On May 23, 2023, the International Religious Freedom Caucus hosted a congressional briefing on the persecution of Falun Gong. First-hand victims, experts, and caucus co-chair Rep. Bilirakis were joined by over 30 congressional staffers, China researchers, and media workers to discuss recent developments and key cases of persecution in China and consider actions to counter the Chinese regime’s suppression of Falun Gong.
At this briefing, three Falun Gong practitioners were given the space to share their family tragedies caused by the persecution and call for the release of their parents: You Zhou’s father was recently sentenced to 8 years in prison for possessing Falun Gong books; Steven and Lydia Wang’s mother was recently sentenced to 4 years in prison for distributing flyers; Simon Zhang’s mother was persecuted to death in custody last year.
