Members of Congress, Falun Gong Rally to Condemn Jiang’s Five Years of Systematic Torture, Killing(Photos)

Ambassador Mark Palmer hosted the rally on Capitol Hill to condemn five years of systematic persecution against Falun Gong in China.

WASHINGTON
(FDI) – The man who helped organize the historic 1986 summit in Geneva between
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev had
a message for the large rally that assembled on Capitol Hill yesterday: seemingly
insurmountable odds are surmountable.

“[Former Chinese leader]
Jiang Zemin has terrorized the Chinese people for so long, [and] he must go,”
said Ambassador Mark Palmer, a 26-veteran of the U.S. State Department
and Vice-chairman of the Board for Freedom House.

“It will
happen,” Palmer told a crowd of over 1,000 practitioners and supporters of Falun
Gong who had traveled from more than 20 different countries to attend a series
of events to be held in Washington DC over the next several days, beginning with
the rally on Thursday.

The rally began with the introduction
of over 120 children and young adults who had biked to Washington DC from as far
away as Canada as part of the “Save the Kids Ride” project.

Inspired
by an Australian toddler whose father was tortured to death in China because he
practiced Falun Gong (report),
“Save the Kids Ride” aims to raise awareness about how the persecution against
Falun Gong in China also targets children by breaking families apart, forcing
children to undergo state-run indoctrination or even subjecting them to physical
abuse and torture.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (right) and Congressman Joseph M. Hoeffel III delivered speeches commending Falun Gong practitioners for their courageous, non-violent appeals to end the persecution in China.

Among
the speakers at the rally were Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
and Congressman Joseph M. Hoeffel III (D-PA) who have played active roles
in condemning the persecution of Falun Gong in China and calling for action to
stop Chinese government officials from exporting persecution tactics against Falun
Gong to the U.S. and other countries. (special
report / news)

Ros-Lehtinen
has introduced several bills in the U.S. House of Representatives addressing the
systematic “eradication” of Falun Gong carried out by Jiang and his faction of
allies within the Chinese Government. (news)

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen talks with Yeong-ching Foo. Ms. Foo’s fiancé Dr. Charles Lee is a U.S. citizen currently jailed in China due to his Falun Gong practice.

Among
the speakers for non-governmental organizations was Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick
of Christian Solidarity International – USA (website),
who also highlighted the intimidation tactics used by Chinese officials to isolate
and target Falun Gong inside the U.S. “In May, the Consular General of the Chinese
Consulate in Chicago sent letters to all public officials in Illinois that expressed
a subtle threat that recognition by any public official of the Falun Gong would
damage economic and political relationships.”

Also speaking
at the rally were Faith J.H. McDonnel, the Director of the Religious Liberty
Program at the Institute of Religion and Democracy (website),
Jennifer L. Windsor, Executive Director for Freedom House (website)
and Ann Buwalda, Director of Jubilee Campaign USA (website).

United
States Senator Paul Sarbanes (R-MD) and Reps. Chris Van Hollen, Jr.
(D-MD), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ), Chris
Smith (R-NJ) and Dennis Moore (D-KA) each sent statements to be read
at the rally by Congressional staff or volunteer rally organizers.

Dan
Fefferman, the Executive Director with the International Coalition for Religious
Freedom (website),
also sent a statement that was read at the rally.