News and Events from around the World -- April 22, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content

  • Two Sources Testify Publicly about the CCP's Atrocities of Harvesting Organs from Living Falun Gong Practitioners

  • Sujiatun Incident Witness Testifies Publicly in Washington D.C.

  • Another "Coalition to Investigate the Persecution" Investigator's Visa Application Rejected

  • Hong Kong Practitioners Rally to Urge an End to Killing, Leaders from Political Circles Support a Complete Investigation

  • Geneva: We Came Here to Stop the CCP's Persecution of Falun Gong



  • Two Sources Testify Publicly about the CCP's Atrocities of Harvesting Organs from Living Falun Gong Practitioners

    On April 20, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference and rally at McPherson Square while President Bush was meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao nearby at the White House. Two witnesses of the Sujiatun Concentration Camp atrocities, Peter and Annie, made their first public appearance at the rally to testify on the abhorrent crimes of organ harvesting taking place in China.

    Peter and Annie publicly testify about the abhorrent crimes of the CCP

    The press conference site

    Two Sources Testify on the CCP's Crimes

    The two sources said that they thought that the exposure of this most abhorrent crime would bring positive changes: Stop the atrocities, bring the criminals to justice, and release detained Falun Gong practitioners and thus save their lives. However, the Chinese Communist regime has recently relocated all practitioners detained in the Sujiatun death camp and destroyed all the evidence to deceive the international community and media. In addition, it continues to tempt the international community with commercial interest and use terrorist measures to threaten witnesses, agencies and countries that wish to expose the facts about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) practice of harvesting organ from living Falun Gong practitioners.

    The two witnesses said that they felt they had to make the choice to use their lives as evidence to publicly expose the CCP's crimes.

    Peter said that he had received anonymous calls, pressuring him to "... stop revealing what I found, to reduce the shock from big to small, then from small to nothing."

    Annie said, "If I don't step forward, I will feel regretful for my whole life. Today, I speak the truth and I may be assassinated tomorrow. However, you will know it is the Chinese Communist Party that has murdered me."

    Witnesses Testify about the Chinese Communist Party's Atrocities of Harvesting Organs from Living Falun Gong Practitioners

    Witness Peter accepts media interview

    Witness Peter was a reporter. At the rally, he said, "Before and after 2000, I selectively contacted some people in China with different career and societal backgrounds to collect information from different angles, which helped me gain new understandings of the Chinese government's statements, actions, and current situation. In the past three years, I have used large amounts of manpower, material supplies, and financial resources, and have finally found this facility in Sujiatun, where many Falun Gong practitioners were detained, and their corneas, internal organs, and bone marrow were harvested while they were alive, and then their bodies were cremated. Even their hair is made into wigs, and their skin and body fat is sold. The remainder of their bodies is then cremated to destroy all evidence."

    Annie testified: "My ex-husband told me that most of the Falun Gong practitioners were strong and healthy and many were still breathing when their organs were removed. After the removal, many of them were thrown into the (hospital's) crematory oven, so that no trace was left. For others, after their organs were removed, the openings on their bodies were stitched. Some families knew practitioners were detained here, so they would be asked to sign their agreement to have the bodies cremated in crematories outside."

    Annie said that the Sujiatun Concentration Camp is just the tip of the iceberg of the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong. Stealing organs of Falun Gong practitioners and others is a widespread practice in labor camps all over China. Since the Chinese authorities exercise a policy of "not being responsible" for killing Falun Gong practitioners, the death of Falun Gong practitioners is not a very big issue for Chinese prisons.

    Physician Who Participated in Removing Organs from Falun Gong Practitioners Is Suffering from Retribution

    During the rally, Annie first apologized to Falun Gong practitioners on behalf of her ex-husband who was involved in removing organs from practitioners as a neurosurgeon.

    She said, "My husband had asked not to perform these operations, but at that time he had no control. He knew that if he stopped, his wife, child and parents may all be killed. Even today, he dares not to speak up."

    Annie said that her ex-husband is now suffering from retribution: He is now a late-stage cancer patient. She hopes that she could help her ex-husband to pay back his crimes by revealing the truth of the atrocities.

