Human Rights Torch Arrives in Japan--Persecution of Human Rights by CCP Condemned

The Human Rights Torch Relay initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) arrived in Tokyo, Japan on June 18, 2008, after a two-week relay in Taiwan. Participants expressed deep concern about human rights issues and condemned the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong.

The torch relay consisted of two main events. The first event was the torch relay ceremony, which consisted the relay and the ceremony for handing over the torch from Tokyo to Nagano. The second event consisted of an outdoor concert and a candlelight vigil.

The torch relay ceremony was held at 12:30 p.m. in Yoyogi Park. Before the torch was lit, various guests spoke.

Former parliament member Nakatsugawa, a long time supporter of Falun Gong, strongly condemned the CCP's trampling of human rights. He said, "Everyone knows about the CCP's persecution of Tibetans, Christians and other groups. But the most horrible among all the suppressions is the persecution of Falun Gong. In modern society, CCP doctors are conducting live organ removals!" He said, "The CCP is not qualified to host the Olympics while continuing the persecution of Falun Gong."

Tokyto, a council member from Ota-Ku, said when he heard of the persecution of Falun Gong, it had not yet been widely reported in Japan. He researched on the Internet and learned about the CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong, and he felt obligated to speak out. He specifically emphasized that Chinese people were not bad, but were deceived by the CCP. He said that China's hosting of the Olympics would not change the CCP, and that change would be possible only by exposing and condemning the CCP's trampling of human rights, and by righteous people speaking out. The Human Rights Torch Relay is therefore a very meaningful event.

The director of Japan's Taiwan Research Association said he felt fortunate to participate in the event. He called on everyone to be courageous and take action by speaking out and relaying the human rights torch. He also called on those who could not participate in the event to go to Nagano to support the torch relay there. He said that he saw the behaviour of Chinese students when the Olympic torch relay was held in Nagano, but the students weren't aware of the biggest human rights persecution of their time, the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. He called on everyone to spread the facts to those who didn't know the truth.

After the rally, the relay was held. More than three hundred people, including the rally participants and members of several human rights groups from Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Falun Gong, and Darfur participated in the run. They displayed the motto, "The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot co-exist in China."

The torch relay proceeded along the busy streets of Tokyo and caught the attention of many people. After returning to the rally venue, a rally was held before the handover ceremony. Many Chinese from Japan gave speeches.

Engineer Xia Yifan, who has followed the Chinese democracy movement for a long time, said, "In China, infringement of human rights due to political purposes is widespread. The human rights persecution of any one of us can threaten all of us. Thus, I call on all Chinese people to take action, rather than only watching this personal human rights issue. Take action by realizing that the CCP won't improve, don't support the CCP's violence, don't yield to power and threats, or to money, and protest using various means. We must be clear that without human rights we don't have freedom."

The second torch relay event was a concert, which attracted many young people and allowed them to understand China's human rights situation. During the candlelight vigil that followed, the participants first paid silent tribute to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and the eighty million Chinese people tortured to death by the CCP since it took power.

From Tokyo, the Human Rights Torch Relay will travel to Nagano, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Fukuoka.

United Kingdom: Practitioners March in London to Expose the CCP's Lies and Deceit

On the afternoon of June 21, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in England held a truth-clarification activity in central London, strongly protesting the attacks on Falun Gong practitioners and volunteers at the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP in Flushing, New York. They made public the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s lies and deceptions and called on overseas Chinese to quickly learn the truth and quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

Since May 17, the CCP has been inciting overseas spy organizations and mobs to attack Falun Gong practitioners and volunteers at the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP in Flushing, New York. At the same time, the CCP-controlled overseas Chinese media has been spreading lies and distorting the facts to falsely accuse Falun Gong and incite hatred of Falun Gong. The violent attacks have already captured the attention of American police and related government departments. The CCP's lies and slander have also spread to other countries, including England, misleading some overseas Chinese people.

To give more people an opportunity to understand the truth of Falun Gong and to enable Chinese people in London to avoid becoming victims of the CCP's deceptions, practitioners in England held truth-clarification banners and posters and marched through the streets of central London and Chinatown. They started across from the Chinese Embassy in London, calmly walked along the sidewalk, marched through the busy London commercial centre Oxford street, and passed by crowded Piccadilly and Leicester Square and Chinatown. They marched down Chinatown's main street and its surrounding streets three times. The march concluded at St. Martin's public arena. The march was followed by truth-clarification, distribution of flyers, and the collection of signatures opposing the persecution.

Practitioners used eye-catching banners and posters in both Chinese and English, proclaiming "Falun Dafa is good," "Falun Dafa Truth-Compassion-Tolerance," "Strongly protest the CCP inciting hatred of and attacks on Falun Gong in New York," "Stop the CCP from using overseas accomplices to attack Falun Gong," and "The CCP concealed earthquake predictions--Ten thousand young students died in the earthquake as a result," "China's 5000 years of divine culture--The CCP's 50 years of despotic rule. Loving the country is not the same as loving the CCP. The CCP is not China," "CCP = Violence + Lies," "CCP = 80 million people dead," "38 Million people have quit the CCP," "Heaven destroys the CCP. Heaven protects China," "Heaven is eliminating the CCP, withdraw from it for a safe future," "Calling on overseas Chinese to understand the truth and quit the CCP."

