Our May newsletter includes a report on the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, at which the EU Vice President and MEP, Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, spoke about his personal experiences at talking to practitioners who had witness organ harvesting in China.

We also show Europe-wide support for the withdrawal of CCP members, whose numbers have now reached 22 million since the end of 2005.

We also highlight the celebrations of World Falun Dafa Day on May 13th, when many thousands of practitioners gathered the world over not only to celebrate their beliefs but also to remember those who have suffered at the hands of the evil Chinese government.

Editor

Germany: Falun Gong Practitioners Gather in Berlin to Request a Public EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, Vice President of the European Parliament Shows Support

On May 14, 2007, one day before the European Union and Chinese Communist Party opened their human rights dialogue, European Falun Gong practitioners assembled at Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin to request that the dialogue should involve everyone's human rights in China. They also appealed to the European Union to publicly condemn the Chinese Communist Party for trampling the Chinese people's human rights.

The practitioners were supported by human rights organizations such as Association for Threatened People, International Human Rights Organization, Human Rights Without Borders and the Chinese Free Culture Movement. The vice-president of the European parliament, Edward McMillan-Scott, gave a speech.

Vice President of the European Parliament: Every Country Should Support Falun Gong Practitioners

Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott planned to participate in the human rights dialogue on May 15 and 16 in Berlin. He said in his speech that he personally heard testimony about organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China, and he thought the Canadian report about organ harvesting was absolutely credible. Therefore he emphasized once more that the Chinese Communist Party, because of its violations of human rights, should be disqualified from conducting the 2008 Olympic Games. He said: "I'd like to tell everyone precisely that the Olympic Games in 2008 should not be hosted in China. At least the human rights special commissioners of the United Nations should be permitted to launch an independent investigation into the Chinese detention centers, the reeducation and labor camps, the jails and the police stations. Also, I propose this week's human rights dialog should be suspended. "He called for all the governments of the world to stand up to support Falun Gong. He said: "China is controlled by a dictatorship, in which barbaric and cruel political power rules. The persecution of people because of their beliefs will very possibly cause the Chinese Communist Party's downfall, very much like religion caused the disintegration of communism in Eastern Europe. We now stand in front of the Berlin Wall, which used to represent the splitting of Europe. For tens of thousands of Chinese people, even millions of Chinese people who have been detained in labor camps, we hope the CCP regime will fall from power as soon as possible. In addition, other countries of the world should all support Falun Gong practitioners who have suffered the most torture from the CCP.

Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott also emphasized that he will make a special appeal for three Chinese people. He said: "Today as I am making this speech, Gao Zhisheng, Niu Jinping's wife Zhang Liangying and Cao Dong are being persecuted. I will continue to appeal to the highest organizations of the United Nations in New York, to the European Union authorities in Brussels, as well as to other governments. Among these people, Zhang Liangying and Cao Dong are Falun Gong practitioners. Gao Zhisheng is persecuted because he submitted written statements three times to the Chinese Communist Party high officials, thus he was illegally sentenced by the Chinese Communist Party and placed under surveillance in his home."

Vice President of the European Falun Gong Society Requests Public Human Rights Dialogue

Wu Wenxi, the vice president of the European Falun Gong Society, said that practitioners would be conducting three day-long petition activities in the hope that the European Union could persuade the Chinese Communist Party to stop persecuting Falun Gong. Simultaneously, the human rights dialog should be carried out publicly in Europe, and they should invite Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted to attend and provide testimony.

President of International Human Rights Organization: The Human Rights Criminals Should be Delivered to the Court

Karl Hafen, the president of the International Human Rights Organization, believes that the death penalty, torture, forced labor camps, persecution and other serious human rights infringements are still happening in China. Therefore the human rights dialog with China must not be carried on privately. All the essential diplomatic channels should be used to make China's incumbent and future leaders acknowledge their mistakes and apologize publicly, guarantee human rights and deliver the human rights criminals to the court.

President of the Association of World Citizens: Stopping the Persecution is a Necessary Step to Show Respect for the Value of Human Rights

Rene Wadlow, the president of the Association of World Citizens, and a representative of the United Nation said in his letter to Falun Gong practitioners: "I can be with you only in the spirit of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, in your important efforts to protect the practitioners of Falun Gong. I stand together with you. Since 22nd July, 1999, when the persecution started, practitioners of Falun Gong have been arrested and tortured leading to cases of death. They lost their jobs, pension and were forced to give up their belief. The Falun Gong practitioners were often put into the labour camps without trial. The Laogai system of administrative detention is the weakest link in the Chinese legal system. "Also, Member of the National Assembly in Switzerland, Oskar Freysinger, and the Chinese Free Culture Movement's public letters were announced at the assembly. They requested that the human rights dialogs since 1996 should be made public and the Chinese Communist Party should publicly apologize for its human rights infringements. Otherwise, the human rights dialog could become the Chinese Communist Party's accomplice because of our hypocrisy and timidity. It would be better to stop this kind of dialog by the European Union.

