Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On May 3, 2006, the Mayor of Ottawa presented the City of Ottawa Civic Appreciation Awards to recipients in City Hall. Falun Gong practitioner  Kathleen Gillis received a Distinguished Civic Award in the Arts and Culture category.

Kathleen Gillis (third from left) and other award recipients with Mayor of Ottawa (first from right).

As a western artist and art teacher, Ms. Gillis has been depicting the true story of Falun Gong through her artwork over the past few years. Many pieces of her artwork have been collected in the "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" art exhibition, including oil painting of two children reading Zhuan Falun, "Uncompromising Spirit" "The Heavens Speak" and "The People's Tribunal."

Oil Painting of two children reading Zhuan Falun

"Uncompromising Spirit"

"The Heavens Speak"

"The People's Tribunal"

Kathleen told the reporter that she had changed in almost every way after she began cultivation, from very mundane everyday things to her understanding of reality. When the persecution of Falun Gong began she realized how fortunate she was because she could help to make what was happening more visible through art.

Kathleen said, "The arts are integral to who we are as practitioners. As artists, musicians, and performers we are part of a completely new cultural expression. We are only beginning to understand how we can best contribute. I never quite know what will happen next in my work but I am learning to trust the process. The paintings and sculptures that we are creating now are a record of some of the things that have happened to Falun Gong practitioners, as well as what the practitioners have been doing to clarify the truth. They also include some of our visionary experiences."

While the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes Falun Gong practitioners and slanders Falun Gong in China, practitioners enjoy the freedom of cultivation in Canada and win honors every year. Regarding the sharp contrast, Kathleen said, "To have our contributions recognized by the City of Ottawa is particularly significant to Falun Gong practitioners. Whereas in China, under the Chinese Communist Party, we have been exploited, demonized and treated as non-humans, here we are known as friends, neighbors and good citizens. This says a lot about the nature of our community."

When talking about the "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" art exhibition, Ms. Gillis said, "I think in the future, when people see more of our works they will be able to see how we, the artists, have changed. We started out as people from several continents working independently and in a variety of ways. We were street artists, traditional Chinese painters, contemporary artists, sculptors, printmakers, a diverse group with only one thing in common-Falun Dafa. It is a miracle that in such a short period of time we, and the Falun Gong community could put together such an exhibition."

In conclusion, Ms. Gillis said, "When people go to see the Truth Compassion Forbearance exhibition they quickly realize that it is not created for artists or made to fit some art theory. It is created for humankind as a pathway into a deeper, heart-felt understanding."

On Mother's Day--May 14, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners collected signatures at Causeway Bay--the busiest area in Hong Kong, urging the CCP to unconditionally release the mothers in Mainland China, who were arrested because of practicing Falun Gong. Many Hong Kong celebrities, including Situ Hua and Zeng Jiancheng, came to the event.

Situ Hua, president of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic and Democratic Movement in China, calls for support.

Citizens sign to support Falun Gong practitioners and urge the CCP to release persecuted mothers.

The CCP's Persecution of Mothers Who Practice Falun Gong

In Mainland China, many mothers are jailed in prisons or labor camps, just because they practice Falun Gong. What they are facing are brainwashing, torture, rape, and other atrocities, including harvesting organs. Mothers don't have the right to talk to their families. Today, we cannot even call them and say "Happy Mother's Day." Several mothers from Hong Kong, who are also Falun Gong practitioners, Xiao Wenhong, Liang Zhen, Kuang Senqia, came to the activity, calling for support. They also told citizens the mothers' stories of cultivation and being persecuted by the CCP. Many citizens signed their names.

Liang Zhen, a Falun Gong practitioner, said that her mother has been in prison for almost one year. She is not allowed to talk to her mother. On the morning of Mother's Day, she called Nanmusi Women's Labor Camp in Zizhong, Sichuan province again, where her mother is jailed, hoping that she could greet her mother on Mother's Day. The labor camp police said that since Liang Zhen practices Falun Gong she cannot talk to her. This is the illegal rule that the CCP made for all the prisons and labor camps.

Liang Zhen played the recording of the conversation between her and the labor camp guard.

Liang: "Today is Mother's Day. All the mothers in the world receive the greeting from their children. I hope that you can allow me to talk to my mother. You can listen to our conversation."

Labor camp guard: "You practice Falun Gong, so we cannot allow you to talk to your mother."

