Province. Xie previously spent three years in prison in 2002, during which he was reportedly tortured.

Other recent cases include Shuang Sun, cousin of Wenli Sun, a refugee living in Vancouver. Sun was detained on Nov. 23, 2023.

Zuo Li, cousin of Calgary resident Baolian Jiang, was arrested in July 2022 and is currently imprisoned in Shanxi Province. Li has previously endured two illegal sentences—one for five-and-a-half years and another for five years—during which she underwent relentless torture, as reported by Minghui.org.

Fengyun Yao, the aunt of Calgary resident Helen Yao, received a four-year prison sentence in 2020 for practising Falun Gong, which was recently extended by six months. Yao has already been imprisoned for her faith four times, Minghui reported.

Lijuan Gao, the wife of Toronto resident Yong Zhou, was arrested on Dec. 28, 2017, in Tianjin City. She was sentenced to nine years in prison and is currently held in Tianjin Liyuan Prison.

Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/mps-urge-china-to-release-canadian-falun-gong-practitioner-family-members-of-citizens-5751531

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

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CLICK LINK BELOW TO WATCH: Warning >>> 30-Year-Old Radio Host, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Jiazhou Prison, Video Points to Torture in Custody

(https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fkjngk70r47cTIz7AjAm2WNt1c91c)

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Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html