Finland: Rally and Parade Supporting 21 Million Withdrawals From the CCP and its Related Organizations Held in Helsinki

On May 12, 2007, the Finnish Service Center for Quitting the CCP held a rally and parade in Helsinki's Central Square to support the twenty-one million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China. People from many Nordic countries participated in the event, which attracted many tourists and local people's attention.

Outi Alanko-Kahiluodon, an MP from the Finnish Green Party, gave a speech. She said that in Nordic countries, all the non-governmental organizations (NGO), even those who oppose the government, receive equal and proper treatment. They can even obtain financial support from the government. However, the idea of democracy is only a dream in China. In China, human rights upholders are jailed for upholding their basic human rights. Those people who step forward to oppose the Chinese government's human rights violations are imprisoned in jails in China. All controversial voices are suppressed. The CCP constrains all the people within the national border, the Internet is blockaded, people's daily activities are monitored, even the web-site of our Green Party Youth Organization is blocked by the CCP. Perhaps the Chinese regime considers ideas of supporting human rights, making the environment green and opposing dictatorship as a threat to its political power.

She also said that the roles played by people in democratic countries are to give hope to people having difficulty, listen to the voices from different people in different places in the world, and pay attention to the situations where there is no democracy, and to respect human rights. In other words, we should make our society fairer, just, democratic, support freedom of speech, and freedom in the media. It is the foundation of a successful society.

Representative of the Swedish NGO Condemns the CCP Crimes of Organ Harvesting from Living Falun Gong Practitioners

A representative from the Swedish NGO, SHRIC, said that right before the Olympic Games the CCP has started an even more rampant suppression against those dissidents to make them disappear. This worsens the human rights situation in China. She also condemned the CCP's crime of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. She said, "If a nation wants to be prosperous, the most important thing is to respect human rights, let the people speak without fear, and allow free thinking, instead of controlling everything by all means at their disposal.

An Eighteen Year-old Chinese Student Appeals to Rescue Her Father Being Persecuted by the CCP

Sunny, an eighteen year-old Chinese student in Finland participated in the rally. She told a reporter that in March of this year, her father, Mr. Zhang Weijie, was illegally arrested by the CCP just because he practices Falun Gong. In order to find her father, her mother begged for help everywhere, and was finally informed that her father was imprisoned in a brainwashing center.

Sunny said, "My whole family is very worried about it. The CCP's crimes of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners has been exposed to the public, and it is real. In my hometown, Wuhan, there is an organ transplant center, so we are worried that my father could suffer the same type of murder." She appealed to the Finnish government and all circles to help rescue her father, who is in danger.

Parade Supporting Quitting the CCP Moves People's Hearts

A parade took place after the rally. Police vehicles cleared the traffic, and the parade was lead by the waist-drum group with the traditional Chinese costumes, followed by various banners and placards supporting the withdrawals from the CCP. The parade proceeded through the center of Helsinki.

This day was also the final of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, and many people from Nordic countries who love music came to Helsinki to experience the results of the competition. As a result, there were huge numbers of people in the city centre. The parade with joyful drumming for celebrating the tide of quitting the CCP in China attracted many people.

Having seen the large banners and understood that it was supporting the withdrawals from the CCP, people applauded with thumbs-up saying, "What you have done is very good!"

A man from Eastern Europe shouted, "I was imprisoned by the Communist Party for two years, I really hated it!"

A young Chinese person said, "This is really spectacular. People in China have no chance to know this." Along the parade route, many people took photos of the parade.

At the parade's final destination, a big coach full of tourists from China stopped by chance, and the large banners indicating that over twenty one million Chinese people having withdrawn from the CCP, along with various truth-clarifying materials were presented in front of the Chinese tourists. Even though some Chinese tourists did not dare to accept materials openly because of the threats from the CCP, the unforgettable parade scene must have stirred their hearts deeply.

