Chinese Americans Celebrate ‘Human Rights Champion’ Congressman

Congressman and one-time presidential contender Thaddeus McCotter was honored on Wednesday for his outspoken support of human rights in China.
Chinese Americans Celebrate ‘Human Rights Champion’ Congressman
Congressman McCotter (center) is given a a plaque by Zhiwei Xu (left) and Fenfen Zhang (right) from the Michigan Falun Dafa Association in recognition of his outspoken support of human rights in China. (Ying Wan/The Epoch Times)
Evan Mantyk
11/10/2011
Updated:
11/11/2011
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/McCotter_awarded.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-139746"><img class="size-medium wp-image-139746" title="Thaddeus McCotter Michigan Falun Dafa Association" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/McCotter_awarded-599x450.jpg" alt="Zhiwei Xu (left) and Fenfen Zhang (right) from the Michigan Falun Dafa Association give Michigan Representative McCotter (center) a plaque in recognition of his outspoken support of human rights in China. (Ying Wan/The Epoch Times)" width="350" height="262"/></a>
Zhiwei Xu (left) and Fenfen Zhang (right) from the Michigan Falun Dafa Association give Michigan Representative McCotter (center) a plaque in recognition of his outspoken support of human rights in China. (Ying Wan/The Epoch Times)

MICHIGAN—Congressman and one-time presidential contender Thaddeus McCotter was honored on Wednesday for his outspoken support of human rights in China. He was given the “Champion of Human Rights and Freedom of Belief” award by the Michigan Falun Dafa Association. The association is mostly composed of Chinese expatriates whose spiritual practice is brutally persecuted by the communist regime in China.

“The United States must stand with the Chinese people, which is a decidedly different proposition than standing with the communist party that oppresses them,” said McCotter, who personally received the award on Wednesday.

Since taking office in the Detroit suburb of Livonia in 2003, McCotter has ardently supported the cause for freedom in China. Most recently, in September, he introduced legislation that extensively cites cases of Falun Gong practitioners, journalists, human rights lawyers, and Catholics being persecuted in China and encourages the people there to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

McCotter said that he has long followed the persecution of Catholics in China because of his own religious background and has since learned about the persecution of Falun Gong, which has included the harvesting of live Falun Gong practitioners’ organs, and others. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a peaceful spiritual practice that was banned in 1999 after its meteoric rise in popularity began to be perceived by CCP leaders as a threat.

“In the United States, we are free people and as a part of our responsibility, along with the blessings of liberty, is to ensure and fight for the freedom of other people who yearn to have the same God-given rights and be able to exercise them,” said McCotter.

For some politicians, human rights in China is a difficult topic. They want to support freedom around the world, but they also don’t want to endanger any potential economic benefits from a good relationship with CCP officials.

Not so for McCotter, who is often noted for his extensive foreign policy knowledge.

“What the United States has to do is to continue to keep a clear eye on the aspirations of the Chinese people for freedom—make sure there is fundamental planning within our relationship—because as a free people, the United States cannot deal with a communist party that enslaves and tortures its own people for simply wanting to practice a religion of their choice,” he said.

 

Evan Mantyk is an English teacher in New York and President of the Society of Classical Poets.
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