Condemns China's imprisonment, torture, and execution of its prisoners of conscience.
Calls upon China to: (1) cease harassment and discrimination against all unregistered religious organizations and individual practitioners, (2) release its prisoners of conscience, (3) release information about the number of detained prisoners of conscience and the extent of organ harvesting among such prisoners, and (4) allow the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom or international humanitarian organizations access to current and former prisoners of conscience.
Expresses sympathy to the families of prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered by the Chinese government.
Urges the Administration to raise the issue of the prisoners of conscience in diplomatic meetings with China.
Supports the Tuidang movement.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 416 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 416
Condemning Communist China's discrimination, harassment, imprisonment,
torture, and execution of its prisoners of conscience, and supporting
the Tuidang movement whereby Chinese citizens renounce their ties to
the Chinese Communist Party.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 23, 2011
Mr. McCotter (for himself, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr.
Bilirakis, Mr. Jones, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Sensenbrenner, and Mrs.
Myrick) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning Communist China's discrimination, harassment, imprisonment,
torture, and execution of its prisoners of conscience, and supporting
the Tuidang movement whereby Chinese citizens renounce their ties to
the Chinese Communist Party.
Whereas according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
``Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and
freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice,
worship and observance'';
Whereas Communist China is an original party to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights;
Whereas according to the United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom's (USCIRF) 2011 Annual Report, in Communist China, ``the
government actively restricts, harasses, detains, and imprisons: groups
that are not registered, or will not register, for political or
theological reasons; individuals who publicly organize legal, media, or
popular defense of religious freedom; and groups or leaders deemed to
threaten the Communist Party.'';
Whereas according to the USCIRF 2011 Annual Report, the Chinese Government,
``supports extralegal security forces to suppress the activities of so-
called `cult' organizations, actively harasses, imprisons, tortures, and
disappears advocates for greater religious freedom, destroys
unregistered religious venues, and severely restricts online access to
religious information and the authority of religious communities to
choose their own leadership and parents to teach their children
religion.'';
Whereas according to the United States Department of State's 2010 Annual Report
on International Religious Freedom, in the last reporting period, ``The
government detained, arrested, or sentenced to prison a number of
religious leaders and adherents for activities related to their
religious practice. These activities included assembling for religious
worship, expressing religious beliefs in public and in private, and
publishing religious texts.'';
Whereas all religious groups in Communist China who are not registered with one
of the 5 government-approved religious associations face some kind of
repression by the government;
Whereas, on October 30, 1999, China's National People's Congress promulgated an
``anti-cult'' law to suppress religious freedom and political dissent
across the country;
Whereas according to the United States Congressional-Executive Commission on
China's 2011 Annual Report, ``The Chinese government and Communist Party
continued to restrict the religious activities and doctrine of Chinese
Protestants who worship in the state-controlled church, a network of at
least 20 million citizens and 50,000 churches . . . The government made
strong efforts to interfere with the internal affairs of some
unregistered congregations through such means as the arbitrary detention
of religious leaders, violent raids, destruction of worship sites,
attempts to prevent members from gathering, and the labeling of some
Protestant organizations as `cults''';
Whereas, on May 27, 2001, Christian journalist Li Ying was arrested by the
Communist Chinese authorities for her involvement in publishing an
``underground'' Christian church magazine, and she is presently serving
a 15-year prison sentence in Communist China's Wuhan Female Prison in
Hubei Province;
Whereas, on August 20, 2001, Sun Minghua was arrested by Communist Chinese
authorities for her leadership position in the South China Church, and
she is presently serving a 13-year prison sentence in Communist China's
Wuhan Female Prison in Hubei Province;
