Speech by Unitarian Universalist Association Envoy Rich Cook at World Human Rights Day Rally (Excerpt)

My name is Rich Cook and I am the Envoy from the Fourth Unitarian Universalist Society to the United Nations Office of the Unitarian Universalist Association - a group of more than 1000 churches across the United States and around the world. The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office is located just down the street at the UN Church Center, where we participate as an NGO in promoting the work of the United Nations.

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Today the UU faith works hard on justice issues across the country and around the world. We at the UU United Nations Office are staunch supporters of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. And at our General Assembly held in Long Beach last June our leadership issued this Statement of Conscience with regard to the use of torture:

"To all people of conscience . . . to hold accountable any individual, group, organization, or nation that conducts, authorizes, condones, funds, or covers up the use of torture."

To that end we are outraged by the persecution of the practitioners of Falun Dafa in China that continues to this day. There is simply no room in this ever-shrinking world of ours for organized, categorical repression of thousands of people based upon their spiritual beliefs. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, the UN workgroup on arbitrary detention, and the American House of Representatives have all condemned the repressive, totalitarian actions against the practitioners of Falun Dafa. There is something deeply sick with any government that forces its citizens into phony "mental hospitals, recovery programs and re-education" camps simply because they have chosen to practice a spiritual belief. The gruesome stories inside these prisons are of the most egregious abuses of Human Rights in the history of civilization. What kind of government subjects detainees to hours of sub-audible and electromagnetic radiation, electroshock, scalding immersions, extremes of temperature and weeks of isolation from any human contact? What justification can there be for detentions without legal representation, due process, access to family or adequate medical care? The treatment of the prisoners in the secret Chinese detention centers is a savage mockery of the words 'penal institution'. There are regular reports of endless sleep deprivation, sensory overloads, forced labor, verbal and psychological abuses and constant humiliation that destroys the heart and souls of good, spiritual people. These systems, designed to force "confessions" from practitioners are on a par with the most heinous of war crimes committed by the Nazi regime of World War Two. Those crimes against humanity left their victims' bodies emaciated, broken and bruised. Do not deceive yourselves, the crimes against humanity committed in these contemporary prison camps are more brutal, more heinous and more inhumane - for they destroy the souls of men and women. These are crimes of the highest order and there are no reasons, excuses or mitigating circumstances to justify them. They are the reprehensible actions of people who are so deeply indoctrinated with fear and hatred that they have lost every semblance of humanity they once had. It is our sacred duty and task to bring these crimes to light, in front of the entire world and to hold those who have committed them responsible.

And so I call upon the United Nations, its member states, the Security Council and people of conscience around the world to demand an end to the totalitarian repression and torment of people of spiritual belief. We demand the immediate release of all practitioners of Falun Dafa held in Chinese prison camps, detention centers, "mental hospitals" and religious organizations. We demand an immediate end to the brutal, inhumane torture that is perpetrated on these captives day in and day out. We demand that the International Criminal Court and other courts and tribunals of competent jurisdiction accept lawsuits filed against the perpetrators and issue warrants for the arrest and prosecution of the same. We urge the European Union to withhold favored trading status and continue to enforce the arms embargo against the Chinese government.

The pressure that limited trading status and embargos have on repressive governments is one of our most effective weapons against these humanitarian abuses. We need to convert our support of new economies such as China's from arms, to industry, technology, education and health care. If we are to consider the family of human beings and our goal of acceptance into the larger family of man, we will need to do what the sculptors at this park have encouraged - to beat our swords into plowshares and tend to feeding rather than oppressing our people. Further we must carefully tailor our foreign trade agreements with nations that do not openly accept international standards of Human Rights. I strongly suggest that governments and the private sector take a very hard look at the cost of doing business with political regimes that repress Human Rights through detention, isolation, and torture. I ask that you consider that your business may be supporting Human Rights violations and think about how that will reflect on your government or business when the full story of Human Rights abuses comes out.

And it will come out. Because part of what we are doing here today is to make sure that repressive governments anywhere in the world are put on notice - the abuse and mistreatment of human beings will not go unnoticed. There are many in the international community who are monitoring your actions and each prisoner who is tortured, each child who is detained, every woman subjected to abuse and humiliation - there are people making a record of it. Abuse cannot be hidden as it was in the past. It is too small a world and there are too many concerned citizens for abusive behavior to go unnoticed.

We might ask ourselves this question - if you were a foreigner visiting a new country and you were able to see the inhumane treatment of the Falun Gong practitioners by a fearful, repressive government, would you ever want to return? Would you consider that country backwards, primitive, and hostile to spiritual enlightenment? Would you consider lending them money or technical expertise while the repression and crimes against humanity continued? We think not.

For those who would argue that these are the internal affairs of sovereign nations and outsiders should not meddle in them, we have this to say to you:

The affairs of the human heart, are the affairs of all human beings. They know no political boundaries, nor territorial placement nor restriction upon their probity. The practice of Falun Gong is an affair of the heart. The simple notion of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance are spiritual principles that reach across all boundaries, all borders, and all political regimes. There is no argument, political, spiritual or emotional that can justify totalitarian behavior. While repressive governments may imprison the physical practitioner - they can never fully imprison their soul, or their heart or their mind. Which is why it is important for us to be out here. We, today are the physical embodiment of those captive hearts and souls. We gather here to remind the United Nations, the Chinese leaders and people around the world that persecution of good, innocent people of spiritual belief will not be tolerated. Totalitarian regimes that stoop to the use of torture, unlawful detention and "re-education" programs to break the free will of the people, are destined to fail. Such regimes no longer can operate in the dark - they cannot hide beneath a cloak of secrecy, or hope that their crimes will go undiscovered. Their crimes are crimes against humanity, their repressive punishments are crimes against humanity, their unlawful imprisonments are crimes against humanity - and they will not stand! And each day that you and I speak out against such crimes, is a day when the persecuted come closer to freedom. It is a day closer to the enlightened day when China's government will make amends for her past transgressions, and let her people go.

I would like to read to you from the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which defines inalienable rights and guarantees for every Human Being:

Article 9 - "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile."

Article 10 - "Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him."

Article 12 - "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, or to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks."

Article 18 - "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

Article 19 - "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

In these five Articles from the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights, a United Nations that the present government of China is a signatory to - we have guarantees of rights for the practitioners of Falun Gong and many others. There are now more than 192 member nations within the United Nations and each and every one of those members has an obligation to protect and defend this Declaration. The wholesale detention, imprisonment and torture of practitioners of Falun Gong constitute egregious violations of each and every one of the Articles I have just read to you. These violations, by any government, of any people, anywhere constitute crimes against humanity and the perpetrators must be held responsible.

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I have come here today to make a personal appeal and directly address President Hu Jintao and the leadership of China. Mr. President, and distinguished leaders of the nation of China, now is the opportunity to demonstrate to the world your commitment to the principles of Human Rights. Show the world that China has chosen to respect the rights and guarantees of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Mr. President, millions of people around the world are watching you - just as they have watched leaders throughout history. "The whole world is watching" and we ask that you look into your heart, know the truth, feel your compassion, demonstrate your tolerance, and... "Let these people go."

Thank you for the privilege of speaking to you today.