Congressman Chris Smith, Vice Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, today spoke out in support of Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen and Falun Gong practitioner who has been imprisoned in China since early this year.

    Li was arrested upon his arrival at Guangzhou Baiyn Airport on January 22.  The Chinese government claims he was planning to sabotage television and radio equipment to spread the Falun Gong message.  Li reportedly does not deny the claim but emphasizes that his intention was to speak out against China’s brutal and unjustified oppression of minority belief systems.

    Smith stated, “Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen, is one of the thousands of Falun Gong practitioners suffering in prison in China. I commend Dr. Li’s courage for his civil, principled, non-violent stand against persecution.”

    “Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are held in labor camps, prisons, and mental hospitals, where they are forced to endure torture and brainwashing sessions.  The U.S. State Department Human Rights report also states that several hundred practitioners have been killed since China’s persecution of the Falun Gong began in 1999,” he added. 

    “I am very concerned about Dr. Li’s treatment,” Smith said.  “I am in continual contact with the State Department regarding his condition and am working with my colleagues to ensure that the Chinese authorities are well aware that many in Congress are deeply interested in his case.” 

    Li has gone on numerous hunger strikes to protest his arrest but has been subject to forced feedings.  There are also reports that he is forced to wear hand-cuffs for excessive periods of time, his Falun Gong materials have been confiscated, and he has been subjected to anti-Falun Gong propaganda and brainwashing techniques.

    To raise awareness of Li’s plight, Falun Gong practitioners are conducting a nationwide van tour.  Today, they stopped at the State House in Trenton.

    Smith applauded the efforts of the practitioners. “I commend the Falun Gong for their tireless pursuit of justice and their advocacy for Dr. Li.  Along with other Members of Congress, I will continue to stand in solidarity with the Falun Gong and those who oppose religious oppression and work for a day when all Chinese people can live in peace, free from fear and persecution.”