A Perpetrator of Religious Persecution Sanctioned on Human Rights Day

Following the establishment of Human Rights Day, the U.S. launches another wave of sanctions aimed at promoting fundamental freedoms. Among the individuals designated for “gross violations of human rights”, a police chief in China is condemned for his role in persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners.

In its mission to promote and advance respect for human rights, the U.S, on December 10th, sanctioned a Chinese police chief “for his involvement in gross violations of human rights in Xiamen, China.”

Huang, the chief of the Xiamen Public Security Bureau Wucun Police Station “is associated with particularly severe violations of religious freedom of Falun Gong practitioners, namely his involvement in the detention and interrogation of Falun Gong practitioners for practicing their beliefs”, explained Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his official statement.

The sanctions bar Huang and his wife from entry into the United States.

The sanction marks the first time that China’s communist party (CCP) official has been recognized for their role in directly persecuting adherents of Falun Dafa. 

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, has been repressed by the CCP since 1999. Followers of the practice are jailed, beaten, tortured, and even murdered, in an effort to coerce them to give up their beliefs. It has also been revealed that state sanctioned organ harvesting of non-consenting prisoners of conscience is also taking place, with the primary source of organs being from live Falun Dafa practitioners.

This sanction, one of the 17 made on Dec, 10, is the first step in a journey of a thousand miles. In early November of 2020, minghui.org, an independent site that reports on the persecution of Falun Gong, released a list of over 105,000 names of people involved in committing crimes against humanity. This list has been submitted to the U.S Department of State upon request specifically to aid in visa vetting and denials.

Pompeo said, “the world cannot stand idly by as the PRC government perpetrates horrific and systematic abuses against people in China, including violating the internationally recognized right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief”.

If the Trump administration continues with its firm stance on the Chinese communist party it can only be expected that more sanctions will follow, targeting corrupt CCP officials who are “gross violators of human rights”.