GENEVA - Tuesday evening, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and supporters will gather in cities around the world to pay tribute to the lives of those beaten or tortured to death by the Chinese government. In silent appeals, illuminated by candlelight, world citizens will ask the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to take action to prevent further killings. At least 189 people have been killed by torture and police brutality during the Chinese regime's illegal crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners. Most of these deaths have occurred in the past five months, while 12 deaths have been reported during the first four weeks of the Commission's current session in Geneva.The U.N. Commission on Human Rights is scheduled to convene on Wednesday to vote on whether to debate China's human rights violations.

Candlelight vigils are scheduled in major cities worldwide, including Geneva, Paris, Copenhagen, Brussels, Gothenburg, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Hong Kong, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Honolulu, and Washington, DC.

Date: Tuesday evening, 17-April
Time & Location: To be announced locally, in many major cities (call for details)
For Event Details: Geneva, Mariane Granger, (41) 79-225-4165
France, Hanlong Tang, (31) 603-294144
Germany, Jing Wang, (49) 6221-88-9897
Belgium, Shiyu Hong, (322)-7340-308
Denmark, Lingnan Wu, (45) 39-652788
Sweden, Lei Wang, (46) 709-646152
Hong Kong, Hui Yeehan (852) 9879-9879
Eastern United States, Adam Montanaro (1) 917-405-4507
Midwestern United States, Peng Su (1) 847-858-3084
Western United States, Alicia Zhao, (1) 650-544-3789
Canada, Joel Chipkar, (1) 416-709-8678
For all other areas, please contact the Geneva number, above.
Background
  • The United States has advanced a resolution to censure China for its widespread and systemic abuses. China, as it has done at past commissions, is trying to block discussion of its human rights violations by issuing its own motion for "no action." On 18 April, the commission is scheduled to vote either to uphold or defeat China's motion.
  • Falun Gong is a meditation practice for mind and body. It consists of five slow qigong exercises and teaches the practice of "truthfulness-compassion-tolerance" in everyday life.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - http://www.faluninfo.net or faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, or Adam Montanaro, (1) 917-405-4507.

Category: Falun Dafa in the Media