    Truth Awakens Conscience

    Annie said that she didn't know much about Falun Gong and had taken the CCP's anti-Falun Gong propaganda as facts. After she came abroad, she watched Falun Gong truth-clarifying videos and learned the truth of the persecution including the Tiananmen "Self-immolation" incident. She said that she was shocked and was compelled by her conscience to reveal the truth of the persecution that she knew about.

    Annie said that she knew many people know the truth of the persecution, and she hopes that her public testimony will encourage more people to step forward to stop the crimes.

    Timeline of the Recent Exposure of the CCP's Widespread Organ Harvesting Practice

    On March 9, 2006, undercover reporter Peter from Japan revealed that there was a concentration camp in the Sujiatun district, Shenyang City which specializes in harvesting Falun Gong practitioners' organs. The secret camp is underground and has a cremator.

    On March 17, Annie, whose ex-husband was involved in removing organs from Falun Gong practitioners, revealed that this concentration camp is in fact the Liaoning Provincial Thrombus Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. From 2001 to 2003, the hospital detained about 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners. More than 4,000 have been burned in a backyard cremator at the hospital after their organs were removed.

    On March 28, Qing Gang, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied the existence of the camp and invited reporters to inspect the suspected area.

    On March 31, a retired military doctor from the Shenyang Military Region stepped forward to point out that the Sujiatun Concentration Camp indeed exists and it was only one of 36 similar concentration camps. He stated that it only took one day for the military to relocate 5,000 people within a closed freight train on a special route.

    On April 4, the Falun Dafa Association and the Minghui website founded "The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China" (CIPFG) to fully investigate all labor camps, prisons, hospitals, secret concentration camps and other related facilities which have been used to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.

    On April 16, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong released a report revealing the status of organ removal from living Falun Gong practitioners in hospitals from 22 cities and provinces. Zhongshan Hospital openly stated that all their organs were from Falun Gong practitioners.

    On April 19, Linda Xu, Sound of Hope Radio Station senior reporter who is in charge of Mainland China news, and Lei Xu, chief editor of the European Epoch Times newspaper, responded to the invitation of Qing Gao, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They went to the Chinese Consulate in Sydney and the Chinese Embassy in Berlin respectively to apply for a visa in order to go to China to investigate the organ harvesting claim. Their visa applications were rejected.

    On April 20, two witnesses of the Sujiatun Concentration Camp, Peter and Annie, testified publicly about the crimes of the CCP in harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.


    Sujiatun Incident Witness Testifies Publicly in Washington D.C.

    On April 20, 2006, two key witnesses of the Sujiatun Incident, Anne and Peter [pseudo names], made their first public appearance to give testimonies at the McPherson Park in Washington D.C. while President Bush was meeting with Hu Jintao, head of the Chinese Communist Party. During a rally, Peter told the crowd that he initially thought the exposure of the Sujiatun Concentration Camp would stop the atrocities and save the lives of those detained Falun Gong practitioners. To his surprise, the Chinese Communist regime relocated the practitioners detained in the camp and destroyed evidence in order to deceive the international community and media.

    Witness Peter publicly testifies to the CCP's atrocities

    Peter said: "I believed originally that through exposing this evil crime, it can be stopped, the criminals can be punished, and the detained Falun Gong practitioners can be released, so that their lives can be saved. This is the most tragic, inhumane crime."

    "I am quite upset that the CCP has transferred Falun Gong practitioners detained in Sujiatun and destroyed the evidence. The CCP has once again deceived the international community and the media, and it has tempted the international community with economic profit, threatening witnesses, agencies and countries that wish to expose the facts about the CCP's harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners."

    Peter said that he had received anonymous calls, including some from his previous colleagues and bosses, wishing that "I would stop revealing what I found, to reduce the shock from big to small, from small to nothing."

    Peter said: "Today is the day that Hu is meeting with Bush, and it is the moment when the world's media and the world's people are paying attention to China. I choose to stand up on this day publicly to condemn the CCP's crimes at Sujiatun. I have no regard for my life or death. I want to use my life as evidence to expose the crimes of the CCP's harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

    "I know the CCP will not leave me alone since I have reported this truth, but I am still willing to stand up and risk my life in order to expose these persecution facts. At the same time, I want to tell everyone, as I have repeatedly told you, that the crimes at Sujiatun are only the tip of the iceberg in the nationwide persecution. Stealing and selling organs from Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners is happening in labor camps all over the country.

