Switzerland: The People of Zurich Support Practitioners' Call for an End to the Persecution of Falun Gong

On December 22, 2007, a group of Swiss Falun Gong practitioners held an "Information Day" in Zurich's Great Bahnhofstrasse.

The practitioners hung out eye-catching banners disclosing the CCP's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. Various photographs depicting the persecution of practitioners in China were displayed. Many passers-by knew at once that the display was about Falun Gong, because they have been seeing Falun Gong practitioners on this street every month for more than a year. On the information table were leaflets in various languages and petition forms, some calling for an end to the CCP persecution of Falun Gong, and others asking the Swiss Government and United Nations to investigate and stop the CCP's organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners.

Although it was Christmas Eve and very cold, many passers-by still stopped and looked or came forward to sign the petitions to show their support for Falun Gong practitioners. Others had conversations with practitioners to learn more about the practice and about the persecution.

A man came to sign a petition, agreeing with practitioners' effort to stop the persecution. He had read about the persecution of Falun Gong in newspapers and noticed that Falun Gong practitioners only wanted to practice their belief. He realized that, although Falun Gong is not harmful to society, the CCP does not allow any group that is different from it to exist. He gave his signature to express his support.

A lady immediately opened and started reading the newspaper given to her by a practitioner. She asked for more information. Before she went away, she signed the petition calling for an end to the CCP's crime of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. She had not known about this heinous crime, she only knew that there was no respect for human rights in China. She thought that organ harvesting from living people was terrible--"not human behaviour." Before she left, she took Chinese materials, because she was learning Chinese and also wanted to share the information with her Chinese friends.

Practitioner Ingberg mentioned that many people signed the petition because they know the persecution is wrong and should be stopped immediately.

Amnesty International Urges CCP to Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong and Release Bu Dongwei

On December 10, 2007, at the 59th anniversary of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" by the General Assembly of the United Nations, Amnesty International issued a statement to appeal for the rescue of Falun Gong practitioner Bu Dongwei. http://www.amnestyusa.org/Global_Writeathon/Bu_Dongwei/page.do?id=1011520&n1=3&n2=34&n3=65

Beijing Falun Gong practitioner Bu Dongwei was a staff member of the Beijing office of the Asia Foundation. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' of forced labour camp for practicing Falun Gong. It is his second imprisonment. In 2000 he was sentenced to one year of forced labour camp for calling on the Chinese regime to review the persecution of Falun Gong. Amnesty International's news mentioned, "in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing police have used abusive detention practices such as 're-education through labour' to 'clean up' the city."

Bu Dongwei's wife Lou Hongwei said, "He is a kind-hearted and sincere young man. In China today, such people are sentenced for their belief in 'Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.' Otherwise, people like Bu Dongwei would have no connection with labour camps and prisons."

Ms. Lou appreciated Amnesty International's second call to rescue Bu Dongwei. She mentioned that she tried to solve the issue through legal means when Mr. Bu was arrested initially. She thought that in the capital of Beijing, where the Olympic games will be held, the rule of law should be respected. But in each attempt to contact Beijing, she was disappointed. So she decided to seek help from the international community. Amnesty International was one of international organizations from which she sought assistance.

In addition, the UN also listed Mr. Bu in urgent rescue cases. The European Parliament passed a resolution "Europe and China," which also included a request to the Chinese government to release Mr. Bu. The German Foreign Ministry, some congressional representatives in the United States, and non-governmental organizations expressed their support and assistance.

Ms. Lou said, "I know that there are many people who suffer similar persecution. Therefore, my rescue efforts for Bu Dongwei can help more people learn the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong and help end the persecution. This persecution cannot last long. Heavenly principles must be upheld."

Amnesty International requested its members and other people showing concern to "ask the Chinese Prime Minister to

• Release Bu Dongwei immediately and unconditionally, because he is a prisoner of conscience, detained in violation of his rights to freedom of expression, association and religious belief;
• Allow Bu Dongwei's family to visit him regularly and to ensure that he has access to lawyers and medical treatment while he is in detention;
• Guarantee that Bu Dongwei is not subjected to torture or ill-treatment during his detention;
• End the crackdown against the Falun Gong spiritual movement and the resulting human rights violations;
• Abolish "Re-education Through Labour" and ensure that decisions on detention are no longer exclusively in the hands of the police."

The sample letter of Amnesty International is as follows:

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao

Guojia Zongli
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie
Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Your Excellency:

I write to you regarding Bu Dongwei, who is currently serving two and a half years of "Re-education Through Labour" (RTL) at the Tuanhe RTL facility in Beijing. Amnesty International considers Bu Dongwei to be a prisoner of conscience who has been detained for the peaceful exercise of his beliefs as a Falun Gong practitioner.� Mr. Bu has reportedly been deprived of sleep, beaten and forced to sit in a small chair all day during RTL in an effort to make him renounce his beliefs.

The use of Re-education Through Labour and the detention of individuals without trial counter commitments made by Chinese officials that human rights would improve in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. These abuses also breach the primary principles of the Olympic Charter relating to the preservation of human dignity and respect for universal, fundamental, ethical principles.� The exercise of one's rights to freedom of expression, association and religious belief should be protected, not punished.

