Mayor of the City of Chicago and the City Council Unanimously Pass Resolution to Support Falun Gong

By practitioners from Chicago

On the morning of November 6, 2002, the Mayor of the City of Chicago and the City Council unanimously passed a Falun Gong resolution to condemn the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong.

On October 31, Billy Ocasio, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Relations presides the testimony hearing	Tan Yongji, a Falun Gong practitioner attends the hearing as a witness
Toni Preckwinkle, the initiator of the Falun Gong resolution at the hearing
City Council meeting on November 6	Richard Daley, Mayor the City of Chicago, presides at City Council meeting
Bill Ocasio, Chairman of the Committee on Human Relations declares a unanimous vote on the Resolution to support Falun Gong

Jiang Zemin's visit to Chicago at the end of October can be said to be "fruitful". He was not only "welcomed" by over a thousand Falun Gong practitioners lining both sides of the street who "accompanied" him for the entire day, but he also successively received a complaint filed by Falun Gong practitioners and submitted to both the international criminal court and the Federal court of the State of Illinois. Soon after he left, the City of Chicago, unanimously passed a resolution by its council members to support Falun Gong and strongly condemn the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The resolution requests the US government to investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States by the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practise Falun Gong, and of officials of State and local governments in the United States who support Falun Gong. The resolution also request the US government to take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representatives or agents who engage in such illegal activities.

At 10 am on November 6, Mayor of the City of Chicago and the whole city council members gathered together at the council chambers in the Chicago City Hall. After the resolution to support Falun Gong was read, it was passed unanimously. The resolution passed in the period of time while Jiang was visiting. The aftereffects will be far-reaching.

The resolution is as below.

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Presented by:

Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, 4th Ward,

In Support of Falun Gong

Whereas, Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practise with tens of millions of adherents in China, the United States and over 55 countries around the world; and

Whereas, the Government of the People's Republic of China has forbidden Falun gong practitioners from practising their beliefs; and

Whereas, This prohibition violates China's own constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and

Whereas, Hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens from all over China have been jailed for refusing to give up their practise of Falun Gong and for appealing to the government for protection of their constitutional rights; and

Whereas, There are many credible reports of torture and other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of detained Falun Gong practitioners; and

Whereas, Some of the detained Falun Gong members have been charged with political offences, such as violations of China's vague 'official state secrets' law, and under the new legislation Falun Gong practitioners will be chargeable with such offences as murder, fraud, and endangering national security for no reason other than the exercise of their belief; and

Whereas, Other Falun Gong members have been sentenced to labour camps, apparently under administrative procedures allowing such sentences without trial; and

Whereas, Large numbers of female Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to systematic sexual humiliation and abuse, including rape and gang rape; and

Whereas, Chinese authorities have reportedly confiscated, burned, or otherwise destroyed millions of Falun Gong books and tapes; and

Whereas, Large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners in China have lost their hobs, and students have been expelled from schools for refusing to give up their beliefs; and

Whereas, The brutal crackdown by the Chinese Government on Falun Gong is in direct violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of personal belief and practise, expression and assembly; now therefore

Be It Resolved, that the Mayor and members of the City Council in meeting assembled this second day of October, 2002 believe that the Government of the Peoples' Republic of China should stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners; and

Be It Further Resolved, That the United States should use every appropriated public and private forum to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners and put an end to the practises of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of Conscience; and

To abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by allowing Falun Gong practitioners to pursue their persona; beliefs; and

Be It Further Resolved, That the United States Government should investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States of the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practise Falun gong and of officials of State and local governments in the Unites States who support Falun gong, and should take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representatives or agents who engage in such illegal activities; and

Be It Further Resolved, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Falun gong Practitioners of Illinois.

Signatures

Toni Preckwinkle

Alderman, 4th Ward