    "I reported the crime at Sujiatun in hopes of providing ideas to help investigate other labor camps and calling on witnesses like Anne to bravely step forward. Step forward! I invite all of you to bravely step forward and testify to the crimes of the CCP.

    "Before and after 2000, I selectively contacted some people in China with different career and societal backgrounds to collect information from different angles, which helped me gain new understandings of the Chinese government's statements, actions, and current situation.

    "In 2003, when the SARS epidemic was widespread in China, I traveled from Hong Kong, at the south end of the country, to Heilongjiang Province, at the north end, and witnessed the corruption and filth of the CCP system. I contacted many officials in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. Their ways of deceit, greed, illegal behavior are beyond the imagination and shockingly evil. When I contacted these officials, I realized for the first time that an underground camp existed at Sujiatun. However, it is very difficult to investigate a secret location in such a big city, and to prove its existence. In the past three years, I have used large amounts of man power, material supplies, and financial resources, and have finally found this facility in Sujiatun, where many Falun Gong practitioners were detained, and their corneas, internal organs, and bone marrow are harvested while they are alive, and then their bodies are cremated. Even their hair is made into wigs, and their skin and body fat is sold. The remainder of their bodies is then cremated to destroy all evidence. Ladies and gentlemen, can you believe that such crimes are still underway in other regions in China?"

    Peter said: "In the United States, the waiting period needed to find a matching kidney is two years or longer. We all know that kidneys and other organs are very hard to keep fresh, with a window of only 24-48 hours for a kidney, and even shorter for a heart. However, on the English version of the website of the China International Transplant Network Assistance Center (CITNAC), it is posted that it only takes one week to one month to find a kidney match. Some transplant experts said that there must be a large living organ bank to provide matching organs in such a short time. Meanwhile, it is clearly shown on the Tianjin City Eastern Organ Transplant Center website that transplant procedures have increased in frequency since 2001.

    Currently there are many flyers posted on the electricity poles about kidney or other organ transplants, and many advertisements appear on websites from transplant centers in China. China has become a large organ transplant country. The international community has learned that if one needs an organ transplant quickly, one needs to go to China, where such channels exist.

    Peter said: "This crime is committed by a network of corporations and participants who steal and sell Falun Gong practitioners' organs. It involves guards in the labor camps, surgeons, nurses, the government officials of the public health system, police officials, central government officials, black market organ traders and overseas organ transplant traders. It is an enormous crime beyond our imaginations."

    At the rally, Peter also told the public:

    Ms. Anne's ex-husband is a late-stage cancer patient now, and is receiving chemotherapy in a hospital in Canada. He tried to escape from China, did not want to participate in the crime of harvesting Falun Gong practitioners' organs, and wanted to quit. He then was warned and threatened. His wife was stabbed deeply on the left side of her stomach when she tried to protect him. He is an orphan of a CCP martyr. He confessed to his wife, burned five deep marks onto his arm, and told her of his secrets. Anne stepped forward to help pay back her ex-husband's crimes.

    Many doctors and staff members involved in the Sujiatun organ transplant operations have testified that the organs are harvested from living Falun Gong practitioners, and these practitioners were alive during the operations of organ removal. They could do so because the CCP's persecution policy on Falun Gong practitioners is that killing is counted as nothing and there is no need to verify identities.


    Another "Coalition to Investigate the Persecution" Investigator's Visa Application Rejected

    On the morning of April 19, 2006, Ms. Zhou Lei, Chief Editor of the Epoch Times in Europe, went to the Chinese Consulate in Berlin to apply for a visa to China. She planned to undertake an investigation on the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Her visa application was rejected. Following Xu Lin, a reporter of Sound of Hope in Australia, Zhou was second overseas reporter whose visa application was rejected, even though the CCP openly invited investigators.

    Ms. Zhou Lei is one of the five representatives of the first team of investigators for the "Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (CIPFG) from North America, Europe and Australia. On March 28, at a press conference, Qin Gang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied the existence of concentration camps and invited members of the media to come to inspect places that are suspected of having built concentration camps. The five ethnic-Chinese reporters applied for visas to China from their countries.

    On April 7, CIPFG publicized the first list of parties to obtain evidence from. It involved forced labor camps, jails and hospitals suspected of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in 31 provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government.

