| (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke on the House floor today in support of a bill addressing the unjust imprisonment of two Chinese human rights advocates. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren are two courageous individuals who sought to hold the Chinese regime accountable for its gross negligence in the shoddy construction of school houses which collapsed and caused the tragic deaths of schoolchildren during an earthquake last year.
“These two brave men sought answers for the grieving parents of these children, but their efforts led to their own imprisonment on trumped up charges, followed by trials in kangaroo courts.
“The United States must not be silent in the face of such injustice.
“Now is the time to speak up for Mr. Huang and Mr. Tan. Now is the time to speak up for all victims of human rights violations inside China today, from Falun Gong practitioners, to the Tibetan and Uyghur people, and to all those yearning to breath free in China.”
Note: Ros-Lehtinen is a co-sponsor of H. Res. 877, which addresses the unjust incarceration of Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren, two Chinese human rights advocates imprisoned by the Chinese government for their efforts to seek answers regarding the deaths of schoolchildren due to the collapse of school houses during an earthquake last year. It has been widely assumed in China that the building materials used for these schools were substandard due to corruption involving those officials who authorized their construction.
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