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Epoch Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
After 22 Years on the Run for Broadcasting the Truth, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Exile
Wang Zhanhai, a Falun Gong practitioner from northern China, died on May 10, 2024, after 22 years of exile, according to news published this month by Wang was forced into hiding after participating in a covert broadcast that exposed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) persecution of Falun Gong. In January 2001, the CCP Since the CCP's nationwide persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, practitioners have risked imprisonment and death to counter the state's defamatory narrative. Their efforts include On Feb. 16, 2002, Wang and six other Falun Gong practitioners in Anshan City, Liaoning Province, tapped into the local cable network at 7 p.m. to air a documentary called ' This was one of the first television network interception efforts recorded by Minghui. Exposing the CCP Hoax The attempt to bring this information to the public came at a steep cost. Related Stories 5/5/2025 4/29/2025 Police located the group during the operation and opened fire, shooting practitioner Xu Zhaobin in the leg and face. Wang managed to escape, fled his hometown, and remained in hiding for the next 22 years. The other six were captured in the next several weeks. All received severe punishment. File photo: Zhang Li. Courtesy of Minghui Zhang Li, arrested on March 3, 2002, was interrogated and tortured in the First Detention Center of Anshan City. She died on Aug. 27 in the same year after being denied medical treatment despite being in critical condition. Witnesses described her body as 'scored with bloody knife wounds.' She was 40. The remaining five—Wei Zhiyi, Shen Hailong, Xu Zhaobin, Li Guihong, and He Xiaoqiu—were Wang's Fight for Justice In 2015, while still in hiding, Wang filed a criminal complaint against Jiang. He accused the former CCP leader of 'throwing hundreds of millions of kind-hearted people and their families into turmoil and devastating basic human conscience and the moral foundation essential for a stable and sustainable society.' Wang wrote that Falun Gong had improved his health and helped him become a better person. But once the persecution began, he endured constant harassment, including from local police, factory supervisors, and others. He was stalked, pressured to renounce his beliefs, fined, and forced to resign from his job. Wang said he and his fellow practitioners then decided to do something to raise the public awareness of the persecution. In addition to handing out flyers, they thought of a better way to let more people know about the truth: intercepting the local cable system. After the 2002 broadcast, he was listed as a fugitive. 'The police tapped my home phone, harassed my family, and even revoked my wife's small subsidy—leaving her and our child in deep financial trouble,' Wang wrote. 'They tried to bribe my friends to find me. During holidays, officers staked out my parents' house. Everyone in my family lived under unbearable pressure.' Unable to work or go out, Wang lived in constant fear. He couldn't care for his elderly parents or support his family, he said. He described the toll as 'unimaginable' in terms of physical, emotional, and financial stress. His health declined in the years that followed before his death last year. Due to China's tight censorship, his death was only confirmed and reported by Minghui on May 6, 2025. Wang Zhanhai. Courtesy of Minghui Speaking Out for All of Humanity Wang Zhiyuan, president and spokesperson of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), said Falun Gong practitioners risk their lives not just for their own sake, but 'for the people, the society, and the nation.' He told The Epoch Times on Thursday that practitioners outside China are also speaking out—not only on behalf of those suffering inside the country, but also 'to defend freedom and truth for all humanity.' Bypassing the Firewall Falun Gong—also known as Falun Dafa—is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Introduced by Mr. Li Hongzhi in 1992, it grew rapidly due to its health and moral benefits, attracting at least 70 million followers by the late 1990s. Fearing Falun Gong's popularity, the CCP launched a sweeping nationwide suppression in 1999. State media and propaganda arms were mobilized to discredit the practice. Despite extreme surveillance, including the deployment of more than The 2022 documentary ' Promotional materials for the documentary "Eternal Spring" are on display at the Film Forum in New York, on Oct. 14, 2022. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times Inspired by their counterparts in China, Falun Gong practitioners overseas helped develop anti-censorship tools such as FreeGate, UltraSurf, and Dynaweb. These tools bypass the regime's 'Golden Shield,' also known as the Great Firewall, which monitors and censors internet access in China. Author and China expert Ethan Gutmann praised the movement, More Support Needed Prominent Chinese dissident Yuan Hongbing, now based in Australia, called the CCP 'the most evil authoritarian regime in human history.' In an interview with The Epoch Times on Thursday, he warned that the spread of communist totalitarianism poses a threat to global civilization. 