    According to the evidence that CIPFG found from several hospitals in China, the CCP is hastily eliminating eyewitnesses and victims of underground concentration camps prior to May 1, 2006. Therefore, the investigation is very urgent.

    Ms. Zhou said the visa department of the Chinese Consulate in Berlin rejected her visa application within 15 minutes and refused to give any explanation. "They said 'you should know the reason.'" Ms. Zhou told the reporter. A normal rejection process usually takes one or two weeks.

    As a Falun Gong practitioner, Ms. Zhao said, "The CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong has been going on for seven years. I clearly know their consistent hooligan conducts and deception. But to go to China for investigation wasn't a rash decision. First, anti-persecution actions have to be taken as a moral obligation. Second, as Falun Gong practitioners, we have the most responsibility and capability to do it. Our fellow practitioners are being killed and tortured. It is our responsibility to do this. We have been investigating and collected more evidence than any other organization or government over these years. We take this matter as our obligation."

    Ms. Zhou commented on the rejection of her visa application, "Rejecting our visa application is a piece of evidence itself that points to the CCP lying when they told the international media to do an investigation in China. The CCP regime has lost its courage to face the facts."

    Ms. Lilge-Stodick, Chief Editor of the Epoch Times in German, attended the press conference. She told the reporter after the conference, "Overseas Chinese Falun Gong practitioners can find out facts of the persecution. Because they came out of the CCP's social system, they can see through the CCP's tricks better than we westerners. Nazis used to invite reporters to their concentration camps and deceived the whole world with their fabricated peaceful scene. That's how so many Jews were massacred. We can't allow such things to happen again!"



    Hong Kong Practitioners Rally to Urge an End to Killing, Leaders from Political Circles Support a Complete Investigation

    More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong held a rally and parade entitled, "Call to Conscience, Stop the Killing" on April 17, 2006, urgently called upon the international community to stop the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime's genocidal killing against Falun Gong practitioners. Leaders from Hong Kong's political circles Situ Hua and He Junren came to support. They condemned the CCP's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. At the same time, they supported the proposal of Falun Gong practitioners around the world, to call upon the international community to conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation into the CCP's forced labor camps and other related facilities, so as to expose the persecution facts.


    Reenactment of the CCP's organ harvesting at the rally

    At the rally before the parade, spokesperson for the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association Kan Hung-cheung pointed out that recent revelation of the tragedy of living organ harvesting in the CCP's concentration camps showed that in the past six plus years, Falun Gong practitioners have collected a large number of firsthand facts about the persecution, which is only the small fraction of the whole picture. More has been hidden in forced labor camps and related facilities in China to be exposed. Falun Gong practitioners called upon the international community to condemn the CCP's atrocities, and support sending investigation groups to the Mainland China to conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation. They also demanded the CCP authorities to unconditionally cooperate with the investigation.


    Situ Hua from Hong Kong Alliance makes a speech at the rally to condemn the CCP's atrocities

    Situ Hua, president of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic and Democratic Movement in China and He Junren, member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, were invited to attend the rally. Situ Hua pointed out in his speech that organ harvesting should only be done upon an agreement of the people before their deaths. What has been happening in China's concentration camps such as Sujiatun is unacceptable and reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps of World War II.

    As for the recent revelation of 36 similar concentration camps, Situ Hua emphasized that if people of conscience do not stop the atrocities, then similar incidents would constantly occur. He called on the CCP's related authorities to immediately stop such atrocities. He also pointed out that there should be an international investigation group to look into the incidents, punish related officials, and expose any similar atrocities.

    He said, "The Sujiatun incident is a huge disgrace. As a Chinese person, I'm ashamed of this. I must support the statement of calling for conscience and stopping the killings."


    He Junren, member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, makes a speech at the rally, calling on the international community to conduct an independent investigation

    He Junren expressed that when he first heard of incident of the Sujiatun Concentration Camp, he dared not to believe it. The successive revelations were appalling and disturbing. He said that as a human being, one is responsible for look into the facts, and the CCP authorities are obligated to completely open up the places that are suspected to allow people to see for themselves. As for the Sujiatun Concentration Camp and all of the forced labor camps in Mainland China, they should absolutely be investigated comprehensively. He Junren expressed skepticism towards the CCP's hastily throwing out the "Interim Regulations for Human Organ Transplant Practice" that will not take effect until July 1. Does it mean that there would be a large number of people to be slaughtered prior to that time? He called upon the CCP "to immediately stop all possibility of violent and inhuman crimes." He also pointed out that concealing the truth is to be an accomplice. He demanded to allow trustworthy organizations to enter China to conduct a comprehensive, thorough and open investigation into forced labor camps, and invite victims and their family members to publicly testify.

