Dear Friends,

Today is a special day for the Washington University community, St. Louisians, and all Americans. It is also a date important in history as the presidential debate to be held near here will prove pivotal to the future of the US and the Sino-US relationship. While we are here to express our best wishes to the future president of the US, we would also like to take this moment to show our deep concern for the Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who do not have even the most basic human freedoms or human rights in their homeland.

In July 1999, the Chinese government began a nationwide crackdown against Falun Gong. The leadership was shocked by an official report that showed that there were more than 70 million people practicing Falun Gong -- more than the membership of the Communist Party itself. Now the persecution against these innocent people is going into its 15th month. For over a year, a few in the Chinese leadership, led by President Jiang Zemin, have flagrantly disregarded the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and have made a mockery of the Chinese constitution by launching this brutal suppression without any legal authorization. So far, 61 practitioners have died from abuse while in police custody; over 50,000 have been detained, over 10,000 are in labor camps without trial and over 600 healthy people are imprisoned in mental hospitals. These innocent people have been brutally tortured and abused, regardless of their age or physical condition. The relentless crackdown becomes even more tragic considering that Falun Gong practitioners all uphold the principles of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Tolerance, and many of them are senior citizens and children.

The crackdown has brought extensive international attention, with most democratic countries decrying the outdated approach these few Chinese leaders have taken against this peaceful civilian group. President Clinton, for one, expressed his concern by calling on the Chinese government to stop its hostility towards nonpolitical Falun Gong practitioners. The US Congress and Senate have also passed resolutions condemning China's crackdown against Falun Gong practitioners. However, these efforts have not stopped the few in the Chinese government from escalating the campaign of suppression.

Based on official Chinese news, it is evident that a very few in the Chinese leadership have manipulated the whole country in their attempt to root out Falun Gong under the pretext of maintaining political stability. It is noteworthy that the rhetorical attack against Falun Gong has recently been ratcheted up. Instead of treating Falun Gong as the peaceful and nonpolitical civic group that it is, the few self-interested Chinese leaders have begun groundlessly charging Falun Gong with collusion with so-called "western adversarial forces" in an effort to overthrow China's government. These charges, which were also leveled at pro-democracy demonstrators ten years ago in Tiananmen Square, is widely seen as a precursor to a yet more ruthless crackdown against Falun Gong. Such extreme measures as executions and assassinations, as occurred on Tiananmen Square ten years ago, cannot be ruled out.

Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is an advanced meditation practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture. It has 5 sets of gentle, smooth exercises somewhat similar to Taichi. Falun Gong practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Tolerance and strive to be good people and reach higher moral standards. Falun Gong is not a religion, as it does not have any rituals or worship. Neither is it political in nature, as it has no political agenda or affiliation. Its goals and activities have centered upon physical and mental and spiritual self-betterment, which pose a threat to nobody. Due to Falun Gong's effectiveness in improving practitioners' mental and physical health, it has gained a huge following around the world since its public introduction in 1992. More than 100 million people in over 40 countries have benefited from this practice. Over 20 US cities and states have publicly honored the practice or its founder in recognition of its tremendous contributions to the wellbeing of humankind. For instance, the city of St. Louis designated September 18, 1999 as the city's Falun Dafa Day.

The current persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China not only reflects the stance of an atheist regime historically noted for its intolerance, but also results from narrow-mindedness and jealousy of some in China's top leadership. Their behavior has greatly hindered China's progress in its effort to internationalize its economy and legal systems. It will also adversely affect the Sino-US relationship anchored on mutual respect for human rights and civil liberty.

While the suppression of Falun Gong is indisputably an egregious violation of human rights, it is also a challenge to the commitment of the US government to being a global human rights leader. We strongly call on American people of goodwill and both presidential candidates to look over all the issues surrounding the persecution of Falun Gong, and help us in brokering a dialogue with the Chinese government to peacefully resolve the current ever-escalating crisis. Falun Gong is an avowedly nonpolitical spiritual practice, but the inhuman suppression of the group deserves the attention of all the kind-hearted and peace-loving people worldwide including their official representatives. We thus hope both the candidates will use their leverage given to them by those people of goodwill to assist the Falun Gong followers in regaining their most basic human freedom and dignity.

Thank you.