(Minghui.org) Senator Mark Peake and Senator Chapman Petersen of Virginia wrote to President Joe Biden on January 30 calling on him to take action against the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Senator Peake represents District 22 and Senator Petersen represents District 34. 

In 2020, these two state senators and 47 members of the Virginia General Assembly wrote to then U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo urging the U.S. to help stop the atrocity of organ harvesting by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since then nearly 30 local governments in Virginia passed resolutions condemning the suppression of Falun Gong in China.

In February 2022, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Resolution No. 9 (H.R.9) calling to end the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The title of the bipartisan resolution is: “Condemning the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party.”

Letter written by Virginia State Senators, Mark Peake and Chapman Petersen, to President Biden. 

Below is the letter:

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for serving our country and for your time and attention to this letter. My name is Mark Peake, State Senator from Senatorial District 22. l have the privilege of serving the great people who reside from Lynchburg to Goochland, Virginia. I have served the district since 2017 and am writing to express my deep concern about the threat Virginians and Americans face from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The practices of the CCP reflect human rights violations, and I ask you, Mr. President, to address the crimes that the CCP has committed along with the dangers that the party poses.

I have attached a resolution I sponsored in the Virginia State Senate condemning the CCP for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. In 2022, it was introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice involving meditative qigong exercises centered on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The resolution cannot be passed in the Virginia Senate because it is not within the state's power. However, in the 2022 session, the Virginia House of Delegates was able to introduce the resolution. This is a federal matter, so I am asking for the United States' federal government to take action.

I support the resolution because no individual should be persecuted for their spiritual practices. But unfortunately, Falun Gong practitioners continue to be persecuted for expressing their spiritual beliefs. Therefore, taking my expressed concerns into consideration, I would like to stress heavy emphasis and urgency in addressing the threat of the CCP. Again, I appreciate your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Mark J. PeakeCc: J. Chapman Petersen, Virginia State Senator

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. 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.