6 Mar 14:08

Freedom House's Center For Religious Freedom To Host Ceremony Honoring Defenders of China's Religious And Spiritual Movement

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor

Contact: Dana Cheng For The Freedom House Center For Religious Freedom, 703-725-4168

News Advisory:

Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom will host an award ceremony honoring the defenders of China's religious and spiritual movements.

In a ceremony in the U.S. Senate on March 14, Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom will bestow its International Religious Freedom Award for 2001 to the defenders of religious rights for China's main religious and belief communities.

For their extraordinary dedication to the advancement of fundamental principles of religious freedom, the Freedom House honor will be presented to the following:

-- Li Hongzhi and the Falun Dafa Association

-- The Cardinal Kung Foundation

-- Friends of the Christian Unregistered Churches

-- International Campaign for Tibet

-- The American-Uighur Association

This will be a unique event in which the religious representatives will be uniting in a broad front for greater freedom.

Both the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom have determined that religious freedom has deteriorated markedly over the past year. The International Religious Freedom Award is to give recognition to the efforts of the various groups that have drawn world attention to the severe persecution that Chinese and Tibetan people are now forced to endure to follow their consciences.

The award ceremony will afford an opportunity for distinguished Members of Congress to express America's historic concern for religious freedom and to speak up for China's persecuted religious and spiritual communities.

Freedom House is America's oldest human rights group, founded in 1941 by Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie to defend against Naziism and communism in Europe. It has been engaged in work to expand democracy and freedom throughout the world for over five decades.

The award ceremony will be take place at:

5 to 7 p.m., March 14, 2001

419 Dirksen Building

United States Senate, Washington, D.C.

RSVP: Laura, ph: 202-296-5101 ext. 136, fx: 202-296-5078,

Religion@freedomhouse.org

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0306-127.html

Category: Voices of Support Worldwide