US Congressman Richard Burr Shows Concern at the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in China

Dear [name omitted]

Thank you for contacting my office to express your concern regarding the communist Chinese Government’s oppression of Falun Gong in the United States and in the People’s Republic of China, as well as the apparent detention of Dr. Charles Li. I appreciate your interest in this important issue.

As a former Member of the House Committee on International Relations, I have long been concerned by the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the hands of the Chinese government. I am very disturbed by the fact that Chinese officials are “exporting” that persecution to the United States, and am particularly concerned that they may be arresting US citizens simply because those citizens are practitioners of Falun Gong.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and the right to speak freely, and the people of the United States strongly value protecting the ability of all people to live without fear and in accordance with their personal beliefs. State and local governments, as well as the federal government, must do everything possible to ensure that our constitutional rights are protected. I am hopeful that the amount of attention Dr. Li’s detention is receiving will coerce the communist Chinese government to set him free and rethink its position on religious freedom.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I will continue to monitor this situation and do what I can to see it brought to a favorable end. Should you have further questions about this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
[signed]
Richard Burr