Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On July 23, 2005, when the 2005 Washington DC Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held, Falun Gong practitioners received many letters of support, including one from Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri. He stressed his firm support of Falun Gong practitioners' human rights.

Senator Christopher Bond

The following is the text of his letter.

Dear Falun Dafa Practitioners:

Please accept my sincerest wishes for a successful and spiritual conference experience as you gather in Washington, DC. Your commitments to those who face persecution for their faith in Falun Gong and your dedication to this practice of self-improvement do not go un-noticed. Your strong principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are evident in the people who you've touched world wide.

The preservation of basic human rights is an important issue that nations all over the world face. Despite Falun Gong's peaceful principles and teachings, violations of human rights have occurred in China against Falun Gong practitioners. Human rights is an important goal as recognized by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which sets forth certain basic rights such as the right to life, to liberty, and to the freedom of expression.

The United States Senate has ratified a series of international treaties such as International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (1976), and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987). The Senate's approval of these and other treaties highlights the progress made towards human rights. Leaders all over our nation and the world have come to your defense in the condemnation of the violations of basic human rights that many of your fellow practitioners have faced. The Falun Dafa community is raising the visibility of the issue of human rights and I commend you for doing so.

The three principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance lie at the core of Falun Gong. Those who practice Falun Gong do so to become better, healthier people through living by these principles and all should be allowed to practice these principles freely and without persecution.

Again, best of luck for a successful and spiritual gathering in the pursuit of becoming better, healthier people, through the guidance of your strong principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Sincerely

Christopher S. Bond

  On July 21, 2005, in front of the Capitol Hill, Washington DC, more than a thousand Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world held a grand rally to protest against the Chinese communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong over the past six years. Several American Congressmen and renowned human rights organization leaders came to attend the rally and condemn the Chinese Communist Party's persecution. Ms. Faith J.H. McDonnell, Director of Religious Liberty Programs of the Institute on Religion & Democracy condemned the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong at the rally.

Ms. Faith J.H. McDonnell

The follow is the text of Ms. McDonnell's speech.

Statement by Faith J. H. McDonnell
Director, Religious Liberty Programs
July 21, 2005

Stop Persecution in China!

Thank you for inviting me to sharing this important moment with you. I am honored to be here at the U.S. Capitol with so many courageous and good people. But I am full of sorrow that it is necessary for us to be here.

It is necessary for us to be here today because yesterday, July 20, as you all know, was the sixth anniversary of the banning of Falun Gong by Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin. Six years ago, Falun Gong joined Chinese Christians and freedom fighters, North Korean refugees, Tibetan dissidents, and others, in the ranks of those who are persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party.

The great Russian human rights hero Natan Sharansky has revealed to the world that it was when the policy of appeasement stopped, that the days of the Soviet Union were numbered. The Institute on Religion & Democracy urges the United States government to fully reject the policy of appeasement. Appeasement enables the murderous thugs of the Chinese Communist Party to continue to harass, arrest, imprison, persecute, torture, and kill the most peaceful and honorable citizens of China - those who believe in truth and freedom, those who follow Jesus Christ, and those who practice the principles of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance. Appeasement enables the Government of China to defy universal covenants on refugees and forcibly repatriate desperate North Korean refugees to almost certain death.

We also urge U.S. churches that have relationships with only state-sponsored churches in China to stop their contribution to appeasement. By stating that human rights and religious freedom are improving in China, they are shutting out the voices of the Falun Gong, the Chinese house church leaders, those who are fighting for democracy in China, and the North Koreans escapees.

We are grateful to the many heroes in the United States Congress who have fought against persecution in China. We urge our government to continue to work for human rights and religious freedom for China, always linking human rights with trade, with security, and with every other relationship we attempt to forge with the Government of China.

If we stop the appeasement, the days of Chinese Communist Party persecution will be numbered. The Institute on Religion & Democracy will continue to do everything in our power to call attention to the persecution and to condemn every sign of appeasement with those who persecute.

On July 20, Finnish Falun Gong practitioners started their peaceful protest at the Chinese Embassy, calling for an end to the six-year brutal persecution against people who live by the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance".

