【明慧网1999年11月20日】 美东时间11月18日星期四晚，美国众议院全体通过了要求中国政府停止镇压法轮功的218号参众两院共同决议案。11月19日星期五下午，美国参议院也通过了相关的217号决议案。

据目前得到的公共资料记载，218号参众两院共同决议案的起草人为新泽西州众议员克里斯朵夫.史密斯先生(Christopher H. Smith)，共同起草人有72人，其中包括众议院少数党领袖密苏里州的李查德.格福特先生(Mr. Richard Gephardt)，国际关系委员会主席纽约的班杰明格尔曼先生(Benjamin Gilman)，以及国际关系委员会成员山姆.吉丹森先生(Sam Gejdenson)、汤姆.兰特斯先生(Tom Lantos)等人。参议院决议案的起草人为逖姆.哈金森先生(Tim Hutchinson)，共同起草人为参议院多数党领袖川特.劳特先生(Trent Lott)等11人。

以下为众议院通过的218号参众两院共同决议案全文（中英文）。

美国众议院11月18日晚间全体通过的218号参众两院共同决议案（译文）：

鉴于，法轮功是一种主张和平、摒弃暴力的个人信仰并且法轮功在中国及其他地区有逾百万的修炼者；

鉴于，中华人民共和国政府禁止法轮功修炼者的信仰；

鉴于，中国政府对法轮功的取缔不但违犯了中国的宪法，也违反了国际公民政治权利条约和国际人权公约；

鉴于，数以千记的法轮功修炼者因为坚持他们的信仰和向国际社会求助而被拘禁；

鉴于，有大量可靠的报导，法轮功修炼者在关押期间受到了非人的待遇和惨无人道的折磨；

鉴于，中国新近通过的反邪教法，也就是政府媒体宣称的所谓“针对邪教组织，尤其是法轮功的强大武器”；

鉴于，一些法轮功修炼者以政治犯的名义被起诉，诸如犯了模棱两可的“泄露国家机密罪”。按照刚成立的“反邪教法”，这些修炼者将会被以杀人、欺骗和危害国家安全等罪名起诉；

鉴于，其他的法轮功学员在没有任何司法程序的情况下被判劳教；

鉴于，中国政府最近连续地没收、焚烧和销毁数百万计的法轮功书籍和音像资料；

鉴于，成千上万的法轮功修炼者因为坚持他们的信仰而被开除公职，学生被开除学籍；

鉴于，中国政府对法轮功的残酷镇压违反了最基本的公民权益，即公民享有信仰、言论、结社的自由；

参众两院一致通过本决议案，正式提出下列要求：

1．中国政府立即停止对法轮功修炼者的迫害；

2．美国政府应竭尽全力，通过各种官方和民间渠道，包括联合国人权组织，向中国政府强烈呼吁：

1)立即释放所有被关押的法轮功修炼者，停止一切对他们的非人道待遇和迫害行动；
2) 根据中华人民共和国宪法第三十六条的规定，恢复法轮功修炼者的信仰自由；
3) 严格遵循国际公民权益条约和国际人权公约。

美国众议院11月18日晚间全体通过的218号参众两院共同决议案（原文）：

106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 218

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Government of the People”s Republic of China should stop its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 2, 1999
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. WOLF, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. PORTER, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. PITTS, Mr. EVANS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, and Mr. ACKERMAN) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Government of the People”s Republic of China should stop its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Whereas Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practice with millions of adherents in China and elsewhere;

Whereas the Government of the People”s Republic of China has forbidden Falun Gong practitioners to practice their beliefs;

Whereas this prohibition violates China”s own Constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Whereas thousands of ordinary citizens from all over China have been jailed for refusing to give up their practice of Falun Gong and for appealing to the government for protection of their constitutional rights;

Whereas there are many credible reports of torture and other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of detained Falun Gong practitioners;

Whereas the People”s Republic of China has enacted new criminal legislation that the government”s official newspaper hailed as a `powerful new weapon to smash evil cultist organizations, especially Falun Gong”;

Whereas some of the detained Falun Gong members have been charged with political offenses, such as violations of China”s vague `official state secrets” law, and under the new legislation Falun Gong practitioners will be chargeable with such offenses as murder, fraud, and endangering national security;

Whereas other Falun Gong members have been sentenced to labor camps, apparently under administrative procedures allowing such sentences without trial;

Whereas Chinese authorities in recent months have reportedly confiscated, burned, or otherwise destroyed millions of Falun Gong books and tapes;

Whereas thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China have lost their jobs and students have been expelled from schools for refusing to give up their beliefs; and

Whereas the brutal crackdown by the Chinese Government on Falun Gong is in direct violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of personal belief and practice, expression, and assembly: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that–

(1) the Government of the People”s Republic of China should stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners; and

(2) the Government of the United States should use every appropriate public and private forum, including but not limited to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, to urge the Government of the People”s Republic of China–

(A) to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners and put an immediate end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience;

(B) to allow Falun Gong practitioners to pursue their personal beliefs in accordance with article 36 of the Constitution of the People”s Republic of China; and

(B) to abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 1999.
Attest:
Clerk.