'For years, Falun Gong practitioners have carried out tireless and courageous truth-clarification efforts,' Yuan said. 'What they are doing is tearing through the CCP's ideological iron curtain, allowing free thought and ideals to flow into China like a spring breeze. This is an immensely meaningful movement to save the hearts and minds of the Chinese people.' He also pointed to a rise in the CCP's overseas suppression of Falun Gong, with the communist regime spreading false information and employing legal tactics to target the group. 'It's hate-driven persecution from a dictatorship,' he said, urging the international community to respond with strong countermeasures. On May 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the WOIPFG's Wang Zhiyuan expressed appreciation to the United States for passing the bill, and he called on Western democracies to stand by the U.S. in support of Falun Gong. 'We need real action—not just symbolic support or oral sanctions,' he said. 'Only concrete steps can stop the persecution and dismantle the CCP.' Luo Ya, Mary Hong, and Joan Delaney contributed to this report.
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
‘Falun Dafa Will Prevail': Canadian MPs Mark 33rd Falun Dafa Day on Parliament Hill
Over a dozen MPs gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28 to mark the anniversary of Falun Dafa, a Chinese meditation practice first introduced to the public more than three decades ago. MPs from both major political parties delivered speeches in front of hundreds of Falun Dafa practitioners and other attendees who gathered on Parliament Hill to mark the occasion. The event included live music and dance performances, as well as demonstrations of the practice's meditative exercises. Falun Gong practitioners perform meditative exercises during an event to celebrate the World Falun Dafa Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Evan Ning/The Epoch Times Liberal MP Judy Sgro welcomed the practitioners on behalf of the newly elected prime minister and his government and commended Falun Dafa's moral teachings and values. 'It's wonderful for us to be here on this beautiful, sunny day that clearly, God is shining down on all of us, especially those of you who are celebrating the 33rd anniversary today,' Sgro, co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong, told the crowd. Classical Chinese dance was performed as part of events to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Evan Ning/The Epoch Times Referring to the guiding principles of Falun Dafa—truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, or forbearance—Sgro said the whole word is in need of these tenets. 'Everywhere we look today, we've got conflicts,' she said. 'If we could just get everybody into believing in the basic words of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, I think the world … would be a much better place.' Related Stories 5/13/2025 5/13/2025 Conservative MP and Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman noted the benefits that Falun Dafa brings to the community, and said her party would stand with the practitioners in the face of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Conservative MP and Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'Every single day, I'm always proud to add my voice to yours. I'm proud to stand with you,' she said. 'I know that the Falun Dafa movement, everything that you are a part of, adds to each and every one of our communities, not only with volunteerism, … but by the tolerance and the benevolence and the forbearance that you preach.' Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a traditional Chinese discipline combining slow-moving exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Introduced in China on May 13, 1992, an Although the discipline is currently practised in more than 100 countries worldwide, it is banned in communist China, where practitioners have faced severe persecution for more than 25 years, with reports of torture, forced labour, killings, and even live forced organ The persecution campaign was started in 1999 by then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin who saw the spiritual discipline's growing popularity and moral teachings as not being aligned with the CCP's atheistic doctrines. Young Falun Gong practitioners perform a classical Chinese dance piece as part of events to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'An Inspiration' Conservative MP Scott Reid praised Falun Dafa practitioners, calling them 'such amazing people who do such amazing work.' 'You're an inspiration in ways that are profound,' he said in his speech. 'You're addressing universal values, but you're addressing them in a way that is key to bringing China and its amazing ancient culture, its values, into the world system for the benefit of China itself and its people, for the benefit of the rest of the world.' He also noted that at the same time, he is sad that the persecution is continuing in China. 'The Communist Party continues a completely senseless campaign against a fundamentally non-political movement. It makes no sense to me,' Reid said. Conservative MP Scott Reid speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times But, he noted, through practitioners' 'extraordinary commitment to forbearance and compassion,' the persecution will end one day. He said the effort that the practitioners are displaying while incorporating their 'amazing set of values into the culture of the world' is the 'great work perhaps of our century.' 