I urge you to see to it that Bu Dongwei is not subjected to torture or ill-treatment and that he is granted access to his family, lawyers and medical treatment. I call upon you to live up to China's obligations to protect human rights by abolishing Re-education Through Labour and ensuring that decisions about detainees are no longer exclusively in the hands of the police.� Please bring about the immediate and unconditional release of Bu Dongwei and all other prisoners of conscience in China.

Sincerely,

copy to:

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008

Fax: 1-202-328-2582

People in Finland Show Their Support for the Thirty Million Withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party

On December 22nd, 2007, staff from the Finnish Service Centre for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Falun Gong practitioners from Helsinki went to the Central Railway Station to appeal to the Finnish public to pay attention to the thirty million Chinese people who have renounced their membership in the Chinese Communist Party. They also raised awareness about the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party, which has killed millions of innocent people, and has even been involved in organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners. They appealed to the people to help stop the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Many people stopped at the display table to sign their names to support the Chinese people's efforts to get rid of the evil Chinese Communist Party, and declare support for Falun Gong practitioners who protest against the Chinese Communist Party's ruthless persecution. Also many people talked with the practitioners, learned more about Falun Gong and the persecution, and expressed their views.

One young Finnish woman who has lived in New York said, "I believe this cruel persecution is real." She added that she has many Chinese colleagues in the US who are brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. She said that as a westerner, she did not know how to help the Chinese people. A practitioner answered, "Today we are appealing for support for thirty million Chinese people withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party. Since the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published by the Epoch Times newspaper, these people see clearly the Chinese Communist Party's evil essence and their murderous history, and they want to break away from it. This is a powerful way to disintegrate the Chinese Communist Party, an effective prescription for getting rid of it." After listening to the practitioner's explanation, the young woman said: "I understand. I believe you can help the Chinese people. You are doing it right." Afterwards, she also signed her name to show her support.

Another practitioner wished some people a Merry Christmas as she was distributing fliers to passers-by Suddenly a young Finnish woman standing in front of her said, "I know you, you claim to have been imprisoned and persecuted in China." The practitioner said, "Yes, because I practiced Falun Gong, I was kidnapped by the police in my hometown, imprisoned in a small room, and also beaten with an electric baton. The Chinese Communist Party fears good people who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance; they said we were 'being political.' Actually, we practitioners are not interest in politics." The practitioner also talked about the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, which was staged by the Chinese Communist Party to discredit Falun Gong and spread false rumours that made many people hate Falun Gong.

Chinese passers-by were happy to receive the Nine Commentaries and a special edition dealing with withdrawing from the CCP. When volunteers advised them to withdraw from the CCP quickly, most of them said they would think about it carefully and said they would go to the Epoch Times' website to publish their statements. One Chinese couple took photographs of the banners and other informational materials.

Many Chinese people said to the practitioners: "Thank you. We know you are doing a good job and we hope that the persecution of Falun Gong in China will end soon."

Ukraine: Falun Gong Practitioners Protest Peacefully at the Chinese Embassy

On December 13, 2007, Ukrainian practitioners held a protest at the Chinese Embassy, urging the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to stop its eight-year persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners distributed leaflets and newspapers to inform people that, in China, Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally sent to labour camps and mental hospitals and have even been tortured to death and that the CCP's goal is to force them to give up their belief.

Despite the light snow, the practitioners' protest was not affected. In order to bring this most horrible genocide to an end and to stop the CCP from spreading rumours to overseas countries, Ukrainian practitioners have protested at the Chinese Embassy everyday for the last one and half years. Bad weather has never stopped them. They displayed large banners in front of the embassy to reveal to the Ukrainian people the CCP persecution of Falun Gong and its crime of harvesting organs from living practitioners for profit.

In the Ukraine, the CCP has often spread rumours against Falun Gong through its embassy. At a press conference (possibly staged by the CCP ) held in Kiev at the end of November, a certain organization tried to misguide Ukrainians into hating Falun Gong. Unexpectedly, some conference attendees already knew the true situation with regard to Falun Gong. A philosophy professor, Anatoli Kolodniy, said at the conference, "Three years ago, a delegation from China's Academy came to Kiev. They said they wanted to cooperate with us, but their premise was that we had to support the CCP in its fight against Falun Gong. Our answer to them was, 'Our opinion of Falun Gong is different from yours and we do not have any common ground on this issue. There is international standard on this issue of human rights and beliefs, and you should abide by it as well.'"

No matter how the CCP has tried to spread rumours in the Ukraine, it is hard for them to deceive clear-minded people. The persecution has lasted for eight years, and all the negative information about Falun Gong has come out of CCP-controlled media. In today's world, Falun Dafa is welcomed in over 80 countries. In this year's report of 100 living geniuses, published by the UK consultation company Creator Synectics, the founder of Falun Gong is at the top of the Chinese contingent. Mr. Li has been recognized throughout the world, and many governments, parliament members, and organizations from different countries have awarded Falun Gong and its founder over 2000 citations and acknowledgments.

Regardless of nationality, race, or age, as long as you cultivate steadily and with a heart full of goodness, you will benefit. Falun Gong is being understood and treasured by more and more people worldwide.