Republican Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced legislation on Wednesday to construct a memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated to victims of the Chinese Communist Party and broader communist ideology.
The proposed legislation, titled the “Honoring the Victims of Communist China’s Tyranny Act,” directs the placement of a permanent public monument directly across from the Chinese Embassy in the nation’s capital. Funding for the park memorial would draw from existing federal allocations as well as private donations.
According to the bill’s framework, the memorial would feature educational elements covering political campaigns and human rights abuses in China dating back to the regime of Mao Zedong.
Historical events and ongoing issues outlined in the proposal include the Great Leap Forward, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdowns, and the 2020 pro-democracy arrests in Hong Kong.
Additional context would address the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, including Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, underground Christian congregations, and Uyghur populations in Xinjiang—whose treatment the U.S. government has designated as genocide.
The memorial would also recognize political dissidents, journalists, and activists, including Jimmy Lai, Ilham Tohti, Xu Zhiyong, and late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo.
In a press statement released with the bill, Scott argued that Chinese government officials should face visual reminders of the regime’s actions.
“Xi Jinping and Communist China are responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in human history,” Scott said. “Those who are brave enough to fight back and speak up against them pay the price, like my friend, Jimmy Lai. Countless others have been forced into slave labor; some face torture, forced sterilization, organ harvesting, and other horrors. As Xi’s henchmen at the embassy walk into work every day, they should have to face the litany of crimes in which they’ve been complicit.”
Scott added, “The people of China deserve nothing less than the God-given liberty and unalienable rights America’s founders fought for 250 years ago. America should have zero tolerance for Communist China and its crimes.”
Blackburn emphasized the legislation’s role in documenting historical human rights violations.
“The Chinese Communist Party is guilty of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including genocide, brutal religious persecution, forced labor, and forced sterilization,” Blackburn said. “Our legislation would honor victims of Communist China’s tyranny by allocating existing funds and donations to build a memorial that will ensure America never forgets the human cost of the CCP’s oppression.”
The bill now moves to the Senate for committee consideration.
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