'Stand Together in Solidarity' Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, also a co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong, noted the peaceful nature of the practice, while adding that under the Communist Party in China, it has been subject to 'some of the worst persecution that we have seen.' 'We have to stand together in solidarity for truth and justice and stand against the threats to world peace and to universal human dignity that are presented by the CCP,' he said. Genius said the work he did to pass legislation in the previous sessions of Parliament will make it harder for the CCP to continue its forced organ harvesting of Falun Dafa prisoners of conscience, as it enables Ottawa to Conservative MP Garnett Genuis speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'But the work is not done on that. We can work with partners around the world to have similar legislation adopted in some other jurisdictions, and work with provincial and territorial leaders to ensure the full implementation of measures to prevent any kind of Canadian complicity in forced organ harvesting and trafficking,' he said. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux noted how important Falun Dafa practitioners are not only to Ottawa and his constituency in Winnipeg, but 'around the world.' He said the practitioners do important work to ensure 'the spiritual well-being' of the world, and to raise awareness about the persecution in China. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'Falun Dafa Will Prevail' Mike Duggan, a city councillor in Gatineau, just across the river from Parliament Hill, said the scene created by the Falun Dafa practitioners on May 28 was 'the nicest I've seen in this place in quite a while.' 'Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice rooted in the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, offers millions a path to personal growth, health, and inner peace through meditation and moral teachings,' Duggan said. 'In over 100 countries, practitioners gather in parks and public spaces such as this one, sharing their beliefs and exercises freely, contributing to cultural diversity and mutual understanding.' Mike Duggan, a Gatineau city councillor, speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times Duggan noted the importance of the freedom of thought and to be able to practice one's faith, and how that is cherished in Canada. 'I support Falun Dafa practitioners in their peaceful pursuit of faith, hoping that their example … inspires greater compassion and respect for diversity everywhere, among all humans around the world,' he said. Conservative MP Michael Cooper said Falun Dafa's tenets are the 'antithesis of everything' that the CCP stands for. 'In fact, there is one word that sums up the Beijing-based communist regime, and that is: evil,' he said. And it's important to stand up to this evil, Cooper added. Conservative MP Michael Cooper speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'As a member of Parliament, I will go–as I have for years–into that chamber to stand up and speak out in support of the Falun Dafa,' he said. 'Good will prevail, Falun Dafa will prevail.' Ending the Persecution Liberal MP Yvan Baker said more people need to be made aware of the persecution Falun Gong practitioners experience in China, saying that he is an 'ally' in working to end the persecution. 'It's important that Canadians know about the persecution of … the followers of Falun Dafa, and that we do all we can to support them,' he said. Liberal MP Yvan Baker speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall said Falun Dafa has been a source of 'mental, moral, and physical enrichment' for millions of people, although it faces persecution in China, and even interference attempts by the CCP abroad. 'For most of the 33 years, Falun Dafa has been persecuted by the highest-levels of Beijing communist regime in China and abroad,' Wagantall said. 'It's no wonder why Beijing works so tirelessly to suppress followers at Falun Dafa. Its main tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance stand antithetical to what the communist regime stands for.' Wagantall added she stands with Falun Dafa practitioners 'today, and every day.' Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'The True North Strong and Free' Conservative MP James Bezan said the three principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance practised by Falun Dafa is 'really all about the principles of us Canadians.' 'We're going to continue to celebrate Falun Dafa Day every year,' he told the practitioners on Parliament Hill. 'And I know that each and every one of you, whether you're born a Canadian or you have come here to become a Canadian, I thank you for making Canada the True North Strong and Free.' Bezan also noted the work he did to pass the ' Conservative MP James Bezan speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'There is no reason why those bureaucrats, doctors, corrupt businesspeople should be able to bring their families and their wealth to Canada and use us as a safe haven when they have really benefited from the torture and the atrocities against Falun Dafa,' he said. 