WASHINGTON, D.C.—In the afternoon of Sept. 20, 2007, members of the U.S. Congress, Canadian, and European Parliaments attended a press conference at the Rayburn House Office Building to support China’s human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.
Attorney Gao, known as “China’s Conscience” and author of A China More Just , recently wrote an open letter to members of the U.S. Congress and the Senate. In his nine-page letter, Gao included first-hand information, documented data, and evidence of Beijing’s brutal suppression of human rights.
Gao expressed his deep concern about the upcoming Beijing Olympics and urged the U.S. Congress to pay attention to the continuous human rights violations in China.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a member of the U.S. Congress and the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and David Kilgour, former Canadian Member of Parliament and Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), were at the press conference. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament, called into the conference to express his support for Gao.
‘The Persecution of Falun Gong Is the Worst Disaster to Human Nature in This Era’
Gao said in the letter: “I have written a lot about the Falun Gong issue, as the persecution of Falun Gong is the worst disaster to human nature in this era. ... Millions of people were illegally detained in countless brainwashing camps established in every corner of China by the notorious 610 Office, an agency founded to implement the persecution of Falun Gong. Such brainwashing camps require very simple admittance procedures, while the methods used to ‘educate’ the practitioners are shockingly cruel.
“Tens of millions of people have been persecuted in various forms. A large number of children have been expelled from school only because their parents practice Falun Gong. Some of the children were left alone or even homeless after their parents were arrested. (Since last August, my daughter has met many such children who lingered at the gate of her school. The children, though homeless, came up to my daughter to express their condolences and support. Our hearts ached for these children.)”
