On The ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China, notably the case of Mr Ding Yuande

B90067/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on The ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China, notably the case of Mr Ding Yuande

(2024/2504(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Government has become increasingly oppressive domestically, cracking down any form of dissent, and targeting ethnic and religious minorities with systematic repression;

B. whereas, since a fierce campaign of persecution was launched by the Chinese regime at the end of 1990s, Falun Gong practitioners in China continue to face severe repression, with many having been jailed in recent years for accessing banned websites, posting messages about the spiritual group on social media, and sharing prohibited internet circumvention tools;

C. whereas the arrest of Ding Yuande and his wife, Ma Ruimei, in May 2023 was part a mass arrest of roughly 70 Falun Gong practitioners in the Shandong province ahead of World Falun Dafa Day on May 13; whereas, while Ma Ruimei was released on bail, Ding Yuande was sentenced to three years in prison; whereas other practitioners arrested in May are still being trialled;

D. whereas according to UN human rights experts, detainees from ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities in China have undergone medical examinations, essential to check matches for organs for transplant, without their free, voluntary and informed consent; whereas Falun Gong practitioners have allegedly been targeted by this practice to a large extent, in addition to mass internment, disappearance, and torture.

1. Calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr Ding Yuande and the other Falun Gong practitioners arrested in May 2023 and to drop all charges against them;

2. Urges Chinese authorities to end the repression and persecution of Falung Gong practitioners as well as of all other religious and ethnic minorities in China;

3. Condemns the promulgation of the “Administrative Measures for Religious Activity Venues” in September 2023 empowering the Chinese Communist Party to have full control on activities of religious institutions and groups;

4. Expresses deep concern over reports of Chinese government drastically increasing transnational repression and attempts to forcibly return members of exiled groups living in Europe; urges Chinese authorities to refrain from harassing religious minority diaspora abroad; calls on the Member States to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC;

5. Strongly condemns the systematic repression of ethnic and religious minorities by the Chinese government that could amount to crimes against humanity and represents a serious risk of genocide;

6. Stresses that human rights are at the centre of EU-China relations and calls on all EU institutions and the Member States to systematically raise human rights violations with the Chinese counterparts, including the repression of ethnic and religious minorities;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions and the government and parliament of the PRC.