Congressional leader Randy Hultgren ‘adopts’ Chinese prisoner

(Washington, D.C.—Feb. 16, 2017) U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren addressed the House of Representatives on behalf of an arrested Christian democracy advocate today.

Hultgren, collaborating with the Defending Freedoms Project, “adopted” political prisoner Zhu Yufu in order to spotlight the experiences of him and others who face persecution for expressing their opinions. In a speech made to the United States House of Representatives on Feb. 15, Hultgren highlighted Zhu’s unjust imprisonment, saying that his health has deteriorated acutely under official care, causing his family to fear he may not live, and urging the Chinese government to free him, provide him with proper medical care, treat him humanely, and respect and uphold “freedom of speech, and assembly, and thought, and belief.”

Zhu, who has endured multiple prison sentences on account of his pro-democracy stance, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2012 after he published a poem encouraging Chinese people to rise up against the Communist Party and shape the future of China themselves, entitled “It’s Time.” In custody, he has suffered poor treatment, including being beaten by a police officer until he blacked out last Saturday.

Hultgren was recently appointed Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and serves as a commissioner to the Helsinki Commission and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. His full speech can be viewed here.

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Zhu, and celebrates efforts made by Representative Randy Hultgren and other politicians to free prisoners of conscience in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.