(Minghui.org) The City Council of Manassas, Virginia, passed a resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) and forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China on November 27, 2023. The resolution pointed out that city staff should inform local residents and the medical community about the risks of traveling to China for organ transplants, in order to help prevent local citizens from becoming unwitting accomplices in China's state-sponsored forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky (second from left) presents the resolution to Falun Dafa practitioners during the City Council meeting. 

The city’s Vice Mayor, Pamela Sebesky, personally presented the resolution to local Falun Dafa practitioners during the city council meeting. She said this resolution is very important because it can remind and inform the public that such cruel persecution and inhumane things are happening.

In her speech, Ms. Tang, a local Falun Gong practitioner representative, thanked the city councilors for their support of human rights and religious freedom. Ms. Tang said that this action is particularly meaningful as the holiday approaches, because the American people freely celebrate their traditional religious festivals, but Falun Gong practitioners in China face imprisonment, torture and death because of their beliefs. She added that this courageous resolution will bring blessings to the residents of Manassas.

Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan, who has personally experienced the persecution in China’s labor camps, and who worked with the city to pass the resolution, said that in China, the CCP’s persecution confuses people’s perception. She told of her personal experience to the American people in order to let them know that there is still such an evil regime in the world that harms people. Ms. Wang said that righteous people should work together to oppose and stop this persecution, so that mankind can return to normality.

Currently, the Virginia House of Delegates and 25 counties have passed similar resolutions in the past two years, and the Governor of Virginia and five cities in the state have issued proclamations or resolutions to support Falun Gong.

Resolution from the City of Manassas 

The Resolution from the City Of Manassas states, “To raise awareness among Manassas residents and the medical community of the risks of traveling to China for organ transplants in light of recent reports of state-sponsored organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. 

“in June 2016, the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 343, condemning the systemic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from practitioners of Falun Gong and other prisoners of conscience.

“Manassas residents should be fully informed of the organ source in China before they make the decision to engage in organ transplant tourism in China, and the Manassas City Council should assist in raising awareness in this regard. 

“Now, therefore, Be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Manassas hereby condemns the Chinese Communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong, harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience in China, and use of prisoners of conscience for slave labor in China.”