News and Events from around the World -- October 29, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content

  • Finland: Clarifying the Truth During the European Union Meeting

  • French Human Rights Group Urges President Chirac to Pressure the CCP to End the Persecution

  • Switzerland: A Voice for Justice in Zurich



  • Finland: Clarifying the Truth During the European Union Meeting

    On October 20, leaders of 25 member countries of the European Union held an informal meeting in Lahti. In the evening, Russian president Putin joined the other leaders. Taking this opportunity, some Helsinki practitioners came to the city to expose the persecution of Falun Gong and the CCP's atrocities of organ harvesting to the general public. They also appealed to the European leaders to condemn the persecution and take actions to stop the organ harvesting atrocities.


    Appeal at the city center


    Appeal to the public to take actions to end the persecution


    Young girls signed a petition to support Falun Gong


    A reporter interviews a practitioner

    In the morning, the practitioners went to the city center, outdoor markets and streets. They distributed fliers exposing the CCP's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and collected signatures. They also held signs supporting Chinese people who have withdrawn from the CCP.

    Many passersby accepted the fliers, from which they learned about the CCP's organ harvesting atrocities and brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Some also chatted with the practitioners to learn more details. A store owner told the practitioners: "What you are doing is very good, thank you very much!"

    A local radio station interviewed the practitioners. When the reporter asked a practitioner what message the practitioners bring to Lahti citizens, the practitioner said: "Severe persecution is happening in China, and the CCP is harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and destroying evidence by cremating the remains. The world should demand an independent investigation of these atrocities, and we need your help."


    French Human Rights Group Urges President Chirac to Pressure the CCP to End the Persecution

    Ms. Marie-Francoise Lamperti, president of the French human rights organization Agir pour les Droits de l'Homme, recently met with Laurent Billi, the Foreign Affairs Advisor for President Chirac. During the meeting, Ms. Lamperti emphasized the severe persecution of Falun Gong and asked the council to pass a letter from the French Falun Dafa Association to the President. In the letter, the association urged Chirac to have an open dialogue with the Chinese Communist government on human rights and urge it to end the persecution of Falun Gong.

    Ms. Marie-Francoise Lamperti and Mr. Tang Hanlong, president of the French Falun Dafa Association

    Ms. Lamperti also asked Mr. Billi to pass on a letter from David Kilgour and David Matas along with their investigation report on organ harvesting atrocities. In the letter, the two investigators urged President Chirac to pressure the Chinese regime to open all prisons and labor camps to international investigation. Ms. Lamperti also signed this letter.

    Ms. Lamperti said: "During our meeting, we talked about the fact that members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement are being detained, tortured, and killed for organs and the fact that there are concentration camps in China. We demand the Foreign Affairs Advisor to tell Chirac that all these allegations are real and we urge the President to pressure the Chinese government to accept international investigation. As a human rights organization, we expressed our concerns. We hope that French researchers will not become accomplices of the cruel organ trafficking."

    In reply, Mr. Billi said: "Any researcher who is participating in this cruel practice will be held responsible according to French laws."

    Before President Chirac's visit to China, Mr. Billi met with representatives from 16 human rights organizations to listen to their observations and requests on human rights in China.


    Switzerland: A Voice for Justice in Zurich

    Falun Gong group in Switzerland hold an "Information Day" on Paradeplatz in Zurich at least once a month, where they demonstrate the five sets of exercises to beautiful and peaceful music. Many passers-by are attracted and stop to enjoy the demonstration. Some people stop after seeing a banner with words in both Chinese and German: "The CCP is removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in concentration camps for huge profits." Eyes are drawn to photos of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted, with the caption, "All this is happening now in China." People also read other exhibition boards with additional information about Falun Gong and the persecution in China. They want to know the reason why such a persecution has happened. Some passers-by already know about the crimes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in persecuting their fellow Chinese, and they stop and inquire about how they can help end the persecution.


       

    Asking for a complete investigation into the crime of removing organs from living people

    A woman from Poland asked a Falun Gong practitioner to provide proof as to whether the removal of organs from live Falun Gong practitioners has indeed happened. He told her, "It is real. An independent group of investigators from Canada has validated the allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China, through investigating eighteen types of information. In their report, they described in detail what methods they used to carry out the investigation, together with their conclusion." After hearing this, the woman explained, "This organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners is even crueler than the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during those years [of Communist rule]." She then signed the petition immediately calling for the end of the brutal crime.

    "This should be made known to the whole world"

    One woman came to the information stall specifically to get information about organ harvesting during a break from work. She told practitioners, "I have already taken some information. I think that this (the persecution) should be made known to the whole world. This is inhuman. It is too difficult for me to understand and too hard for me to imagine that man has done such a thing."

    "I will sign the petition"

    Several young men stopped in front of pictures of Falun Gong practitioner being tortured. They were talking about the torture methods demonstrated in the picture. A practitioner told them, "The real torture method is far crueler than the one shown in the picture. Police in China tie up a Falun Gong practitioner's hands and feet together and then hang him or her in the air for a long time. They are trying to torture Falun Gong practitioners both mentally and physically."

    "What is Falun Gong? Why does the CCP persecute Falun Gong?" The two questions raised by the young men are the most common ones asked by passers-by. The practitioners explained that Falun Gong is a cultivation way that teaches people to become good according to the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. But the CCP doesn't allow people to try to improve or to have their own faith, and therefore, it persecutes good people. After learning the facts, these young men immediately said that they would sign the petition calling for the end of the persecution.

    "I hope my signing the petition will play a role"

    One woman not only signed the petition herself, expressing her support of Falun Gong practitioners, she asked her husband to sign it as well. She said, "I hope that my little help (signing the petition) will play a role. I have met Falun Gong practitioners in different places and have even seen the related reports on TV. The persecution should be ended now."

    "We must sign the petition against the CCP"

    A man and his wife were pushing their baby carriage while passing by the information stall. On seeing the banner, he immediately asked a practitioner if he could sign the petition. After that, he told the practitioner, "I know that the Chinese government suppresses many civilians. We think that we must sign the petition against the CCP. I feel it incredible that governments in the west have not put any pressure on the CCP government. They know very well that human rights in China are ignored. It is incredible. I think that the western communities should raise more condemnation and put pressure on the CCP." The practitioners gave him a copy of an editorial published by The Epoch Times newspaper, entitled the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in German, and told him, "The Nine Commentaries have disclosed the truth of the CCP systematically and impersonally. Since the publication of the Nine Commentaries, nearly 15,000,000 people have withdrawn from the CCP and its associated organizations. Many people have finally gotten to know the true nature of the CCP and acquired the courage to say 'No' to the CCP after reading the Nine Commentaries." As he left, the man wanted to tell the Chinese people, "It is high time the Chinese people stood up and strove for their own rights."

    Many passers-by went directly to sign the petition. Many asked practitioners how they could offer help. Some directly tried to donate money to practitioners. The practitioners declined the donations with thanks and said, "In order to let more people to know the truth, you can write letters to the media and the government so that they will pay attention to the persecution. These actions will help a lot in stopping the persecution." Many people took materials about the Friends of Falun Gong organization.

    Although the practitioners' truth-clarifying event is held on a regular basis, it is still the first time for many people to hear the facts about Falun Gong being persecuted in China. The activity day will continue being held, and still more people will learn the facts and together we will stop the persecution.