Thousands rallied at the nation’s capital to observe the dark anniversary of when the Chinese regime began persecuting the spiritual practice on July 20, 1999.
WASHINGTON—Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from across the nation rallied at the National Mall on July 17, marking 26 years since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began a systematic persecution targeting the faith group. Leading human rights experts spoke, highlighting a critical crossroads.
The persecution is not something only happening in China, they said, as the CCP has ramped up its transnational repression campaign and exported its persecution efforts onto American soil.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) said he was honored to join Falun Gong practitioners’ continued efforts to counter the CCP’s persecution. Ryan’s district includes the headquarters of Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners.
“Your unwavering adherence to the values that we see here so powerfully today, of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, truly serves as a beacon for everyone in our great country, in the United States America,” he said.
Ryan is a co-sponsor of the Falun Gong Protection Act, which would sanction the communist regime for its practice of killing detained Falun Gong practitioners for their organs. The bill has passed in the House, and Ryan called on the Senate to advance and pass its version of the legislation.
Ryan said he is asking law enforcement on the federal, state, and local levels to do more and understand the “scope and breadth of illegal and inappropriate actions” that the Chinese regime has carried out against Falun Gong practitioners on U.S. soil.
“We can’t lose focus,” Ryan told The Epoch Times after the rally. “We need to do more.”
By Catherine Yang and Eva Fu
