Texas Lawmakers Denounce CCP, Call for Persecution of Falun Gong to End

Falun Gong practitioners hold a rally outside the Texas State Capitol building in Austin on July 20, 2024. Wu Xianglian/The Epoch Times

Texas federal and state lawmakers have denounced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its ongoing decades-long persecution of Falun Gong, as its practitioners marked 25 years of the communist regime’s suppression of the spiritual practice.

“In China, Falun Gong practitioners continue to follow their beliefs despite facing severe persecution and the threat of death. The CCP’s antagonism towards religious freedom is emblematic of communist regimes and is deeply ingrained in their ideology,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in his letter to the practitioners, condemning the CCP’s treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.

“This is why we must stand together in the face of such persecution and intolerance. Inaction is not acceptable.”

On July 20, Falun Gong practitioners attended a rally at the state Capitol in Austin to commemorate the event and called on the CCP to end its persecution of their faith. Multiple Texas lawmakers sent letters to the adherents, praising their courage and reaffirming their support for the practice by speaking out against the CCP.

“Events like today’s remind us that our enemy persists in the shadows and thrives in silence. By raising your voice and telling your stories, evil loses its cover, and the truth sways hearts and minds,” Texas state Rep. Jacey Jetton said in his letter. “As you gather to remember the lives lost and destroyed for their religious beliefs and practices, know that I stand with you in pursuing religious freedom wherever you are in the world.”

Other Texas state lawmakers, including state Sens. Angela Paxton and Charles Perry and state Reps. Tom Oliverson and Matt Shaheen, also sent letters to express their support for the practitioners and called for the CCP to end its persecution.

Condemning Organ Harvesting

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and features gentle, slow-moving exercises. The practice was first introduced to the public in China in 1992.

The meditation practice was embraced by people from all walks of life and quickly gained popularity across the country. Chinese authorities initially welcomed the practice for its benefits to citizens’ physical and mental health, and founder Mr. Li Hongzhi received multiple government awards for his contributions to society.

With an estimated 70 million to 100 million people taking up the practice by 1999, then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin viewed its immense popularity as a threat to the regime’s authoritarian control over Chinese society.

On July 20, 1999, the CCP began a whole-of-society campaign to target Falun Gong practitioners across China to eliminate the faith group. Since then, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been unlawfully detained, tortured, and killed for their organs.

In their letters to the adherents, Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) and state lawmakers condemned the forced organ harvesting from the CCP.

“Falun Gong prisoners of conscience are being killed to support illegal organ trade. This is absolutely unacceptable. The United States must stand up against such transgression and advocate for the human rights of Falun Gong,” Mr. Babin said.

In 2019, the UK-based Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China concluded that “forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and that Falun Gong practitioners have been one—and probably the main—source of organ supply.”

Texas became the first U.S. state to enact a law combating the CCP’s forced organ harvesting in 2023. The law prohibits health insurance providers in Texas from funding organ transplants using organs sourced from China or any other country engaging in forced organ harvesting.

Last month, the House passed the Falun Gong Protection Act, which demands an “immediate end” to the persecution. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, it will impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for forced organ harvesting. The legislation also enforces penalties, including a civil fine of up to $250,000, a criminal penalty of $1 million, and up to 20 years in prison for violators.

In March 2023, the House also passed the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act to sanction individuals involved in the practice of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

The State Department on July 20 called on the CCP to cease its repressive campaign against the spiritual practice and release practitioners who have been imprisoned.