Liang: "Why?"

Labor camp guard: "This is the policy for all the prisons and labor camps that jail Falun Gong practitioners. You have a brother, who also practices Falun Gong, and you cannot go to visit him either. As to your mother, if she renounces the practice then she can go to visit your brother, otherwise, she cannot either."

Many Celebrities, Including Mr. Szeto Wah Came to Support.

On the same day, the democratic movement organizations from Hong Kong held an activity, calling for support of the "Tiananmen Mothers." Many politicians, including member of Legislative Council Mr. Cheung Chiu-hung, and member of east district Mr. Tsang Kin Sing, also came to sign their names to support Falun Gong practitioners and urge the CCP to release Falun Gong practitioner mothers.

Mr. Szeto Wah, president of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic and Democratic Movement in China, and member of the east district Mr. Tsang Kin Sing came to Falun Gong practitioners' activity, calling for support. Mr. Szeto Wah said: "Falun Gong practitioner mothers and children are being jailed and persecuted in prisons. We should support them and help to rescue them." He asked citizens to sign their names to support Falun Gong practitioners.

Citizens Learned the Truth about Persecution and Signed Names to Support Falun Gong Practitioners

Many citizens learned the truth about the persecution and signed to support Falun Gong practitioners. Causeway Bay is a shopping area that tourists from Mainland China often visit. There were a lot of tourists from Mainland China that day. They listened to practitioners and accepted materials. Some of them learned the truth and wanted to sign their names too. Although they had a little fear of being targeted for persecution by the CCP, they signed their names finally for the sake of justice.

Practitioners collected many signatures. Six pages of forms were filled. It seems that many citizens were waiting for a chance to sign. As soon as practitioners got out the signature forms, they came to ask what was going on. Many citizens signed their names without hesitating.

A girl cried after she learned about the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong mothers in prisons, and the CCP's harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners. Her friend said: "The CCP dares to do any evil things."

List of Falun Gong mothers, that Falun Gong practitioners from Hong Kong asked the CCP to release:

Zhang Lihong is a mother of two children. She is the wife of Kuang Senqia, a citizen from Hong Kong. She was illegally sentenced to three years of forced labor and is jailed in Sanshui Women's Labor Camp in Guangdong.

Yuan Yuju is 64 years old. She is the mother of Liang Zhen, a citizen from Hong Kong. She was illegally sentenced to one year in a labor camp and is jailed in Nanmusi Women's Labor Camp in Ziyang, Sichuan.

Yue Changzhi is 69 years old. She is the mother of Xiao Wenhua, a citizen from Hong Kong. She was illegally sentenced to four years and is jailed in Beijing Women's Prison.

Liang Hua is the sister of Liang Yan, a citizen from Hong Kong. She was sentenced to 12 years. She is jailed in Chuanxi Women's Prison in Chengdu, Sichuan.

Hua Guoxiang is the cousin of Dong Ming, a citizen from Hong Kong. She was sentenced to two years in a labor camp. She is jailed in Moganshan Women's Labor Camp in Deqing, Zhejiang.

French people come to find out more information

Signing the petition supporting Falun Gong and protesting the CCP's atrocities

On May 6 and 7, 2006, French Falun Gong practitioners disclosed the crimes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to passers-by by using a loud speaker, exhibition boards with pictures, collecting petition signatures and distributing leaflets at the underground Station of Odeon in the 6th Borough of Paris and on Human Rights Plaza of the Iron Tower in Paris.

Many French people strongly condemned the crimes of the CCP, calling on all kind people the world over to work together to end the killings. Many French people signed the petition to be sent to the President of France, urging the Government to make an urgent effort to rescue Falun Gong practitioners who are now suffering from the persecution in the CCP labour camps, prisons and concentration camps and calling for the Chinese regime to open all their labour camps to international investigation.

Signing the petition supporting Falun Gong and protesting the CCP's atrocities

French people come to find out more information

French people felt indignant after hearing about the evil doings happening right now in the labour camps and concentration camps in China and on seeing the torture picture exhibition boards. French people from all walks of life expressed their voices of justice in different ways, such as signing the petition and taking the petition forms and leaflets to their friends. A famous writer in France who specialises in writing about the problems of China also said that he would contact Falun Gong practitioners after signing the petition. Bruno Villecourt, a French councillor, left his business card hoping Falun Gong practitioners would send it to the President, together with the petition he signed.

