(Minghui.org) In July 1999, Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese communist regime, launched the persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a mind-body spiritual discipline that teaches the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Since then, the Chinese regime has arrested an estimated nearly three million Falun Gong practitioners. Thousands have been secretly sent to forced labor camps, and an unknown number have become victims of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting. The persecution is run by and carried out by all levels of government, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Chinese Army, the law enforcement sector, and the state hospitals, each of which has made considerable profit from harvesting organs of prisoners of conscience.
Over the past 20 years of persecution, the international community and elected officials worldwide have condemned the persecution and made efforts to bring it to an end.
Peter Kent, Member of the Canadian Parliament, recently pointed out that Canada should punish Chinese government officials who have been involved in human rights violations.
Canadian Member of Parliament Peter Kent
Canada Could Use the Magnitsky Act
MP Kent suggested that Canada apply the Magnitsky Act to punish known Chinese human rights violators. “The Magnitsky legislation developed here is an ideal mechanism for naming those individuals, for preventing their travel, for preventing their resources into Canadian banks or financial institutions or real estate,” said Mr. Kent.
“Other countries, should, in coordination, should sanction like we do, for example members of the Iranian regime with regards to nuclear espionage, or Venezuelans for human rights abuse, or Russians for human rights abuse. The more democratic countries who jointly sanction specific abusers of human rights, will influence, one would hope, a reduction of those sorts of crimes against individuals.”
Canadian Government Should Be Much More Aggressive
The U.S. government has recently decided to perform more rigorous screening of visa applications. Applicants found to be involved in human rights abuses or religious persecution will be rejected. Falun Gong practitioners have been encouraged to submit lists of suspected abusers.
MP Kent believes that the Canadian government should be much more aggressive in standing up for human rights, standing up not only for Canadian citizens and naturalized Canadian citizens whose rights have been abused by the Chinese government, but for the Chinese people as well. “[For] the hundreds of thousands, the millions of people who as either Falun Gong practitioners or as Uygur Muslims have had their fundamental human rights abused by the Chinese communist government,” said Mr. Kent.
The MP continued, “So I think that the Canadian government, a responsible Canadian government, I would hope a future conservative government would not look the other way as this liberal government has in terms of not expressing very firmly its concern, its opposition to China.”
Praise for Falun Gong's Peaceful Resistance
Commenting on Falun Dafa's peaceful resistance over the past 20 years of persecution, Mr. Kent said, “I would congratulate Falun Dafa, Falun Gong practitioners for their focus on the three basic principles of their belief and their ability to continue to practice their beliefs even under the oppressive, the cruel oppression that is focused on those among Falun Gong practitioners and other faith groups, in the belief that the individual fundamental right of free speech, of free belief, of free assembly, the rule of law and the respect for human rights is more important than towing the line of the dictatorship.”
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