    He Junren called upon all patients who need organ transplants to make sure the organs for transplants have been confirmed by the suppliers, their family members or doctors, and to conform to international standards before accepting them.

    Hong Kong practitioner Zhu Keming also condemned the CCP's barbaric atrocities at the rally. In 2000, he tried to file a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan for violating the law by persecuting Falun Gong, but he was sentenced to five years in prison by the CCP. During the detention, he suffered brutal torture and abuses. He said, "On the surface, it gives the outside a false image of being civilized and ruling by law, but behind the false image are inhuman, sinister rule and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners who practice 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.'"

    Zhu Keming recounted the brutal persecution he was subjected to during his detention in the Qinghe Prison in Beijing. The prison guards instigated murderers, drug offenders, rapists and other felons to monitor and beat Falun Gong practitioners. Before these criminals tortured practitioners, the guards would arrange for them to watch the video and information slandering Falun Gong. On top of that, whether these felons beat practitioners lightly or heavily became the guideline for adding to or reducing their penalties.

    He was once closely monitored by ten prisoners day and night, was ordered to sit on a small stool, or stand still or squat. During the period of time, he was not allowed to move or make any noise, even including no blinking of the eyes. Such a torture lasted for two weeks. He once was held down on the ground by eight prisoners, who shocked him with eight electric batons until he lost consciousness.

    Zhu Keming called upon the international community and people of conscience to pay close attention to the vile CCP's comprehensive, further intensified persecution of Falun Gong and Falun Gong practitioners since July 20,1999. He also called upon the international community to take all possible means to expose and stop the barbaric atrocities.

    Democracy activist Yang Zeming also said at the conference, "The CCP's forced labor camps are the most evil place, creating tens of thousands of tragedies, and wrongful cases, really appalling.... Today, why are the atrocities of concentration camps still happening in this civilized society? The bloody debts in the Sujiatun will be recorded in the history of the CCP's crimes, and the CCP will definitely be punished."

    An editor of the Epoch Times Wu Xuer said, "When I first heard of this news, I was very angry and sad, as the CCP can do anything evil. We did not know before why Falun Gong practitioners who were tortured to death had to undergo 'autopsies,' actually, it was not an autopsy, but the harvesting their organs. Another example is why the CCP tries so hard to deny their arresting of Falun Gong practitioners, and did not inform the practitioners' families about their whereabouts, and that is because the practitioners who do not have family members or whose families do not know their situation have become the easiest targets of the vile CCP to sell organs."

    She also pointed out that the crimes are still happening in all forced labor camps, prisons and mental hospitals in China. The CCP postponed its Interim Regulation that so-called forbids selling human organs to three months, intending to destroy evidence of crimes, including Falun Gong practitioners who are still being detained.

    She continued, "Time is pressing, and we strongly demand that the CCP open up all forced labor camps and prisons to allow the international group to investigate. I hope that people of the world will pay attention to the incident. Never again should this happen! We hope that the international community will realize the promise made to the world at the time when the Nazi concentration camps were exposed."

    Another NTD TV reporter Liang Zhen, whose family members have been illegally detained, pointed out that evidence shows that recently the CCP is slaughtering people to destroy evidence of crimes, and a large number of hospitals are operating overtime to do organ transplant surgeries. She said that her mother and elder brother are being detained at the CCP's forced labor camps. She called upon people from all social strata to pay attention to and help rescue Falun Gong practitioners whose lives are threatened in the CCP's forced labor camps, where the authorities steal and sell their organs for profit.

    After the rally concluded, some Falun Gong practitioners in white suits, holding wreaths in memory of practitioners who have died as a result of the persecution, walked slowly from Chatou Park toward the Chinese Liaison Office. The atmosphere was solemn and respectful. Many citizens stopped to watch.