'I'll continue to use my voice as a member of Parliament to stand up and speak out for Falun Gong practitioners.' Conservative MP Dan Muys noted that he attends the Falun Dafa Day celebrations in Ottawa every year, and thanked practitioners for holding the event. Conservative MP Dan Muys speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'Thank you for coming here and [for the] peaceful demonstration each year to extol the virtues of truth, compassion and forbearance, which are virtues that the world needs more of,' he said. 'A Powerful Reminder' Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld said the World Falun Dafa Day celebration is a 'powerful reminder of the universal values that unite us: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.' Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'These principles not only form the foundation of Falun Dafa, but also inspire peaceful coexistence and mutual respect across communities across Canada and beyond,' Vandenbeld said. 'I commend the resilience and dedication of Falun Dafa practitioners in promoting peace, wellness, and human dignity, often in the face of profound adversity.' Conservative MP Costas Menegakis speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times Conservative MP Costas Menegakis noted that he last joined the World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in 2015 before he left politics, but had a chance to join again this year after being re-elected in the April 28 general election. 'It's beautiful to see so many people from Montreal, from Ottawa, from Toronto gathering here to celebrate this, the 33rd Falun Dafa Day, right here … in the nation's capital,' he said. Conservative MP Rhonda Kirkland speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times Newly elected Conservative MP Rhonda Kirlkand also wished the attendees a 'happy Falun Dafa Day,' adding that she was 'excited' to be part of the event. Conservative MP Michael Guglielmin, who was also newly elected in the recent election, wished the attendees a 'Happy Falun Dafa Day,' and said it's important to stand to support the practitioners in the face of the CCP's persecution. Conservative MP Michael Guglielmin speaks during World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times 'It's an honour to stand on the side of truth and justice and to support our friends in the community, and [I'm] proud that our party has stood up for human rights, especially with all the issues going on with the CCP,' Guglielmin said.
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
CCP Mounting Unrestricted Warfare to Suppress Shen Yun, Lawmaker Says
The Chinese regime's growing campaign to suppress a New York-based performing arts firm is tantamount to unrestricted warfare, according to Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.). 'They fight on every single inch of the battlefield,' Perry told The Epoch Times, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Unrestricted warfare is a doctrine that leverages all available nonmilitary means to subdue an enemy. Under such tactics, China is taking advantage of the U.S. judicial system and the freedom of the media, Perry added. Shen Yun showcases dance and music performances under the tagline 'China before communism.' The company was founded in 2006 by practitioners of Falun Gong—a faith group brutally persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999—and has been a target of the CCP since. Over the past year, the regime's effort targeting Shen Yun has escalated significantly, with dozens of Perry, who sits on the House foreign affairs and intelligence committees, said it was important to take these threats seriously. Related Stories 5/19/2025 5/6/2025 It's important for the United States and the West in general to 'understand the pathology of this enemy,' he said. 'The CCP just takes advantage of the U.S. judiciary system and also the freedom of the media.' For the intimidation emails, the senders use Virtual Private Network, or VPN, making it hard to trace where the emails are from, 'but we're well familiar with the threats and the coercion and the intimidation by the Communist Chinese Party,' said Perry. Taiwan authorities have Shen Yun emcee Leeshai Lemish speaks at a press conference highlighting the Chinese Communist Party's transnational repression activities targeting the company at the Lincoln Center in New York City on March 26, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times 'Terrorism' Shen Yun performances often include stories about human rights abuses that Falun Gong practitioners suffer in China for adhering to their faith, which some performers and their family members In 1999, the CCP launched a systematic elimination campaign against Falun Gong, which by then had at least 70 million practicing. Since then, millions have been detained inside prisons, labor camps, and other facilities, with hundreds of thousands tortured while incarcerated, Indiana state Rep. Craig Haggard, who in April proposed a resolution to recognize Shen Yun's artistry and values, recalled how watching Shen Yun led him to learn about forced organ harvesting, which the Chinese regime systematically carries out in China targeting prisoners of conscience, such as Falun Gong practitioners. As a father, it moves him to know that ordinary families in China would be targeted as state enemies, and the authorities could 'just have control over your family's life and death.' Shen Yun, he said, is trying to showcase 'the beautiful part of China' while highlighting the darkness under communist rule. Haggard called the bomb threats against Shen Yun 'outrageous' and a form of 'terrorism.' 