On the afternoon of January 31, 2006, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that "condemns the persecution of Falun Gong." The resolution states that Falun Gong practitioners should be free from the persecution within the City and County of San Francisco, and appropriate City agencies including the police department and human rights commission should protect Falun Gong practitioners' rights and security.

Falun Gong urges a stop to the persecution	Spokesperson for Falun Gong Ms. Zhang Xuerong and lawyer introduce the beauty of Falun Gong to the media
Many reporters come to interview	Press conference site

Supervisor Chris Daly proposed the resolution that "condemns the persecution of Falun Gong," which was submitted to the Board of Supervisors after it was passed on a 2 to1 vote last Monday at the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee. This afternoon, all 11 supervisors at the Board of Supervisors voted, and the resolution was passed on a 9 to 2 vote.

Prior to the vote, nearly a hundred Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the City Hall. Some of them practiced the exercises, some held banners reading "Extend Help to Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong," and called for the Board of Supervisors to support the resolution.

Spokesperson for Falun Gong Ms. Zhang Xuerong, after learning that the resolution was passed, said that she was pleased that the Board of Supervisors passed the resolution condemning the persecution of Falun Gong, making San Francisco join in the protection of Falun Gong human rights. She said, "We should let everyone have the right to practice his or her own belief."

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd expressed at the meeting that the essence of the resolution is regarding individuals' basic human rights. Falun Gong practitioners should be free of persecution. He called on other supervisors to support the resolution.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano expressed that the fact of Falun Gong practitioners being subjected to persecution is very clear. All has been documented. He supported Dali's opinion.

The following is the content of the resolution:

Resolution condemning the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, expressing the position of the City and County of San Francisco to Federal Officials, urging federal officials and the State Department to follow United States Congress Resolution 304.

Whereas, the persecution of Falun Gong violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and

Whereas, the Constitution of the United States guarantees freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and the right to speak freely, and the city of San Francisco has been a champion in promoting human rights; and

Whereas, in 2004, the United States House of Representatives (with the United States Senate concurring) passed a concurrent resolution, Resolution 304, expressing the sense of Congress regarding oppression by the Government of the People's Republic of China of Falun Gong in the United States and in China; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that Falun Gong practitioners should be free from persecution within the City and County of San Francisco and that appropriate City agencies, including the Police Department and Human Rights Commission should protect the rights and safety of Falun Gong practitioners; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco urge federal officials to continue their stance in support of Falun Gong as articulated in the United States Congress Resolution 304.

The following speech was made by a representative of European Friends of Falun Gong at a press conference opposite the Chinese Embassy in London. The press conference was to expose the recent assault of a Falun Gong practitioner by someone who emerged from the Embassy. For more details on this assault, please see http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200601/31161.html. European Friends of Falun Gong is a non-governmental organization of people who don't practice Falun Gong but who support freedom of belief for practitioners.

We wish to register our shock and disgust at the act of gratuitous violence perpetrated against Falun Gong practitioner Gao Yudong, by a man emerging from the Chinese embassy on the night of Tuesday 24th January 2006.

Ms. Gao was attacked by a drunken assailant while taking part in the peaceful round-the-clock protest against the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The man was attending the embassy's party to celebrate the Chinese New Year, but clearly allowed the alcohol and the high spirits of the party to accentuate his true feelings of disdain towards Falun Gong.

This attitude of hatred, as we know, has been nurtured over a long period of time by an intricate and insidious network of officials and henchmen, whose influence within the circles of government and the Chinese Communist Party knows no boundaries.

We hope that the perpetrator of this attack will be brought to justice by the due course of the law of the land. He will of course be afforded a fair trial, all the evidence will be fully considered before any conviction. That is the way it should be. Contrast this with the way Falun Gong practitioners in China have been dealt with, tortured to death and locked away in prisons and labor camps with little chance of release, and certainly with no fair trial.

This is the point we would wish to make absolutely clear to the Chinese officials in the embassy opposite us right now. They must be made to understand that the way their government treats Falun Gong practitioners is morally wrong and has no justification in law. They must reject their government's stance on Falun Gong and stop supporting the slaughter of innocent people at home, nor should they contribute towards that attitude of hatred being transferred onto the streets of other countries.

European Friends of Falun Gong

Geneva, 23rd January 2006

To Mr. Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly

Dear Mr. van der Linden,

We hereby express our strong support for the resolution condemning the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes being raised in PACE.

Being the largest group suffering persecution by the communist regime in China, we are very familiar with the crimes of communist dictatorships mentioned in the report by Mr. Goran Lindblad. Killings, torture, slave labor, brainwashing and psychological terror have all been used on Falun Gong practitioners in China in order to turn people into communist robots.

By following the theory of class struggle and proletarian dictatorship, all communist regimes, no matter when or where, are violent and evil. These regimes first oppose the good nature of mankind by eliminating all spiritual and religious belief systems. They destroy moral values and conscience to the point that people, without hesitating, can persecute and betray even their closest family members. There were many such examples in Europe and this is still happening in contemporary China. The theory of class struggle means that nobody, no matter what class they belong to, can feel secure. Everyone lives in constant fear of being the next victim. There are certainly no expectations of human rights or the rule of law.

"The persecution of Falun Gong is one of the biggest human tragedies," said famous Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Mr. Gao has been fighting for the human rights of those persecuted for their beliefs and is now struggling for his own right to survive under the rule of the communist regime, inciting urgent actions to save him by Amnesty International (please see the attached investigation report on the persecution of Falun Gong by Mr. Gao).

We believe it is necessary to condemn these ruthless human rights crimes officially so that today's young people and future generations will reject them. These totalitarian communist regimes can be prosecuted in court. In this way, we can prevent similar crimes from occurring again. Millions of people in totalitarian communist regimes lost their lives in inhumane conditions; their families are still waiting for this recognition and display of sympathy.

We hope that the Council of Europe and its member states, upholding the principles of the rule of law and respect for human rights, will take a clear position against the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes. From the perspective of moral values and compassion, Europe will show its support and sympathy for the hundreds of millions of people who have suffered or are still suffering under communist dictatorships around the world.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the European Falun Dafa Association

On the afternoon of January 26, 2006, eight Falun Gong practitioners who were unreasonably arrested by Thai police bowing to pressure from the Chinese Embassy to Thailand, arrived in Norway. They are going to live in this land of freedom.

These practitioners staged a peaceful protest at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok on December 10, 2005, against the incident of Chinese policeman He Xuejian raping two women Falun Gong practitioners. Bowing to the Chinese Embassy's pressure, they were illegally apprehended and beaten by the Thai police. With the concerted efforts of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Norwegian Government, they finally made it to this free country.

Local practitioners welcomed them upon their arrival at a Norwegian airport, along with a banner reading "Falun Gong is Good" and another banner expressing appreciation to the Norwegian Government and its people.

The practitioners were excited to set foot in this land of freedom, however they said that although they have regained their freedom, tens of millions of other Falun Gong practitioners are still subjected to persecution. The practitioners said that they will continue to expose the vicious persecution against Falun Gong so as to let more people know the facts and help end the persecution.