(Minghui.org) On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched a statewide persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The persecution triggered Falun Gong practitioners around the world to clarify the truth about the practice with peaceful protests. On the occasion of the coming anniversary of July 20, a number of United States federal officials have written in support of Falun Gong and in solidarity of the protests against the persecution. Below is a letter of support from U.S. Congressman Gerald E. Connolly from Virginia.

Gerald E. Connolly, Member of Congress

Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-4611

July 12, 2012

Dear Falun Dafa Practitioners,

Thank you for your invitation to attend today’s rally in Washington, D.C., marking 13 years since the Chinese Communist Party began its campaign against the spiritual movement of Falun Gong. I regret that I could not be here in person, but I would like to express my unwavering support for your basic human rights and freedom.

Falun Gong emphasizes the moral principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance and is practiced in at least 70 countries worldwide. Nevertheless, since July 1999 when the Communist Party launched the persecution, we have seem increasing reports that Falun Gong practitioners were subjected to massive imprisonment, various forms of coercive “re-education,” torture, and death. This includes some very troubling accounts, including the U.S. Department of State’s 2011 Human Rights Report, which stated that “Overseas and domestic media and advocacy groups continued to report instances of organ harvesting, particularly from Falun Gong practitioners and Uighurs.”

Recently, victims of the persecution came to my office to give their real life narratives of torture, suffering, and damages brought to their families and businesses. I understand that Falun Gong practitioners have responded to the state-sanctioned violence using entirely peaceful means. They have persistently educated Chinese citizens about the nature of their practice, the persecution against it, and the real history of the Chinese Communist Party. As a result, more and more Chinese people are standing up to the persecution.

Last year, I co-sponsored the House Resolution 416, which condemns Communist China’s suppression of prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners, and supports the Tuidang movement, whereby Chinese citizens renounce their ties to the Communist Party.

I want to thank you for sharing your voices and your stories here, for advocating the widely shared values that define us both as a nation and as a broader international community. Finally, I hope that this will be the year in which we see significant progress in your cause and encouraging changes take place in China.

Sincerely,
Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress
11th District, Virginia