Sens. Rick Scott, Marsha Blackburn Introduce Bill to Memorialize Victims of Communist Chinese Tyranny

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Marsha Blackburn introduced the Honoring the Victims of Communist China's Tyranny Act, a bill to create a permanent memorial in Washington, D.C. to honor those killed by authoritarian Communist ideology and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dating back to Mao Zedong. The memorial would be placed in a public park directly across from the CCP embassy in Washington, D.C.

Senator Rick Scott said, "Xi Jinping and Communist China are responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in human history. Those who are brave enough to fight back and speak up against them pay the price, like my friend, Jimmy Lai. Countless others have been forced into slave labor; some face torture, forced sterilization, organ harvesting, and other horrors. As Xi's henchmen at the embassy walk into work every day, they should have to face the litany of crimes in which they've been complicit. The people of China deserve nothing less than the God-given liberty and unalienable rights America's founders fought for 250 years ago. America should have zero tolerance for Communist China and its crimes."

Senator Marsha Blackburn said, "The Chinese Communist Party is guilty of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including genocide, brutal religious persecution, forced labor, and forced sterilization. Our legislation would honor victims of Communist China's tyranny by allocating existing funds and donations to build a memorial that will ensure America never forgets the human cost of the CCP's oppression."

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BACKGROUND:

The CCP is responsible for committing human rights atrocities, including genocide and persecution against ethnic and religious minorities, including the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Many outsiders have expressed concerns about restrictions on political dissent, religious freedom, freedom of expression, and press freedom in Communist China.

A public memorial in Washington, D.C. would honor victims of persecution, educate visitors about these abuses, and reaffirm the United States' commitment to human rights and individual liberty. Examples of events, campaigns, and episodes that could be referenced or reflected in the memorial's educational elements include:

• Mao Zedong killed at least 40 million people during his time in power.
• Forced labor, forced sterilization, family separation, and other abuses against Uyghurs that led the United States Government to determine that genocide and crimes against humanity were occurring in Xinjiang.
• The suppression of Tibetan religious and cultural practices, including restrictions on monasteries, language instruction, and expressions of loyalty to the Dalai Lama.
• The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing.
• The imprisonment of democracy advocates, lawyers, journalists, and dissidents, including figures such as Liu Xiaobo, Xu Zhiyong, Ilham Tohti, and Jimmy Lai.
• The crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement in 2020.
• The persecution of religious groups, including underground Christian churches, Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan Buddhists, and other faith communities.
• Restrictions on freedom of expression, censorship of the press and internet, and the use of advanced surveillance technologies to monitor citizens.
• The history of political campaigns under Communist Party rule resulting in widespread suffering (i.e. the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward)

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