Benjamin Gilman: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 967 prohibits travel grants and visas for Chinese officials who repress religion in China and in…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 967 prohibits travel grants and visas for Chinese officials who repress religion in China and in occupied Tibet. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists who are serving long prison sentences in China and in occupied Tibet for merely practicing their religious faith. Let me underscore that. Large numbers of Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Buddhists are spending many years of their lives in prison for following their religious practices. For example, the Beijing Government sentenced a 76-year-old Protestant leader to 15 years in prison for distributing Bibles. It sentenced a 65-year-old evangelical elder to an 11-year prison term for belonging to an evangelical group outside the government-sanctioned religious organizations. A 60-year-old Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to 2 years of 'reeducation through labor' for unknown charges. He had previously spent 13 years in prison because of his refusal to renounce ties with the Vatican. The 6-year-old Panchen Lama and his family have been detained for 2 years, and their whereabouts are still unknown. The list goes on and on. Although the President and Prime Minister of China have signed directives and set policy that are behind the current crackdown of religious practitioners, the bill does not prevent them or the cabinet ministers from receiving United States visas.”