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    The parade calls for the urgent rescue of Falun Gong practitioners who are facing being slaughtered to destroy evidence in the CCP's force labor camps

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    Falun Gong practitioners clarify the truth to passersby

    After arriving at the Chinese Liaison Office, some Falun Gong practitioners went to the front gate to protest and read a statement. The statement pointed out, "We urgently call upon the United Nations and related international organizations, governments and congresses of different countries, and related organizations and groups to:

    Strongly condemn the CCP regime's crimes against Falun Gong practitioners and other free believers and prisoners of conscience.

    Support and join the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) in requesting to go to China to conduct an independent, direct, interference-free investigation to collect evidence, and completely search for the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong, including forced labor camps and related facilities where Falun Gong practitioners have been detained, so that this brutal persecution that has lasted almost seven years can end as soon as possible."

    "We also request the CCP authorities to open up for international investigation all labor camps, prisons, hospitals, mental hospitals, and related facilities in China. At the same time, we also request the authorities to allow the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) initiated by Falun Gong practitioners to enter China to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong."


    Falun Gong practitioners read statement outside the Chinese Liaison Office


    Mourning practitioners who have died as a result of persecution outside the Chinese Liaison Office

    In the evening, about 100 Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Liaison Office to mourn the fellow practitioners who have died as a result of the persecution. Some practitioners did meditation overnight there and continued their 24-hour hunger strike that started from the daytime.



    Geneva: We Came Here to Stop the CCP's Persecution of Falun Gong

    From April 1-4, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners from over thirty European nations and Taiwan gathered in Geneva to attend the 2006 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing conference. During the conference, a series of activities were organized to expose the atrocities in the Sujiatun Concentration Camp by the Chinese Communist regime. Falun Gong practitioners appealed to all nations in the world to help stop the Chinese Communist regime's relentless persecution of Falun Gong.

    Experience Sharing Conference is a good opportunity for sharing and learning from each other

    Namscoz from Norway said: "I am very impressed with the conference. Many practitioners spoke about their practice experiences. I am deeply moved by many of them and couldn't stop my tears coming down. I am very encouraged from other practitioners' experiences. We could do many things ourselves as well. I also see lots of my shortcomings. This is a very good opportunity that helps me to look inward and search inward. I learned a lot."

    Mike from Denmark said: "I have come to Geneva for the experience-sharing conference many times. I think it is very good. Many practitioners come together to share and learn from each other. After listening to the sharing by many practitioners, I am very motivated and have lots of ideas. The conference is very helpful."

    Practitioners from Latvia thought that compared to the previous conferences, practitioners in general had progressed a lot.

    Jia Ning from Taiwan returned to Taiwan after living in Germany for many years. She said: "Although there are various projects in Falun Gong work and practitioners come from different countries with different languages, and some languages I could not understand at all, we all practice in the same principles and upgrade ourselves, this is the most moving part."

    From the experience-sharing speeches, some practitioners realized that there is still a big gap between Europe and North America. Especially in some important events, practitioners in Europe could not react as promptly as their North American counterparts.

    Sixty-seven year old Pan Huiqin managed to come to Germany after three difficult years of efforts in China. This was the first time that she attended a large-scale experience sharing conference abroad. She was extremely excited. She told the reporter: "Prior to 1999, there were many conferences in each district of Beijing on a similar scale. One time there were ten experience-sharing conferences at the same time. After the persecution, there were no more large-scale conferences." In 2001 police and agents from the 610 Office arrested her daughter to be brainwashed and planned to arrest her as well. She ran away with her grandson in the night and managed to escape to Germany afterward. Among people with whom she practiced Falun Gong together, some were illegally sentenced for many years, some disappeared after being taken away by police and some are still without a home. Pan continued: "The truth-clarification efforts by overseas Falun Gong practitioners play a crucial rule in suppressing the persecution in China. In China when I went out to give out materials telling people the truth about Falun Gong, I was not sure if I would return home safely. The conditions abroad are much better. I treasure this period greatly when I can tell people the truth, expose the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party. Because I don't know German very well, I go to tourist attractions to give out truth-clarifying materials every noon and afternoon. I talk to people from China face-to-face. I will try to do even better."

    Appeal to all nations in the world to stop the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong

    The CCP's persecution of Falun Gong has lasted nearly seven years. Through these years, Falun Gong practitioners from around the world, especially from Europe, would come to Geneva every year to appeal to the United Nations and international community to pay attention to the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, and remind the UN to fulfill their duties. This year, the news of mass killing of Falun Gong practitioners in the CCP's Sujiatun Concentration Camp and other concentration camps was exposed, and many people came to Geneva to participate in appeal activities.