On July 20 six years ago, Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), launched a campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, vowing that the CCP would destroy Falun Gong in three months. So far, the number of practitioners who have lost their lives is over 2,600. These are only the deaths for which there is documented evidence, and the actual number is estimated to be several times larger.

Among the practitioners sitting at the Embassy, some were once detained in Mainland China's detention centers for appealing for Falun Gong practitioners' human rights. Afterwards, their families in China were threatened, molested and put under surveillance.

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises

In the face of violence and lies, Falun Gong practitioners have always followed the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance". After six years of efforts to peacefully resist the Chinese Communist Party's systematic campaign to destroy Falun Gong, practitioners have received sympathy and respect all over the world. Practitioners have dismissed lies with truth, awakened people's conscience with compassion and melted wickedness with tolerance. History will remember each and every one of the heroic deeds of practitioners and the CCP's crimes against humanity. Both good and evil will receive its retribution and the wicked people will certainly be punished sooner or later.

Almost everybody accepted the leaflets that practitioners handed out. A passer by asked what we were doing and looked confused. After a practitioner's explanation, he pressed his hands together and bowed to show his respect to our noble effort.

Handing a leaflet to a young Finnish girl, a practitioner asked her, "Are you going to China?" She answered, "Yes. I'm going there to study." The practitioner asked her to read the leaflet before leaving because she will only hear lies in China. She promised to do so and said, "Thank you."

In the past, passing by officials from the Chinese Embassy always ignored practitioners or said that they were not allowed to take the leaflets when the practitioners handed them leaflets. However, some of them took the leaflets this time or declined with a smile. Some even greeted the practitioners first. It seems that former diplomat Chen Yonglin's defection has greatly encouraged them. Practitioners hope they can choose a better future as well.

On July 16, practitioners came to King George Square in Brisbane to hold activities to promote Falun Dafa and raise awareness about the 6-year persecution.

Falun Gong exercise demonstration

While a group of practitioners demonstrated the graceful Falun Gong exercises, on the other side of the square, next to a banner reading, "Now happening in China," several practitioners reenacted some of the torture methods used in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Anti-torture exhibition

Practitioners also set up a "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" art exhibition to show the beauty of Falun Dafa and the unyielding spirit of practitioners in the face of the brutal persecution.

Several Western practitioners sang songs including, "Coming for You" and "Be Saved," and their performance attracted many visitors, including local residents and tourists from Mainland China. A lot of people stopped to watch the different exhibitions and asked questions. After learning about the truth, many signed the petition in support of Falun Gong, while some took photos of the anti-torture exhibition.

Many people come to learn the truth of Falun Gong

When a reporter asked several visitors if they felt that the event was political, all of them said: "This has nothing to with politics. Such a brutal persecution should be exposed so that the world can take action to stop it."

A tourist guide saw that an elderly practitioner was reenacting a torture method. She was very touched and said: "Aunty, I am so sad to see you like this! Is this really happening in China? Will your actions be helpful to the situation in China?" The practitioner told her that the tortures they were demonstrating were just the tip of the iceberg. The practitioner said, "Many people have learned about the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution as the result of our efforts, and we will continue until the persecution ends."

A lot of Mainland Chinese tourists left their groups to see the exhibition, and they took truth-clarifying materials and listened to the practitioners' explanation.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., people came in a constant stream to see the exhibition. The practitioners were busy the whole time with truth-clarification. By the time the event concluded, there were still quite a few people lingering around to ask more questions.

On the afternoon of the 20th of July, after peacefully appealing outside the Chinese Consulate in the morning, Falun Gong practitioners held an activity in a square called "Kungsportsplatsen" in the centre of Gothenburg. Kungsportsplatsen is a central point in the city where many pedestrians pass by every day. At the square, the Swedish practitioners told people about the six years of human rights abuses that have taken the lives of over 2,600 Falun Gong practitioners in China and have damaged the lives of thousands and thousands of others who have lost their jobs, homes and families because they refused to renounce their beliefs.

The practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises, distributed leaflets and collected petition signatures. A statement about the persecution was read out loud. The information included some touching stories of victims of torture in China. One of these was the tragic story of how Gao Rongrong was murdered by the "6-10 Office", an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

A big banner showed the disfigured face of the 37-year-old Gao after she was brutally tortured for several hours with electric batons. She died on June 16, 2005 as a result of the persecution. Many people saw the picture, and when they got some more information, they immediately went to sign the petition to call for an end to the persecution in China. There was an elderly couple who signed the petition and told a practitioner that they had been offered a trip to China with their friends, but they declined. They said, "We don't want to go to China when the government treats their own people so badly."

One practitioner carried a poster that said, "Chinese Communist Party stop murdering!" on the way to the activity. People read the poster and some asked what it was all about. The practitioner told them about the persecution against Falun Gong and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has murdered over 80 million people since taking power in 1949. One woman on the tram said, "It is good you are having the activity in front of the Chinese Consulate; the Chinese Government should know that the world is watching them!" A man said, "I received a flyer earlier, and I know about the persecution of Falun Gong. Good luck. I hope the persecution will end soon!"

Many passers-by wanted to know more about Falun Gong and why this method for improving body and mind is so brutally persecuted in China. During summertime, lots of tourists visit Gothenburg, so there were people from different countries like Scotland, England and Italy who learned the truth about the persecution. Falun Gong practitioners felt that this activity was successful as many people got to hear about the persecution and positioned themselves against the CCP's human rights abuses.

At around 9 a.m. on July 21, 2005, practitioners from all over the world came to the lawn at the west side of Capitol Hill. Quickly, the rally site was set up, and most practitioners then started a large-scale group practice while some others held up banners.

Group practice in front of the U.S. Capitol Hill

At around 11:30am, the rally started. The theme of the rally was "Let's Jointly End the Persecution Against Falun Gong." Many renowned politicians and human rights activists came onto the stage to voice their support for practitioners.

Two monastic practitoners from Taiwan doing the second exercise

At the rally site, we found two practitioners named Shi Zhengtong and Shi Ruxuan, both from Taiwan. Shi Zhengtong said that in Taiwan, there were more than 10 monks or nuns who had become Falun Dafa practitioners. She told us that the Taiwan government and many residents knew Falun Dafa very well. Upon seeing that the CCP has been using all available resources to defame Falun Gong and many Chinese people being deceived, she decided to come to the U.S. to support this event. Shi Ruxuan, who had been a Buddhist nun since early childhood, said: "Buddhist scriptures have predicted that Falun Dafa will spread today to save people, and some of those who know the scriptures well started practicing in Falun Gong quite naturally."

At the site, Qiu Yanling helped practitioners who reenacted torture methods to do the make-up, and this is her second year doing this "job". She said that she was very sad when she did this for the first time. "I was already very sad when I saw photos of tortured practitioners in China. To do the make-up properly, I had to study the torture photos carefully and to find out the very details of the wounds. The more I studied the photos, the heavier my heart became." Qiu said.

It was extremely hot by noontime. An older practitioner, however, was very determined to continue her re-enactment. She said: "This small amount of suffering is nothing compared to the torture inflicted upon Mainland practitioners."

Six young practitioners from Atlanta

Six young practitioners from Atlanta, Li Tiepu, Li Xilong, Wan Chunke, Wang Chunzhen, Yao Jiali and Lei Meng, also joined the group practice. Li Tiepu, the big sister of the six, said that they had participated in the DC rally several times. She said that they were very proud of being Falun Gong practitioners.

Cai Yu, 7 months, also joined the parade

The youngest practitioner that I saw during the rally was Cai Yu of New Zealand. Though he is only 7-months old, he came to the site very early in the morning with his mother. While his mother was very busy distributing fliers, he was quietly lying in his stroller. When the parade started at noontime, his stroller was surrounded by many bags from other practitioners. He sat there quietly throughout the parade.

On July 9th, we arrived at Caen, the third stop on our tour of Normandy province. We set up a display stand and anti-torture exhibition in a park in the city centre. It was a sunny and breezy weekend, with passers-by streaming through. The anti-torture exhibition, in which practitioners simulated the methods of torture used against Falun Gong practitioners in China by the communist authorities, deeply touched the hearts of passers-by.

