(Clearwisdom.net) From March 14 to April 22, the United Nations Human Rights Commission held its 61st annual meeting in Geneva. Representatives from many countries and human rights organizations came to the city. Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world also came to Geneva to clarify the truth.
Ever since the Chinese Communist Party and Jiang's regime started the persecution of Falun Gong, the practitioners have come to Geneva every year during the United Nations Human Rights Commission meetings. Their untiring efforts have won the support from kind and righteous people. American Congressman Chris Smith is one such person.
  From Left: He Zhili, Chen Shizong, Congressman Chris Smith, Chen Ying. |
Early in September 1999, Congressman Smith sponsored a bill to criticize the Chinese Communist's persecution of Falun Gong, and he has been paying attention to the persecution ever since. Mr. Smith is also one of the Congressmen who sponsored the resolution denouncing the Chinese Communist Party's human rights violations, and has been actively supporting the proposal in Geneva. Last year, during a press conference, he had words with China's Ambassador to the United Nations. In the end, the Chinese ambassador left the press conference early. This year, Mr. Smith proposed to speak out against China's human rights situation again. Before the Geneva Human Rights Commission, China released one well-known human rights activist, so the United States decided to drop the resolution. After this, Mr. Smith held a press conference and expressed his regret for this decision.
Even without the resolution, Congressman Smith still came to Geneva to promote awareness of China's human rights violations. He met with United Nations Commissioners, and representatives from different countries. He held press conferences and called for more awareness of China's violation of human rights. During the busy activities, he scheduled two meetings with Falun Gong representatives and listened to their testimony.
During the conversation, Congressman Smith took detailed notes. When he saw the photo of Ms. Gao Rongrong's face, which was severely damaged by hours of electric shocks, he expressed anger and said that only demons could think of such methods to torture human beings.
Falun Gong is being persecuted in China, but the persecutors try all means to cover up the truth in order to avoid denunciation from the international community. Chinese Falun Gong practitioners take great risks collecting evidence, breaking through the information blockade, and sending the information abroad. The Falun Gong practitioners outside of China sort the information to provide systematic evidence of the persecution. Mr. Smith had already received a copy of the materials, but asked for another copy and said, "I need one more copy. Your evidence collection and organization were great."
Congressman Smith asked about the number of practitioners persecuted to death. When he was told it had topped 1,600, he opened his eyes wide and said, "So many!" He turned to his assistant and said, "Do you hear him? There have been over 1,600 Falun Gong practitioners persecuted to death already." Later, one of his assistants asked that the practitioners provide the death cases to him and to Congress.
Mr. Smith said that he had met the new United Nations Human Rights Commissioner and mentioned to her about Falun Gong being persecuted, saying that the persecution of Falun Gong is more severe than for other groups.
After the meeting, the practitioners thanked Congressman Smith for his efforts to improve China's human rights situation, and said that Falun Gong practitioners will always remember that he was the first one to promote the bill denouncing the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Smith said he didn't agree with some who say that China's human rights are improving. Falun Gong practitioner Chen Shizong agreed. He said, "Years ago, the Nazis jailed six million Jews in the concentration camps. If they released one Jew, ten Jews or even one hundred Jews, could you say this was a human rights improvement?" Another practitioner said, "China's Communist Party can avoid denunciation 10 times, 20 times or maybe 30 times, but we will eventually prevail." Congressman Smith said, "Yes, yes, I will not stop."
Through the hard work of Falun Gong practitioners, more and more people have learned the truth and joined supporters like Congressman Chris Smith to speak out against the persecution. Those who suppress the kind and honest and those who violate human rights will be brought to trial in the end.
