VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

• Code of Virginia
• Virginia Administrative Code
• Constitution of Virginia
• Charters
• Authorities
• Compacts
• Uncodified Acts
• RIS Users (account required)

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

• Bills & Resolutions
  session legislation
• Bill Summaries
  session summaries
• Reports to the General Assembly
  House and Senate documents
• Legislative Liaisons
  State agency contacts

ACROSS SESSIONS

• Subject Index: Since 1995
• Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
• Summaries: Since 1994

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2003 SESSION

• history | hilite | pdf | print version

038092624
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 541 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the House Committee on Rules on January 28, 2003) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Baskerville) Urging the government of the People's Republic of China to end the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong or Falun Dafa.

WHEREAS, Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a self-improvement practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture that promotes the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance; and

WHEREAS, Falun Gong practitioners use gentle exercises and meditation to achieve the goals of a pure heart, a balanced mind, and an energized body; and

WHEREAS, despite the peaceful, positive, and nonpolitical goals of Falun Gong, the government of the People's Republic of China has for several years brutally and systematically killed, tortured, and illegally detained those who practice Falun Gong; and

WHEREAS, the actions of the Chinese government have been universally condemned by, among others, the President of the United States, the United States Department of State, the United States Congress, and the political leaders of many states and dozens of local governments; and

WHEREAS, Falun Gong has been welcomed and celebrated by proclamations and resolutions from localities in New Zealand, Australia, France, Canada, and many other countries; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia, the Cities of Winchester, Chesapeake, and Charlottesville and the Counties of Fairfax and Loudoun have proclaimed Falun Dafa Week; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the ongoing suppression of Falun Gong practitioners in the People's Republic of China, reputable media outlets have reported incidents of persecution and harassment of Falun Gong practitioners on United States soil; and

WHEREAS, by resolution, the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies, on August 1, 2002, condemned the extremely brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the government of the People's Republic of China; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby urge the government of the People's Republic of China to end the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong or Falun Dafa; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Honorable Yang Jiechi, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United States, so that he may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.