The U.S. State Department has condemned the Chinese Communist Party following the death of a jailed journalist for his belief in the spiritual discipline Falun Gong.
The journalist, Pang Xun, 30, a radio host for state-owned Sichuan Radio and Television, died in December 2022 at a Chinese prison notorious for its brutality toward adherents of Falun Gong—the target of the Chinese regime’s systematic persecution for more than 23 years.
At the time of his death, Pang’s emaciated body was covered with scars and bruises, which appears to directly contradict prison authorities’ claims that he had died of hyperthyroidism.
“Since 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to eradicate Falun Gong, a spiritual practice originating in China, and its peaceful practitioners and human rights defenders who have fought for their right to practice their beliefs. Extensive evidence shows the PRC government continues to repress and abuse this community to this day,” a State Department spokesperson said in a written statement to The Epoch Times, using the shorthand for the People’s Republic of China (PRC)….