Many people sign petition calling for an end to the persecution

Anti-torture exhibition

Anti-torture exhibition

Learning the truth

After viewing the photos, a student from Nigeria sighed, "In my country there are corrupt officials who deprive people of their belongings for their personal interest. However, there have never been any physical atrocities like these against our own people. The persecution is really ridiculous."

After hearing the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong, a couple finally came to understand why a foreign student from China, whom they had known for ten years, never wanted to go back there and even arranged to meet her parents in Hong Kong instead of Mainland China. This dictatorship and brutality of the CCP is the root of all injustice.

Several high school students signed the petition to express their objection to the persecution of Falun Gong. They wrote down this message of support: "[The persecutors] should show respect for human rights and should let Falun Gong practitioners regain freedom. China should give its people freedom just like France. There should not be any discrimination."

One of the police officers patrolling the area near our stand also signed the petition to express his support.

Upon seeing the two "injured" ladies simulating torture methods used in China, many people showed worry, surprise or indignation. Some children didn't even dare to look at the "evil policeman" reenacted by a practitioner. Human's nature to resist violence and brutality was vividly demonstrated by the innocent children.

All of this humane care for others told us: Lies and violence can never defeat kindness, which is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS JOIN RALLY TO CONDEMN PERSECUTION OF FALUN GONG IN CHINA
Exactly six years after Chinese authorities launched a violent campaign to eliminate the Falun Gong, more than a thousand rallied on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to condemn the persecution, which continues today. Hosted by former U.S. ambassador Mark Palmer, Members of Congress Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) braved sweltering afternoon heat to condemn China's deadly campaign. Hudson Institute Senior Fellow, Michael Horowitz, described the nonviolent resistance efforts by Falun Gong practitioners as "a sacrifice" made for the future of China.
Full Story: /emh/articles/2005/7/24/63191.html

AS SKATEBOARDER FLIES OVER THE GREAT WALL, TERROR CONTINUES ON THE GROUND
FDI Editorial - Last week, professional skate-boarder and extreme sportsman Danny Way captured headlines with his record-setting jump over China's Great Wall. A day before Way's big jump, an article from Sports Illustrated referred to his attempt as a "great leap forward" that would start a "cultural revolution in China." I couldn't believe what I was reading. For those unfamiliar with recent Chinese history... over 30 million people died [in the Great Leap Forward], most of starvation, and the nation was plunged into an economic abyss... Between 7-8 million people were killed or driven to suicide during the Cultural Revolution... So how could an icon of pop culture, such as Sports Illustrated, readily make flippant references to such horrific historical events as if recalling something as casual as a rock concert or a cultural fair? Has all the hype about China's economy so divorced us from reality that such references go unnoticed, or worse, ignored?
Full Story: http://faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9229

FORMER CHINESE DIPLOMAT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS
Epoch Times - "A wolf in sheep's clothing" is what a former Chinese diplomat called the Chinese communist leadership in testimony before Congress last Thursday. "When the Western world looks at China, a lot of people see an emerging economic power," the diplomat, Mr. Chen Yonglin, told members of Congress. "Western people should not forget that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a dictatorship that has [taken] the lives of 80 million people" in the last half-century... Mr. Chen's testimony centered on details of how the CCP persecutes those who practice or support the Falun Gong exercise and meditation practice. "The persecution of Falun Gong is a systematic campaign," Mr. Chen said. "All departments in the Chinese central government are involved."
Full Story: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-7-23/30515.html

CHINA: 97 NEW TORTURE- AND ABUSE-RELATED DEATHS REPORTED
Ninety-seven torture and persecution-related deaths of people who practice Falun Gong in China were verified and reported over the past four weeks. While some of the deaths reported occurred recently, others are from months or even years ago but are only now coming to light. Chinese authorities continue to keep tight control over information related to Falun Gong practitioners in custody and deny all maltreatment of detainees.

This bulletin is on-line at: http://faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9230

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER- Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-757-9780, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Christina Chai 917-386-5068. Email: contact@faluninfo.net, Website: http://faluninfo.net/