The parade of practitioners on Saturday in London drew the attention of many pedestrians, and many people accepted flyers. Some watched the parade from across the road, and several took out their cameras to photograph the march. In Chinatown, the march drew the attention of tourists on the street as well as those inside the shops. When they saw the truth-clarification messages, many Chinese people looked surprised. People read the posters and banners carefully and began to understand the CCP's crimes and its extension of violence and lies overseas.

Ms. Chen, a volunteer at the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP in London, held a poster reading "Heaven destroys the CCP. Heaven protects China." She said, "The reason I hold this poster board up high is because I want more people to see it clearly. When I hand out flyers in Chinatown I often encounter people deeply poisoned by the CCP's lies. Because they confuse the CCP with China, if you tell the person that the CCP is bad, the person things you are saying that China is bad. The eight Chinese characters on this poster enable people to see the truth clearly at a glance. They will differentiate China from the CCP. Only after the CCP is eliminated can there be a China with a good future. Today we have brought out all these truth-clarification messages and marched around Chinatown a few times. Many people are touched and have accepted the truth-clarification materials. The effect of such an event is truly good and can help people recognize the false nature of the CCP. I think that we should have activities like this often."

Ms. Liu brought her grandson to participate in the march. She often explains the facts in Chinatown, and is a volunteer at the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP. When handing out truth-clarification materials in Chinatown, she has encountered some Chinese people who were misled by the CCP's propaganda. They insulted her and even threatened to beat her up. She believes that the Flushing incident was a last-ditch struggle of the CCP. Asked about the march, she said, "You can see from the expressions of the Chinese people. They admire the righteousness of Falun Gong. Their eyes are full of sympathy and support."

On the streets of London, Mr. Hou, a volunteer at the Cambridge Service Centre for Quitting the CCP, carried a poster board that was worded, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. He said, "I want to support the Flushing Service Centre for Quitting the CCP. The CCP tries to stir up hatred everywhere. Since November 2004 when the Nine Commentaries was published, more than 38 million people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. This movement is awakening the spirits of the Chinese people. I feel it is very good."

Talking of the significance of the truth-clarification activities, Mr. Zhu, a volunteer from the England Service Centre for Quitting the CCP, said, "We are calling on Chinese people to quit the CCP, because it is very important for them. Quitting the CCP signifies the awakening of Chinese people's spirits. It means that they clearly recognize the evil nature of the CCP and that they have made the right decision. The CCP has held power for over 50 years. It has initiated inhuman political movements again and again, which led to the unnatural deaths of 80 million innocent Chinese. Even today there are some people who are still unaware of the evil nature of the CCP." Mr. Zhu, who personally experienced the Flushing violence in America, continued, "I must stand up to protest the CCP's inciting of hatred and attacks against Falun Gong practitioners and support the Flushing Service Centre for Quitting the CCP. The Flushing incident was masterminded by the CCP. Those mobs did not know what they were doing. The CCP has deceived the Chinese people for many years. Some people still believe the CCP's fabrications and lies. For personal interest they attack kind and peaceful Falun Gong practitioners. I really feel they are very pitiable. We must put more effort into truth-clarification to have more Chinese people know the facts."

A woman practitioner of Iranian descent named Aruisong told the reporter, "It seems as if everyone here is waiting for this moment. The CCP has been instilling terror into the hearts of Chinese people. But everyone wants freedom from within. They have discovered that Falun Gong practitioners have said the words they do not dare to say."

English practitioner Robert, who began practicing Falun Gong only a few months ago, participated in the march. Asked about his feelings, he said, "It was the first time I have marched in Chinatown with Falun Gong practitioners. I am very proud. I think it is very important for us to spread the information calling for an end to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. At the beginning of the march, I carried a banner worded 'Falun Dafa Is Good' at the front of the procession. I saw that many people stopped and showed interest. I am very happy that I did not see any negative responses from Chinese people. Of course, a small number of people did not accept flyers."

English practitioner Zek, who distributed truth-clarification flyers to the spectators, said that he thought the event was very good. He said that, compared to before, more people were praising Falun Gong practitioners with thumbs up, and the Chinese people appeared to be very friendly and even smiling. "I told Chinese people, 'If you are really concerned about China and Chinese people, then you should quit the CCP because the CCP is from the west.' A lot of Chinese people responded by saying that they knew." His wife, Misha, also handed out truth-clarification materials to people on the street. Last month Misha had an unhappy experience in Flushing. When handing out copies of The Epoch Times newspaper, she was assaulted by a rude person. "They were terrible, just like thugs. It occurred in America, a democratic country." This experience made Misha understand the importance of exposing the CCP's lies on a large scale, "It is important that people see the messages on our truth-clarification boards."

