Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands united with practitioners of the Falun Gong, who seek our universal human rights and dignity.  For over 12 years, there has been a continuing effort to deny human rights to practitioners of the Falun Gong in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

R.E.A.L. has reported a number of these incidents, as well as efforts to protest such human rights abuses. The Epoch Times provides a comprehensive reporting.

Too much of the world has remained silent at this abuses of the Falun Gong.  This includes their recent protests in Hawaii at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which the PRC media will not report.  This includes the abuses in Communist Vietnam on November 8, where 50 Falun Gong were beaten and arrested for non-violent protest outside the PRC embassy in Hanoi.

However, we also seen many, many instances of human rights courage and solidarity, including protests throughout Washington D.C., which R.E.A.L. has been honored to join.  Ten years ago in the PRC on November 20, 2011, human rights activists made an appeal to the conscience of human beings in the PRC and around the world to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The persecution of the Falun Gong has continued.  In addition, PRC representatives have sought the harassment of PRC representatives around the world.

In my experience with the Falun Gong, they have remained the spirit of non-violent peaceful protest that those of us in America look up to and respect.  They protest with spirit, but with dignity.  They express their defense of human rights, but remain compassionate.

The United States Congress has recognized their plight and called for action on this in House Resolution 605 in March 16, 2010, which recognizes that Falun Gong practitioners and their family members have “suffered persecution, intimidation, imprisonment, torture, and even death for the past decade solely because of adherence to their personal beliefs.”

But R.E.A.L.’s support does not end in our solidarity and shared anguish over the plight and the human rights injustices of the Falun Gong.  Sympathy is not enough.

We also call for action. We call for real courage of the United States government to make this and other human rights abuses in the PRC a priority in discussions and meetings with the PRC.  It has been nearly two years since the passing of H.R. 605.

Where does the United States government stand on its objectives to call “upon the Government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately cease and desist from its campaign to persecute, intimidate, imprison, and torture Falun Gong practitioners, to immediately abolish the 6- 10 office, an extrajudicial security apparatus given the mandate to ‘eradicate’ Falun Gong, and to immediately release Falun Gong practitioners, detained solely for their beliefs, from prisons and re-education through labor (RTL) camps, including those practitioners who are the relatives of United States citizens and permanent residents”?  Respectfully, I ask if  President Obama and our leaders can let us know where they stand on this in discussions with the PRC?  There are many Americans whose hearts go out to the Falun Gong practitioners around the world and seek to support their human rights and human dignity.

All of us involved in human rights are grateful and appreciative our every effort to stand in solidarity and leadership on human rights issues.  But we also know that good intentions and noble words need the sacrifice and seriousness to make changes.  They are complex, difficult issues to be certain, given many international issues and the world economy.

But as Americans, we stand first and foremost on the truths that we hold self-evident on such inherent human rights and dignity.  That is not just  a promissory note to future Americans, but it is also a declaration of our identity as a nation; they may be large shoes to fill, but the American vision is based on such large goals and aspirations.   Furthermore, as world citizens, we have an obligation to defend the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for all people around the world.

Two Falun Dafa practitioners hold a candle at the candle light vigil in Washington, DC on July 22nd -- marking 11 years of persecution in China. (Jeff Nenarella / The Epoch Times)

Responsible for Equality And Liberty's Jeffrey Imm Joins Candlelight Vigil (Jeff Nenarella / The Epoch Times)