Washington D.C. – China Select Committee, Mar. 24, 2026
“China detained thousands and convicted 1,545 prisoners of conscience between January 2019 and December 2024. This staggering number includes 1,422 prisoners of conscience in mainland China, which includes Tibet and Uyghur regions, and 123 individuals in Hong Kong. Three of these captives were even sentenced to death; two to life in prison, and eight were given sentences of a decade or more,” wrote Moolenaar. “CHRD data also shows how these two-thirds of the 700 older captives were women. In many if not all of these cases, the CCP’s persecution of prisoners of conscience continues well after they serve their unjustified prison sentence through means that deprive them of their rights, including surveillance, harassment, and other forms of intimidation.”
“Standing up for American values is a critical domain for strategic competition. As the CCP has made clear in its internal documents, the Party sees itself in a long-term ideological struggle with the United State and views foundational American values—specifically liberal democracy, freedom of speech, individual rights, and the rule of law—as existential threats to its authoritarian rule and ideological legitimacy,” he concludes. “To maximize its benefits to our national interests and values, I urge you to call for the release of China’s prisoners of conscience in your discussions with Xi Jinping.”
In the letter to Rubio, Moolenaar asked for sanctions on four key Hong Kong police and judicial officials responsible for the city’s draconian national security crackdown and unjust sentencing of Jimmy Lai. Moolenaar also reinforced the need to free Lai after his sham sentencing this February.
“I write to recommend in the strongest terms that, in light of the recent sentencing of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, your department determine whether certain Hong Kong police and judicial officials meet the criteria for sanctions pursuant to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, and Executive Order 13936,” said Moolenaar.