'They're trying to intimidate through threatened potential violence, and this is going on in our own backyard,' Haggard told The Epoch Times. He added that the Shen Yun artists, while relatively safe within U.S. borders, are 'still taking a huge risk by directly challenging' the regime on its human rights abuses. The House Armed Services Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairwoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) delivers remarks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Feb. 12, the 'Pressure up' Vicky Hartzler, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and former congresswoman from Missouri, said the bomb threats also reveal fear from the Chinese authorities. 'It just shows the level of threat that they see from this group, and for how successful these events are in fostering positive relationships between other countries and the Chinese people, and certainly practitioners of Falun Gong,' Hartzler told The Epoch Times. 'The Chinese Communist Party sees this as a threat, and they're escalating the degree of persecution' and 'trying to silence this positive voice.' The Chinese regime has exploited free speech in the United States to conduct targeted disinformation campaigns, she said, but 'where Chinese authorities may be putting out disinformation, there's certainly an opportunity to set the record straight by putting out the correct information.' She finds it a reminder to educate average Americans on the tactics the regime uses. 'We need to be vigilant, but also we need to be assertive and shut them down when we can,' she said. 'So we're not so vulnerable to be taken in by them.' Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, listens during a press conference on the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act passed by the House on Capitol Hill on May 7, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, voiced a similar sentiment. The United States needs to 'push back even harder,' he said. Communist China is the 'worst repressive state on the face of the earth,' he told The Epoch Times. 'So we've got to stand up to those who are getting hurt, tortured when they get arrested.' He said the U.S. government 'will bring more focus on transnational repression' from China and that he hopes President Donald Trump, when he meets with the Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping, will urge the release of incarcerated Americans and people imprisoned for their faith. 'We're going to keep the pressure up.'
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
US State Department Concerned Over Malaysia's Arrest of Falun Gong Practitioners Before Xi's Visit
Malaysia's decision to detain dozens of Falun Gong practitioners before and during a visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping has drawn alarm from the U.S. State Department and human rights advocates. Two days before Xi's arrival in mid-April in the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, around two dozen police officers appeared at a private venue where nearly 80 Falun Gong practitioners had gathered for a routine study of spiritual texts. The officers demanded their identification documents and forcibly detained them, despite the practitioners stressing that their faith is peaceful and poses no threat to anyone. Those arrested include a woman over 80 and a 10-year-old child. Among the group were also 29 people originally from China who are seeking protection from the sweeping persecution targeting their beliefs in China. Several are United Nations refugees. The 47 Malaysian citizens were released hours after Xi left, and the Chinese nationals were freed during the two weeks that followed. The mass arrest marked the first of its kind in Malaysia, taking place as Xi toured Southeast Asia to promote the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a reliable trading partner amid a tariff war with the United States. The U.S. State Department expressed concern about the reports. 'We call on the Chinese Communist Party to end its nearly 26-year campaign to eradicate Falun Gong and to cease its attempts to pressure other governments to repress the practice of Falun Gong,' a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times. Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/13/2025 'We call on Malaysia to respect the principle of non-refoulement and to not return Falun Gong practitioners to China where they reportedly have been subjected to torture and imprisonment for their beliefs.' After detaining the practitioners, Malaysian police had initially promised to let them go home once they finished some procedural paperwork, but reversed course in the early hours of the following morning, seizing all phones and sending some detainees to a magistrate court to extend their detention. The police also confiscated Falun Gong books. Some local practitioners reported additional home searches during the period, with one additional person taken to the police station for questioning. Levi Browde, the executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, said he finds the incident to raise 'serious questions about the Chinese regime's ability to export its religious persecution abroad.' 