Whereas, on June 17, 2004, Jiang Zongxiu was arrested, in Guizhou Provence, by
Communist Chinese authorities for distributing Christian literature and
died the following day, June 18, 2004, after being beaten to death while
in the custody of Communist Chinese authorities;
Whereas, on December 1, 2004, Pastor Zhang Rongliang was arrested in Xuzahi
village by Communist Chinese authorities and sentenced to 7.5 years in
prison at the Third Detention Center in Zhengzhou City, Hennan Provence;
Whereas previously, Pastor Rongliang served a combined 12 years in Communist
Chinese prisons where he has been tortured with electrical shocks;
Whereas, on October 1, 2007, Hua Huiqi was placed under house arrest in Beijing
by Communist Chinese authorities for his role as a pastor of an
``underground'' house church;
Whereas subsequently, on October 17, 2007, Hua Huiqi was beaten by Communist
Chinese authorities because he would not reveal names of other
``underground'' Christians;
Whereas according to the United States Congressional-Executive Commission on
China, ``at least 40 unregistered Chinese bishops are in detention, home
confinement, or surveillance, are in hiding, or have disappeared under
suspicious circumstances.'';
Whereas, on September 9, 2007, ``underground'' Bishop Han Dingxiang of the
Diocese of Yong Nian died in a Communist Chinese prison after being
detained for nearly 8 years;
Whereas during his life, Bishop Dingxiang was arrested 11 times and spent
roughly 35 years in either labor camps, prisons, or under house arrest;
Whereas Bishop Shi Enxiang and Bishop Su Shimin have been missing for more than
10 years, and the whereabouts of Bishop Yao Ling are also unknown;
Whereas according to the Laogai Research Foundation, Communist China continues
to operate a vast network of forced labor or re-education-through-labor
camps (Laogai) where at least 250,000 people are currently imprisoned,
many of these individuals are religious minorities and Falun Gong
practitioners;
Whereas since 1999, more than 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners have reportedly
served time in prison, with more than 100,000 practitioners being sent
to re-education-through-labor camps;
Whereas according to the USCRIF, during the last several years there have been
allegations of government-sanctioned organ harvesting from incarcerated
practitioners;
Whereas, on September 22, 2007, Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was
secretly taken from his home after sending an open letter to the United
States Congress recounting Communist China's elimination of over 3,000
Falun Gong practitioners;
Whereas Gao Zhisheng was repeatedly tortured and abused while in custody and has
been missing since April 2010;
Whereas in November 2004, the publication of ``Nine Commentaries on the
Communist Party'' by the United States-based newspaper, the Epoch Times,
led to the creation of the Tuidang movement;
Whereas the Tuidang movement, which means ``withdraw from the communist party'',
has encouraged as many as 100,000,000 people to publicly renounce their
membership in the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates; and
Whereas it is in the national interest for the United States Government to
actively promote religious freedom and democracy in Communist China:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns Communist China's discrimination, harassment,
imprisonment, torture, and execution of its prisoners of
conscience;
(2) calls upon Communist China to immediately--
(A) cease harassment and discrimination against all
unregistered religious organizations and individual
practitioners; and
(B) release its prisoners of conscience;
(3) calls upon Communist China to publicly release
information about--
(A) the number of prisoners of conscience presently
detained in Communist China (including Communist
China's Laogai prison camp system);
(B) the number of prisoners of conscience executed
or tortured in Communist China (including Communist
China's Laogai prison camp system); and
(C) the extent of Communist China's organ
harvesting among its prisoners of conscience;
(4) expresses sympathy and condolences to the families of
prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned, tortured, and
murdered by the Communist Chinese government;
(5) calls upon Communist China to allow the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom or international
humanitarian organizations unrestricted access to current and
former prisoners of conscience held in Communist China's jails,
prison, administrative detention centers, and Laogai prison
camp system;
(6) urges the Administration to raise the issue of
Communist China's prisoners of conscience in high-level
diplomatic meetings with Communist Chinese officials; and
(7) expresses support for the Tuidang movement and its
members for their peaceful efforts in pursuit of religious
freedom and a free and democratic government in China.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
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