    This was the third time French Falun Gong practitioner Hanna came to Geneva. She considered Geneva very important because experience sharing is different every year. Attending experience-sharing conference is very important to her so that she would be able to follow the pace of the other practitioners. She also wanted to join the demonstration to show her objection to torture and to call for an end to the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners around the world practice according to the same principles. However practitioners in China are subjected to such brutal persecution, especially the atrocities in the Sujiatun Concentration Camp where organs were harvested for profits from Falun Gong practitioners while they were still alive. This made her realize how important the Geneva event was. She was from Poland. The Sujiatun atrocities reminded her of the terrible scenes suffered by Jews in Concentration Camps in Poland. She planned to have a seminar at the Auschwitz Nazi Concentration Camp in Poland to expose to the world the atrocities occurring in China.

    Falun Gong practitioner Andreas from Germany said, "It is necessary to let everyone know about the atrocities being committed in the Chinese Concentration Camps. Germany had persecuted Jews in the past. At that time, the concentration camps were also secret. Even when people learned of their existence, they chose to remain silent. We have to tell people about the terrible events happening in China. We must stop these terrible things and keep them from occurring again. Because the United Nations Human Rights commission is holding its conference, we can appeal to them to stop the atrocities. This was my first purpose of coming here. Through a large scale parade, we also hope to raise awareness of Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong."

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    Practitioners from Taiwan call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong

    Some practitioners from Taiwan came to Geneva after attending activities in New York and Washington DC. This was the third time Mr. Li came to Geneva. He just retired. He said: "The United Nations' Human Rights Commission is in Geneva. China is a permanent member of the UN. It should abide by the UN's human rights treaties. Falun Gong is a most peaceful activity. The Chinese constitution stipulates that its citizens have the right to belief and assembly. Why, against its own constitution, did the Chinese Communist regime ban and persecute Falun Gong? It is therefore necessary to let the whole world know the truth. We want to expose to the UN the crimes committed by the Chinese Communist regime against Falun Gong and appeal to the whole world to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong. This is my ultimate aim of coming here." About atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist regime in the Sujiatun Concentration Camp, Mr. Li said: "I was extremely shocked and saddened when I heard this news. It's a government's responsibility to protect its citizens. But the Chinese Communist regime always persecutes its own people. The organs were harvested for profits while they are still alive. This is against heavenly principle. The Chinese communist regime must be dissolved so that its citizens can truly enjoy freedom."

    Distributing "Nine Commentaries" is a most urgent task

    Lechovsky from Latvia said: "Coming to Geneva is such a good opportunity. It will help people to raise their concerns about the terrible human rights problems in China. The Chinese Communist regime's large-scale persecution of Falun Gong and other groups, and its wide abuse of human rights, must be stopped."

    Shenbokos has practiced Falun Gong for three years. When he learned of the atrocities in the Sujiatun Concentration Camp, he was saddened, but not shocked because people should not have any illusions about the Communist Party. He felt he should hurry up to distribute the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" and let the media know about this book to help them report the Sujiatun atrocities, helping more people to learn the events occurring in China. The book would help people to know exactly what the Communist Party is and why such atrocities can occur. He considers distributing the "Nine Commentaries" as his most urgent task.

    Because the Communists also ruled Latvia previously, practitioners said that they joined the activities of the Communist Party's youth league when they were young. Because they grew up in such an environment, many things that were obviously wrong became correct and good in their eyes. After reading Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, they realized their thoughts were wrong and it was a great obstacle for them to progress. Only through repeatedly reading the "Nine Commentaries", they could completely break through these obstacles.

    They give practitioners a thumbs-up

    During the Falun Gong grand parade on April 3 in Geneva, two busloads of Chinese tourist came across the Falun Gong parade procession. When practitioners saw these precious Chinese people, they held up large postures exposing the Sujiatun Concentration Camp, and the banners reading, "Falun Dafa is Good" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." The practitioners saw people on the buses responding differently. Some gave a thumb-ups, some smiled, some took pictures and some were indifferent.

    The two buses soon passed by. Practitioners believed that this "encounter" would make a lasting impression in these tourists' memories.