(Clearwisdom.net)
Congress of the United States
Washington, DC
September 27, 2002
(name and address withheld)
Dear Ms. (name withheld):
Thank you for contacting me regarding your recent trip to Iceland and the treatment you faced by the government of Iceland as a Falun Gong practitioner. I appreciate hearing form you and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
I share your concern regarding the treatment you received in Iceland and the development of an alleged "black list" of Falun Gong practitioners compiled by the Chinese government. It is very disturbing to me to learn of the possibility that the Chinese government may be compiling lists of Falun Gong practitioners in the Untied States, and then giving these lists of American citizens to foreign governments in order to deny American citizens or residents access to foreign countries.
As you know, the government of Iceland sent police officers to Boston and three national media outlets reported that Icelandic officials banned visits by Falun Gong members form June 7-18, 2002 in an effort to prevent large demonstrations against President Jiang Zemin, and that certain citizen has been "blacklisted" by the government of the People's Republic of China.
Like you I an deeply disturbed by the outrageous, repressive actions of the Chinese government that, in pressuring an original participating state in the Organization for Security and safety and public order, has undermined democracy and human rights in Iceland and around the globe. As you note in your letter to me, my New Jersey colleague and Vice-Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Representative Chris Smith, has also taken an active role on this critical issue. On June 12, 2002, on behalf of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Representative Smith authored a letter to the Prime Minister of Iceland, David Oddsson, urging the government of Iceland to life the travel ban on American citizens in advance of President Zemin's visit. Enclose please find copies of Representative Smith's letter and the response he received form the Icelandic Ambassador to the United States, Jon Hannibalsson. Enclosed please also find a copy of the State Department's response to a letter Representative smith sent to Secretary of State Colin Powell on this issue.
I am very cognizant of and engaged in the struggle for human rights and religious liberty.
Steven R. Rothman
9th District, New Jersey