(Minghui.org) Kay Gottschalk, Member of German federal Parliament (MdB), deputy federal spokesperson for Alternative for Germany (AfD), wrote to Falun Gong practitioners to express his support and condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution and forced organ harvesting. He also criticized Böhmermann, host of TV station ZDF, for his negative comments about Shen Yun.

Kay Gottschalk MdB, deputy federal spokesperson for AfD (from the official website)

Letter from Kay Gottschalk MdB

The letter reads, “Twenty-six years ago, on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice and new religious movement founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992.

“It originated from the Buddhist school of Qigong and also contains elements fromDaoist traditions. Due to the number of practitioners, the independence from the state, and the spiritual teachings, this was viewed as a threat by the Chinese government. To this day, the persecution, as well as the murder through illegal organ harvesting and torture of these practitioners, continues, making it one of the most oppressed groups in China.”

“The EU Parliament also passed a resolution in May 2022 calling for the issue of organ harvesting and human rights in China to be addressed in every human rights dialogue and for the Chinese government to be encouraged to create transparency and cooperate with international investigative authorities. However, there has been little to no noticeable improvement for those affected and victims of the persecution.”

Mr. Gottschalk MdB also mentioned the negative comments about Shen Yun Böhmermann, host of the TV station ZDF made, “Even after the Shen Yun performance, there was a satirical, critical take on the matter, particularly on ZDF’s “Magazin Royale” (Böhmermann), which several people found offensive.” He indicated that the state broadcaster needs to be reformed because this journalism only reports from a one-sided perspective. Other opinions are discredited in many ways.

He continued, “The people in China, as well as in Germany, want to be treated as free legal subjects, like every citizen of the 21st century. This includes respect for their fundamental rights, such as the right to physical integrity, religious practice, and freedom of expression. The AfD is fully committed to freedom of belief, conscience, and religion.”

He said that by July 20 next year, “We hope for an improvement in this regard, at least for Falun Gong practitioners in China, regarding the free exercise of their spiritual practice.”