All Circles in Europe Condemn the CCP's Human Rights Violations on the Eve of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue

On May 10th, 2007, ten human rights organisations, including Human Rights Without Borders, International Human Rights Association, the Uygur World Congress and the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG), held a joint press conference at the headquarters of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, to expose the CCP's human rights violations, and urge the EU to take effective action regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in China. The Vice-President of the European parliament, Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, attended the conference and made a speech.

Mr. Yang, a representative of Falun Gong, indicated that the persecution of Falun Gong is happening every day. As of the end of April this year, it's been confirmed that over 3000 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death. In April 2007 alone, 21 Falun Gong practitioners were killed. The means of the torture adopted by the CCP are extremely terrible, and even include the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners Cao Dong and Niu Jinping were arrested just because they had met with Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, the vice president of the European parliament, in Beijing last year, and revealed truthfully the bitter experiences suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. Cao Dong has been sentenced to a labour camp for four years, and Niu Jinping is under long-term surveillance. His wife, Zhang Lianying, was tortured nearly to death in a labour camp in Beijing.

Falun Gong practitioners appreciate the ongoing support and efforts made by the EU, and ask the EU to take effective action regarding the CCP's human rights abuses, and safeguard Falun Gong practitioners' human rights.

Mr McMillan-Scott talked about the deterioration of human rights in China, and talked about his fact-finding tour of Beijing last year. He interviewed two Falun Gong practitioners, Cao Dong and Niu Jinping, who were once imprisoned. He also had a telephone conversation with the renowned human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, after he returned from his travels.

Mr Niu's wife, Zhang Lianying is still imprisoned and suffering torture. Cao Dong has been sentenced to a labour camp for another four years and is also being tortured. Cao Dong told Mr McMillan-Scott that Falun Gong practitioners are especially mistreated by prison guards and other criminals. His best friend disappeared suddenly one night from the jail, and afterwards he saw his friend's corpse with the organs removed. There were holes visible on the corpse.

Mr McMillan-Scott pointed out that, after the interview, all the other people involved were arrested except for him and his assistant. Cao Dong was sentenced to a labor camp because of the meeting with him; Niu Jigping's wife was tortured and now is in a hospital and in the danger of losing her life. Gao Zhisheng was also arrested, sentenced, and now is under a strict surveillance. He has been informed recently that Gao Zhisheng also suffered the torture. These three cases are very typical. Regarding this, he has, many times, requested the Chinese embassy to respond to his enquiry and release them, and has also urged the UN and EU to take appropriate actions.

He believes that the EU should re-examine its human rights dialogue with China and stop the fruitless event because the CCP is only dealing with it with words rather than actions. Other countries are already considering the same thing. The international community should urge the CCP to allow appointed UN special commissioners to enter China and conduct investigations at labour camps and prisons. Whether or not Beijing can host the Olympic Games should be judged based on the results of the investigation. If such an investigation cannot be carried out, the international community should consider cancelling the Beijing Olympic Games.

Mr Schols, the representative from the International Human Rights Association, said that although the EU hoped the CCP would become a just political power through the dialogue, we have already seen that the human rights conditions in China have been terrible in recent years. An independent investigation report, published by two Canadians, David Kilgour and David Matas, last year, exposed the CCP's crimes of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners on a large scale; they also gave a presentation on the investigation report in the European parliament.

In recent years, the human rights dialogues between China and EU as well as other countries have been fruitless. The CCP disrespects life and morality. It is a criminal organisation, and to discuss human rights with it behind closed doors won't produce any results. The United States and Canada have already realised this problem and are considering condemning the CCP's human rights abuses openly.

Mr Schols pointed out that the vice president of the European parliament, Mr McMillan-Scott, and the German premier Ms Merkel have frankly spoken out and condemned the CCP's human rights violations. Now it is the time for EU to condemn the CCP's human rights violations publicly.

Mr Hoe Wen, a representative from CIPFG, mentioned that, based on the latest report of Amnesty International, there is no evidence indicating any improvement of human rights in China. On the contrary, the suppression of human rights and freedom of speech are increasing steadily. The Beijing Olympic Games have been used by the CCP to further suppress the Chinese people.

The CCP's genocide against Falun Gong is the biggest human rights disaster. If it does not stop, any superficial decorations are simply to deceive the international community. In China, the Olympic Games and the crimes against humanity should not coexist. CIPFG asks for the EU to urge the CCP regime to release all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, and allow independent international investigators to conduct a thorough investigation at all the labour camps, prisons, and other facilities used for detaining Falun Gong practitioners.