Actually, the Flushing incident allowed people to understand the violent and deceitful nature of the CCP. In St. Martin's public arena, many people took the initiative to sign their names on the petition opposing the persecution. Mr. Noer from Ireland was one of them. When a practitioner told him about the Flushing incident, he was astonished. He thought that America, as a model of democracy all over the world, shouldn't tolerate such violence. Mr. Noer worked in Amnesty International's Hong Kong department and went to China several times. He said that the CCP is actually nothing to be afraid of because its rule is based on lies. "Just like a castle built on sand, it is in imminent danger."

When the event came to a close, an older overseas Chinese who had been paying close attention to and supporting the practitioners' truth-clarification efforts said, "You should hold this sort of activity every day. It is very good!"

Germany: Falun Gong "Information Day" in Freiburg to Raise Awareness about the Persecution

Falun Gong practitioners from Germany and Switzerland held a Falun Gong "Information Day" in Freiburg to disclose the Chinese Communists' brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and demand the immediate cessation of the persecution.

It was Saturday, and the weather was fine in Freiburg, so there were many people out shopping and drinking coffee. The information booth was set up on Emperor Joseph Street in the city center near the cathedral. Posters were displayed on the sidewalk so that people could see them easily as they passed by. A variety of leaflets and other handouts were spread over the exhibition table so that people could select them easily.

The information day activity started at 9 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. Many pedestrians who passed the exhibition stopped and stood before the display. They read the evidence of the CCP's crimes of cruelly persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and were very surprised. Some requested further information, and others came to the booth to sign in support of bringing the persecution to an end. Although some pedestrians did not see the leaflets, once they heard about the situation, they immediately asked for information. Some asked for several copies to bring home to their families and friends to let them know that such horrendous crimes are still occurring in the world today.

At a taxi station at the other end of the street, there was a long queue for information. On the benches along both sides of Emperor Joseph Street, people sat, reading practitioners' leaflets. Even in the open area outside the coffee shops, people were reading truth clarification materials.

Recently, the German people have expressed particular concern about China's human rights issues. At the exhibition table, many were actively discussing these issues, such as how the CCP had acted was so different from its decades of propaganda, and so on.

Holland: Clarifying the Truth to the People of Groningen

On Saturday, May 11, 2008, while the sun was shining brightly, Holland Falun Gong practitioners held an activity protesting against the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The city of Groningen, where the activity was held, is the capital of the north-eastern province of Groningen. To the east of the province is Germany, to the south is the province of Drenthe, to the West is the province of Friesland, and to the north is the Sea of Wadden.

Groningen is a city that many tourists visit, especially from Germany. The protest activity against the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong was welcomed by Groningen people and tourists. Leaflets and newspapers about Falun Gong and the CCP's nine-year persecution of Falun Gong were handed out to the people. After hearing the facts about the persecution, some Chinese people quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. Many people signed a petition for the "Anti-Persecution Millions of Signatures Campaign," which was started by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) and aimed at stopping the persecution of Falun Gong.

Member of Polish Parliament Strongly Urges Foreign Ministry to Investigate Harassment of Falun Gong Practitioner in Warsaw

The attacks launched by pro-Chinese Communist Party individuals upon Zhang Xi, a Falun Gong practitioner, when she was distributing the Epoch Times newspaper in the suburbs of Warsaw, have evoked a strong response from government officials in Poland. At noon on June 12, 2008, Mr. Andrzej Czuma, a senior MP of PO, the ruling Polish party, held a press conference on the incident in his office in the Polish Parliament. The press conference was also supported by Mr. Pawel Poncyliusz, MP of PIS and the former First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Poland. PO and PIS are the two biggest political parties in Poland.

Mr. Andrzej Czuma solemnly pointed out that Falun Gong should enjoy freedom in Poland because Poland is a country where human rights and civil rights are respected. He said, "We demand that extensive investigations into the incidents of harassment be conducted and those offending persons be held responsible. It seems that the Chinese Communist Party is likely launching the attacks upon the overseas Chinese Falun Gong practitioners around the world. We have the means to deal with the assailants if they should be found out, through the investigations, to have worked through the diplomatic channels of the Chinese Communist Party."

Mr. Pawel Poncyliusz, MP of PIS and the former First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Poland, was not able to attend the Press Conference, but he and Mr. Andrzej Czuma made a joint appeal, formally urging the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the incident and make an overall investigation into the background of the incident. Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka, the Polish MP of the European Parliament, sent a telegraphic message to Warsaw from Brussels in support of the appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also wrote a letter to the CCP's Ambassador to the European Union, strongly condemning the CCP's attacks upon the Falun Gong practitioners in both the USA and Poland, and demanding that the CCP stop its persecution of Falun Gong. She appealed to the European Union for an investigation to bring the assailants to justice.

At present, the Polish police have placed the incident on file for investigation.