On seeing the pictures, a lady expressed that it was too cruel for her to accept. She said: "I really don't understand why the Chinese Government persecutes these practitioners. They just believe in Buddha without doing anything wrong. I can't accept the fact that good people are being persecuted."

A gentleman said "It was a few months ago that I heard about Falun Gong ... To begin with, it is a very good practice but the regime of China has started the persecution and destroyed everything. Facing the persecution, the President of France keeps silent about it instead. You should continue telling the truth to the President and media in order to mobilise more people to end the crimes of removing organs from these innocent people!"

After looking at the exhibition boards with pictures disclosing the CCP persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in labour camps and concentration camps, a French man felt that the persecution happening now in China is so terrifying that he kept saying: "It is too frightening for me to go to China." He said: "This July, I am going to China to marry my fiancée, you know. Now I am afraid of going to China. Why has such a thing happened!"

An artist was standing for a long time in front of the exhibition boards and enquired about the truth from Falun Gong practitioners. He said: "This persecution has shocked us but I don't feel that it is odd that it is happening in China. I think that Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured just because of their faith. As communism is an autarchy, it doesn't allow other people to have different thoughts, the dictatorship thinks itself to be God; whatever anybody does, he or she should do according to its will. People in countries under the control of the Communist Party are not allowed to have their own thinking. People have no freedom of speech and there is no intercommunion between them."

He continued: "As to the action of removing organs from live people for sale, we should let the international communities of the U.S.A, Europe, Asia and Africa intervene and investigate it. Of course, such an investigation is very difficult because China is very strict with its inspection and control. Although I have never been to China, when I was young I knew from reports in the media that China is a country without freedom. Freedom is just what people would cherish and are yearning for. Freedom of speech can be prohibited but people's thoughts can never be controlled even if their bodies are being killed and burned. Their spirit will go on perpetuating!"

Judie is a student. She said: "We have no patience with the fact that a Government is persecuting its own people in such a way as removing organs from them. We should take actions to stop such a thing happening."

After signing the petition, Mr. Dechanbre said: "I am shocked at such a thing. I am not quite sure what is happening right now in China. I think what you are doing here today is so necessary that people should know the truth."

An Austrian student who studies in France signed the petition protesting against the CCP atrocities. He said: "It is so horrible that such a thing is happening in China. We must protest against it and do something to end such a terrifying thing."

Councillor Bruno Villecourt asks to send his petition and business card to the French President

Falun Gong practitioners gathered at the Dam Square in Amsterdam. Along with the Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Netherlands and the volunteers of the Epoch Time, they expressed support for the 10 million brave people who withdrew from the CCP, and exposed to tourists from all parts of the world and local people the CCP's crime of removing Falun Gong practitioners' organs at labor camps.

Gathering site on Dam Square

The exhibition on the square had banners in Chinese, English, and Dutch to express support of 10 million people withdrawing from the CCP and protesting the CCP's live organ removal from Falun Gong practitioners. In the meantime, photos exposing the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners were exhibited, and they attracted a lot of people to watch. The volunteers and Falun Gong practitioners distributed the pamphlets in Chinese, English, and Dutch. A lot of people were shocked and condemned the CCP's savage act of taking organs from living people.

A Canadian tourist said he experienced the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing in person and still remembered the photo of a young man blocking the tank deeply. He said he understood clearly about the evil nature of the CCP. However he was still shocked by the CCP's crime of removing organs from living people. He hoped more people would pay close attention to this issue.

A middle-aged woman in Netherlands visited the "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" Art Exhibition at Amsterdam City Hall last year. At that time she already had the view that the CCP's cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners was beyond anyone's imagination. After understanding the large-scale crime of taking organs from live Falun Gong practitioners at labor camps, she covered her chest with her hands and said, "My heart is all broken. This kind of savage act must be stopped at once."

A volunteer at the Service Center for Quitting CCP explained, "In western countries, if one wants to have an organ transplant, one must wait for a compatible organ, which usually takes two years. However, in China, it only takes one week. This proves that there are a large number of living people available as a source of organs. Is this normal? In China at present, many hospitals are working overtime to carry out organ transplant operations. That is to say, a lot of people are being murdered. These people are mostly Falun Gong practitioners."

 A young girl listened to this in tears. She said she must go to the website to sign her name and express support and help stop this persecution.