'It is clear that the CCP is likely behind the scenes trying to expand the persecution against Falun Gong beyond China's borders,' he told The Epoch Times. 'We have seen these tactics before.' Falun Gong practitioners sit in a police van in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 13, 2025. The Epoch Times Officers at the detention site said they acted under 'pressure from the above,' The Epoch Times has learned. Local sources said Chinese agents were surveilling Falun Gong exercise sites and information booths during the weeks prior to Xi's visit. Some agents also went to Chinese Falun Gong practitioners' residences to harass them, the sources said. Xi departed Kuala Lumpur on April 17 for Cambodia, with the Malaysian king affirming support for China's Belt and Road Initiative—the China-led infrastructure project critics said can trap participating countries in debt—along with further collaboration with China on trade, culture, and education. Similar The incident also happened after Thailand, at Beijing's demand, Since 1999, Chinese authorities have subjected Falun Gong practitioners to mass arrests, torture, sexual abuses, and forced organ harvesting in a bid to eliminate the belief. Incomplete statistics from China have confirmed thousands of deaths, but experts say the number is a vast undercount. Falun Gong practitioners have practiced freely in Malaysia for more than three decades. In 2022, however, the Malaysian government revoked a local Falun Gong association's registration, ostensibly under Chinese influence. Browde urged Malaysian authorities to protect religious freedom and 'ensure that Chinese Falun Gong practitioners can stay in Malaysia as refugees or move on safely to other countries.' 'For 30 years, Falun Gong practitioners in Malaysia have been able to practice freely and share the beauty of the practice with the Malaysian people. That is to Malaysia's credit,' he said. 'The global Falun Dafa community appreciates that openness and urges the current authorities to rebuff any CCP pressure to change that situation.'
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Rubio Pledges to Help in ‘Any Way We Can' to Pass Anti-Forced Organ Harvesting Bill
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised to be helpful in any way possible to facilitate passage of legislation countering the Chinese regime's state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting. The question came up at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where Rubio testified on May 21 about the State Department's 2026 budget proposal. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who co-led the 'You and I have worked on issues like forced organ harvesting,' Smith said to Rubio, noting that the two had co-chaired the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China to work on human rights issues in China. '[Chinese leader] Xi Jinping is making billions by killing tens of thousands of young people, average age 28 each and every year,' Smith said. 'And you know it—you're the sponsor of the bill. 'If we could get it out of the Senate, it would hopefully clamp down on this egregious human rights abuse in China. 'And it's a global bill. It would outlaw forced organ harvesting profoundly with real penalties—up to 20 years in prison for those who are part of the supply chain.' While a Florida senator during the last Congress, Rubio had Rubio, in response, called forced organ harvesting 'concerning.' 'We would obviously be helpful in any way we can in helping you pass that in the Senate, certainly putting a good word for it and the like,' he said. The Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act would sanction anyone implicated in the abuse, including members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), by freezing their assets, prohibiting transactions, revoking their visas, and eliminating other immigration benefits. Rubio was outspoken about the issue as a senator. Last July, he In May 2024, Rubio and Smith Smith's bill would require the United States to make an assessment on forced organ harvesting and trafficking in each foreign country. 'We will task the State Department to look at what's happening in every country,' and 'determine whether or not there's a forced organ harvesting problem,' Smith told The Epoch Times on the day the House bill was passed. 'But nobody does it worse—nobody—than the People's Republic of China,' he said. Smith noted that forced organ harvesting had been going on 'far too long,' and without accountability, 'it will continue to get worse.' The act of killing for organs is 'right out of Nazi Germany and Joseph Mengele ... the cruelty of what he did during the Third Reich,' he said. The CCP viewed the growing popularity of Falun Gong as a challenge to its authoritarian rule and responded by launching a brutal persecution campaign that continues to this day. In 2019, the In 2023, Texas became the first U.S. state to Four other U.S. states—