In his speech, Mr Willy Fautre, a director of Human Rights Without Borders, condemned the CCP's indecent behaviour of suppressing human rights advocates and the attempting to interfere with the conference on the human rights in China held at the European parliament. He mentioned that on two occasions when Human Rights Without Borders and MEPs (Members of European Parliament) held joint conferences at the European parliament, the Chinese embassy made unceasing harassing telephone calls to the MEPs attempting to persuade them to cancel the conferences. He also enumerated some aspects related to China in some resolutions passed by the European parliament last year, such as the abolishment of death penalty. The CCP promised to respect and safeguard human rights but actually has been suppressing freedom of speech and media.

Finland: CCP's Arrest of Mr. Zhang Weijie Gets Attention of Finnish People

On May 5, 2007, Finnish Falun Gong practitioners again went to the central railway station to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to the people. They told about the CCP's cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and appealed to the Finnish government to help rescue Zhang Weijie, who was kidnapped by the CCP 610 Office in Wuhan city, China.

Sunny, a Chinese student, told the people that no one knew her father's whereabouts though her mother tried every way to find him. What made them more worried was the live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners to gain huge profits, which threatens Zhang Weijie's safety at every moment.

It was a sunny day. The feedback was quite good. Some read the details about Zhang Weijie's arrest and Sunny's rescue letter. Some read the banners exposing the torture of Falun Gong practitioners, and some wanted to learn more from the practitioners.

This activity also attracted many youth's attention. It was often to see several young people waiting to sign the petition letter. One young lady said, "I know that CCP only does bad deeds."

There were three girls whose parents were from Poland, Kosovo, and Estonia. Though their parents all once lived under the control of the evil communist party, these three children were born in Finland. They read the banners surprisingly and unbelievably, and asked the practitioner, "Is this persecution still going on? How to stop this horrible thing?" The practitioner explained the facts to them further, and said her father was also suffered under the control of evil communist party. The three girls all went to sign the petition after learning the true situation.

Europe: Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day; Onlookers Praise Falun Gong's Persistence

On May 13, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners from different European countries gathered on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. They wanted to display the beauty of Falun Dafa and celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. They marked the 15th anniversary of the introduction of Falun Dafa with a marching band performance, Chinese dances, and the demonstration of Falun Gong exercises. At 12:30 p.m., the Falun Gong practitioners' parade started from Pariser Platz, passing along Linden street, proceeding to Humboldt University, and then returning to Pariser Platz. Many people along the way watched the parade and praised the Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to expose the persecution.

The "European Divine Land Marching Band," consisting of 80 members, led off the parade. They played "Falun Dafa Is Good", "Ode to Joy" and other works.

Behind the Divine Land Marching Band was the float on which the demonstration of Falun Gong exercises was performed, followed by the "celestial maidens" group, dancing with lotus flowers. A big banner reading "Falun Dafa" followed them, and finally it was the waist drum team and the group supporting withdrawals from the CCP.

Some tourists who have never heard about Falun Gong were eagerly asking practitioners who were distributing leaflets about the event. More people indicated that they had known about the situation of Falun Gong being persecuted by the CCP and expressed their support for Falun Gong and their condemnation of the CCP's persecution.

A lady from Sweden told us, "I feel that the things happening in China are terrible. If the 2008 Olympic Games is hosted in China, it will be a chance for the autocratic government to paint a false picture, just like the Hitler government did. It is very good to expose the persecution, I had heard from Swedish media about the persecution of Falun Gong and the matter of the CCP's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. It is extremely shameful that the doctors in China have done such things for making money, rather than saving people's lives."

Three tourists from Dusseldorf had a chat with Mr. Ye, a Falun Gong practitioner from Berlin. Mr. Ye told our reporter, "They said that they knew some things about Falun Gong from TV. They felt that China is at the forefront in things such as human sciences, spiritual cultivation, and Chinese medicine. But they said it was inconceivable that there is a government in the world who persecutes and suppresses these good things. I informed them that the German parliament has passed a resolution to condemn the labor camp system in China, and they applauded that decision. In the beginning, they were jolted by the exposure of the persecution after the first half of the parade, which was quite festive and joyous, but after our discussion, they understood its importance."

Mr. Tony Jackson, an American based in Berlin, told, "The parade is wonderful. You should do more of this kind of activities. People need to open their eyes to watch and open up their ears to listen. They need to know what is happening in China, and people should help each other and do something for China."

Four tourists from Israel said that they saw firsthand the CCP's propaganda against Falun Gong when they were traveling in China. They were quite upset after talking with us about the persecution. After seeing the parade, they expressed their support for us.