13th of May is World Falun Dafa Day. British Prime Minister's office, Scottish National Party foreign affairs spokesman, along with a number of members of the British House of Commons and House of Lords sent letters in advance expressing their support for Falun Gong practitioners.
Rishi Sunak Prime Minister office:
Thank you for your letter of 24 April to the Prime Minister, inviting him to the annual celebration of World Falun Dafa Day.
The Government remains deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China, and there is credible evidence to suggest that Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to serious mistreatment.
The freedom to practice, change or share one’s faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. The Government believes that societies which aim to guarantee freedom of religion or belief are more stable, prosperous and more resilient against violent extremism.
Please accept my best wishes to you. Thank you, once again, for taking the time to write.
The Rt Hon Mark Pritchard, MP：
Thank you for your message about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and World Falun Dafa Day.
The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.
The UK remains deeply concerned about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other groups in China. The testimonies of their experiences are incredibly distressing and their treatment is one of many reasons why China is one of 32 human rights priority countries for the UK.
The UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns, including concerns about the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, with the Chinese authorities directly and at the OSCE, Council of Europe, and the UN Human Rights Council.
Furthermore, the Foreign Secretary set out his concerns about human rights violations in China during his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December 2023.
2. Brendan O'Hara MP, SNP Foreign Affairs Spokesperson:
I do, on behalf of the Scottish National Party, send you our very best wishes and a guarantee of our ongoing support.
It has been five years since the China Tribunal, led by Sir Geoffrey Nice found that Falun Gong practitioners were subjected to the most awful crimes, including the unspeakably horrific practice of organ harvesting; offenses which amount to crimes against humanity.
Despite the overwhelming evidence and the unambiguous verdict of the Tribunal, the response that was demanded from governments and other international actors, simply did not follow.
Not even after the 2021 report from the UN Special Rapporteurs on Minority Issues and on Freedom of Religion or Belief, when they provided clear evidence of such abhorrent practices did the international community take any decisive action against China.
I have said repeatedly in the House of Commons that there can be no hierarchy of atrocity crime, and concerns over upsetting powerful allies, or fears over damaging trade links cannot and must not, ever lead us to a place where we turn a blind eye to such egregious breaches of human rights.
Freedom of Religion or Belief is a fundamental Human Right... and the international community has a responsibility to protect it as such.
It is no different from any other of those Human Rights we all cherish and if we allow Freedom of Religion or Belief to be hived off and seen as somehow expendable, then we be going down a very, very dangerous road.
On Wednesday, MP's will debate the UK government's relationship with China, and I promise that in that debate I will raise once again, the plight of the Falun Gong practitioners, along with that of the Uyghurs and other minorities.
3. Ellie Reeves, MP
I remain deeply concerned about the persecution of people on the grounds of their religion or belief in China, be it Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, Christians, Buddhists, or Falun Gong practitioners. The freedom to practise, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.
I am also aware of the incredibly disturbing allegations that have been reported over several years about human organ harvesting in China. I also understand that minority and religious groups, including Falun Gong practitioners, may be being specifically targeted.
In late 2014, Chinese authorities announced that the country would stop the practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners. The implementation of this policy would be an important step. However, I know that more recent reports have said that the practice continues, including the judgment of the China Tribunal initiated by the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC). Indeed, the China Tribunal concluded that forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale, with Falun Gong practitioners and the Uighurs being the main victims.
I believe the UK Government must ask further questions of Chinese authorities on this matter and ensure that it continues to review any new evidence that is presented. I believe the UK Government should also press the World Health Organization for a clear response to the China Tribunal's findings and a proper independent assessment.
I will continue to press the UK Government to send a clear message that we will not stand by and we will not tolerate such gross abuses of human rights.
4. Ian Levy, MP
The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. That is why my ministerial colleagues and I are committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and to promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities.
Regrettably, the UK remains deeply concerned about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other groups in China. The testimonies of their experiences are incredibly distressing and their treatment is one of many reasons why China is one of 32 human rights priority countries for the UK.
As befits its priority status, the UK Government regularly raises human rights concerns, including on the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, directly with the Chinese authorities and in multilateral fora, including the OSCE, Council of Europe, International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. This was done in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council, and in the then Foreign Secretary's personal address to the UN Human Rights Council, in June 2023. Furthermore, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific raised areas of concern, including human rights in different parts of China, during her visit to the country in April 2024.
5. Feryal Clark MP
I remain deeply concerned about the persecution of people on the grounds of their religion or belief in China, be it Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, Christians, Buddhists, or Falun Gong practitioners. The freedom to practise, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.
Please be assured that I will continue to press the UK Government to send a clear message that we will not stand by and we will not tolerate abuses of human rights.
Thank you once again for contacting me about this important matter.
6. Baroness Whitaker
Thank you for the invitation to this event and I am sorry that I have a prior commitment at that time. I do wish the event and its cause every success.
7. Benedict Rogers, the co-founder and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party's human rights commission
I am very sorry that I cannot be with you in person this year as you mark World Falun Dafa Day. I had the privilege of joining you last year and would have loved to have joined you again today. However, even though I am not with you in person this time, I am with you in spirit.
25 years ago, 13 May was designated World Falun Dafa Day in response to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China which began in 1999 – seven years after Falun Gong practice was publicly introduced by your founder Li Hongzhi on 13 May 1992. As a friend of Falun Gong practitioners, it is my honour to stand in solidarity with you and to join you in spirit in commemorating World Falun Dafa Day.
The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners over the past 25 years by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, in China and beyond China, is shocking, outrageous and completely unacceptable.
Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested, beaten, tortured, jailed and killed. Many have been sent to labour camps such as Masanjia, where they endure dire conditions of mistreatment, torture and forced labour.
And of course, as the China Tribunal chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, KC, concluded five years ago in 2019, Falun Gong practitioners have been targeted for the forced removal of their human organs, a barbaric crime known as “forced organ harvesting”.
The China Tribunal found that this atrocity is happening, has happened on a significant scale, and amounts to a crime against humanity. As Sir Geoffrey Nice put it when delivering the tribunal’s judgment, anyone dealing with the Chinese state should do so in the knowledge that they are “interacting with a criminal state”.
This persecution is heart-breaking, especially when I know that Falun Gong practitioners live out their beliefs entirely peacefully.
Over the years I have come to know many practitioners and without exception have found them to be hospitable, generous, kind, intelligent, peaceful and decent human beings. They live out their values of “Truthfulness”, “Compassion” and “Tolerance” or “Forbearance” beautifully and with great dignity.
As we celebrate World Falun Dafa Day, let all of us celebrate those values of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. They are not exclusively Falun Gong values. They are universal values, human values, that people of all religions and beliefs can and should adopt and live by.
I have devoted all my adult life to working for, promoting and defending the basic human right of freedom of religion or belief, as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a basic human right for every human being, everywhere, with no exceptions. Everyone has the right to choose, practice, share or change their beliefs. And so I will always defend the right of Falun Gong practitioners to practice Falun Dafa, and to celebrate World Falun Dafa day.
Let us continue to speak up for all people in China – Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghurs and other Muslims, Taoists and the right for everyone to practice their religion or belief.
Let us continue to live by the values of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.
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