(Minghui.org) July 20, 2022 marks the 23rd anniversary of Falun Dafa practitioners’ peacefully protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of their faith. Senators and Representatives of the Texas State Legislature wrote letters to condemn the persecution and to show their support for practitioners’ freedom of belief and freedom of speech.
The following members of the Texas State Senate sent letters of support: Senator Angela Paxton, Senator Beverly Powell, Senator Larry Taylor, and Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst; and in the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Jacey Jetton and Rep. Matt Shaheen sent letters.
Texas State legislators wrote letter in support of Falun Dafa.
Senator Angela Paxton: Standing Against the Horrific Practice of Human Organ Harvesting
Letter from State Senator Angela Paxton
Senator Angela Paxton stated in her letter, “I was so honored last year during the legislative session to partner with State Representative Matt Shaheen to author Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, to stand against the practice (of organ harvesting) and bring awareness to the horrific practice of human organ harvesting.
“Shirley Hu has been a friend of mine for some time now and she is the one who first gave me awareness about this horrible practice. Shirley introduced me to a number of people who had experience with family members and friends who were experiencing this terrible experience.
“Shirley invited a number of people down to the Texas capital to testify in front of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. They waited all day until their turn and the Senators were so moved and so disturbed by what they heard from you, the witnesses. We passed this resolution unanimously in the Texas Senate shortly afterwards and Rep. Shaheen also passed the resolution unanimously in the Texas House.”
State Senator Beverly Powell: Fight to Protect the Innocent from Being Persecuted for Religious Reasons
Letter from State Senator Beverly Powell
State Senator Beverly Powell stated in her letter, “23 years ago the Chinese government launched a brutal campaign to eliminate Falun Gong and stand in the way of the free practice of religion. Please know that as a member of the Texas Senate, I stand [in] support to ending the use of torture and propaganda against people throughout China and efforts to undermine the free practice of religion.
“The efforts to raise awareness by you all today will help shine the light on the continued oppression by the Chinese government and hopefully move us one step closer to bringing justice to Falun Gong practitioners. Please continue to raise awareness by organizing and contacting your public officials. Together, we can fight to protect the innocent being persecuted for religious reasons.”
State Senator Larry Taylor: Your Dedication to Protesting the Persecution Is Commended
Letter from State Senator Larry Taylor
State Senator Larry Taylor stated in his letter, “Your dedication to exposing a multi-decade persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is to be commended. No government should have the authority or ability to prohibit a citizen from peacefully and earnestly professing the faith which guides their lives. Furthermore, there is no excuse for the imprisonment, maiming or killing of innocent life.
“Your effort to educate the general public and bring greater awareness of the CCP’s atrocities against its own people, is an example of the freedom by which all Americans are entitled. It is important that we all recognize the incredible wisdom our country’s Forefathers bestowed to us under the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst: Condemns the CCP’s Live Organ Harvesting
Letter from State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst
State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst stated in her letter, “Last year, I was a Joint Author of SCR 3 condemning Communist China for the barbaric practice of harvesting organs of those whose beliefs stray from the party line. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, I presided over hours of moving testimony from those oppressed by Communist China. While much of the hearing focused on organ harvesting, the communist regime has done many things to exert control over people for exercising beliefs outside of those endorsed by the state. The regime will stop at nothing to exert total and complete control of people.”
Rep. Jacey Jetton: Calls for an End to the CCP’s Persecution
Letter from Rep. Jacey Jetton of the Texas House of Representatives
Rep. Jacey Jetton stated in his letter, “Please accept my gratitude for your efforts, and those of the Southern USA Falun Dafa Association, to raise awareness about the practices of Falun Gong and the persecution of its practitioners around the world. I am writing to express my support for these practitioners in Texas and to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong.
“As a representative of Falun Gong practitioners, I must condemn the practice of organ harvesting, forced imprisonment, and other atrocities committed against this group and other minority groups in China.”
Rep. Matt Shaheen: Firmly Condemning the CCP
Letter from Rep. Matt Shaheen of the Texas House of Representatives
Antonio Mireles, Chief of Staff for Rep. Matt Shaheen’s office, attended the Falun Gong practitioners’ rally and read out his letter. In the letter Rep. Matt Shaheen stated, “SCR 3 is a resolution to condemn the atrocities done by the Communist Party of China violating human rights targeted at Falun Gong and many other religious and faith communities simply because they don’t agree with the beliefs of the communist party. The communist party is a very dangerous entity.
“The state of Texas has a very firm position of condemnation of the practice of organ harvesting and other actions targeting Falun Gong and other religious entities.
“And this is both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate, but also the Governor.
“The state of Texas is behind you, and supports you, and appreciates all that you are doing. We stand with you. From the 150 members of the Texas House and the 31 members of the Texas Senate to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House.
“It is our position that we fully condemn this practice. And it is our job, every leader here, to make sure that this never happens in the United States or any other country, and that it is strongly condemned and that it doesn’t spread and contracts until it finally goes away to make this horrific practice irrelevant around the globe.”
Editorial note: SCR3: Concurrent Resolution 3 passed by the Texas State Senate on April 15, 2021, condemning the CCP’s organ harvesting crimes. Texas State Senate Passes Resolution Condemning the CCP’s Organ Harvesting CrimesThe resolution was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 7, 2021: Texas Resolution Condemns Forced Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners, Urging U.S. Government to Prosecute Perpetrators
Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.
Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.
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