Rubio Leads in Letter Supporting Detained Falun Gong Practitioner
Last year, Zhou Deyong, a Falun Gong practitioner, was detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and imprisoned under bogus charges. Zhou’s family resides in Florida.
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U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL), along with U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Bill Posey (R-FL), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Val Demings (D-FL) urged the U.S. Department of State to raise Zhou’s case with diplomatic counterparts in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and sanction the CCP officials responsible for committing human rights abuses against the Falun Gong and other religious groups.
This is Mr. Zhou Deyong, a geological engineer in Shandong Province. He is currently facing trial for supporting his wife in her practice of Falun Gong. His wife and son, who live in the U.S., are calling for his immediate release.https://t.co/Whn2q4Lm2d pic.twitter.com/JMYaEUy1vL
— Falun Gong Information Center (@FalunInfoCtr) September 12, 2022
Zhou Deyong, a Falun Gong practicioner, was arrested last year by #CCP officials without a warrant. Zhou should be reunited with his wife and son, who currently reside in #Florida. Senator Rubio calls for his immediate and unconditional release. #ExpressionNOToppression pic.twitter.com/5S8bNJflOt
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) September 9, 2022
- “Mr. Zhou was detained by authorities on April 23, 2021 in Dongying, Shandong, although police did not provide an arrest or search warrant. In addition to taking Mr. Zhou into detention, these security officials also raided his home and confiscated Falun Gong materials that reportedly belong to his wife, You Ling, a Falun Gong practitioner who resides in Florida. Mr. Zhou was formally tried on August 25, 2022 on the charge of ‘organizing and using a cult to undermine implementation of the law.’”
- “As you know, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has instigated a now 23-year effort to forcibly eliminate Falun Gong from China… We ask that you employ the tools available to you to sanction CCP and PRC officials responsible for the horrific human rights abuses targeting Falun Gong practitioners.”
- “We request an update on whether you have raised [Mr. Zhou’s] case, the PRC’s response as well as information on how the Department of State is ensuring that the PRC is being held accountable for atrocities more broadly, including crimes against humanity and genocide.”