(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held an informational event on July 19, 2019, at Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava to mark the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Similar events took place all over the world to commemorate the peaceful resistance of practitioners to the persecution that was launched 20 years ago on July 20, 1999, by former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin who felt his power was threatened by Falun Gong's popularity.

Practitioners conducted a silent commemorative meditation with photos of the victims who have died as a result of the persecution. On each victim’s portrait there was written the practitioner's name and the cause of death.

Many tourists stopped to read the stories of the victims or listen to the practitioners tell the story behind the persecution.

Many Chinese tourists at the square watched the event and were surprised that Falun Gong was freely practiced abroad. A man from China, who is now living in the Czech Republic, signed a petition to help stop the persecution in China.

A group of young tourists from the UK decided to sign the petition and also took a group photo with the sign that read “I support Falun Gong.”

Several passersby said they could feel the power of the exercises and a group of German tourists learned the exercises. They also signed the petition against the persecution.