My name is Karen Kang, I am a U.S. citizen living in California. Chinese police have threatened my family in China to try to stop me from speaking out about the religious persecution they are facing but my nephew Hou Lijun (top center) is in mortal danger and I cannot keep silent any longer.

What's at stake?

I have not seen my nephew in over a decade because he is detained in China for his religious belief in Falun Gong, a Buddhist spiritual practice of mind and body. Since 1999, the Chinese Communist Party has been violently persecuting people who practice Falun Gong.

Since 2023, Hou's health has deteriorated sharply because the Chinese authorities are torturing him in custody. Hou was sent to the hospital multiple times, but they refuse to grant his family visitation rights or release him on medical parole.

Because he believes in the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance, the Chinese authorities treat my nephew worse than a criminal. Last year, a Chinese court sentenced him to 10 years in prison after a sham trial because of his belief. The methods they use to try to force him to renounce his faith are inhumane and horrifying, including electric batons, physical assault, and forced labor.

Increasing deaths from abuse

Since 1999, over 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners are documented to have died because of persecution at the hands of Chinese police. My older sister, Kang Shuqin, was one of those victims. She died in 2020 after enduring 11 years of imprisonment and torture by Chinese authorities for her faith and advocacy for human rights. Now I worry that her son--who is only in his early 50s--is facing a similar fate.

My plea to you

Please sign this petition so we can send a clear message to Chinese officials that people around the world know what they are doing to my nephew and are calling for his release. 

Hou Lijun is a bright and hardworking man with a long future ahead of him. Before he was arrested for his faith, Hou worked as a security guard at a bank. As his aunt, I just want to see him released, free to live out a healthy and happy life.

I've already lost one family member to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. I don't wish to lose another.

Please sign and share my family's story.

Resources

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