Clearwisdom Weekly

News and Events from around the World -- June 7, 2006

Content

On May 30, 2006, a press conference on the global view of religious freedom in China was held at the European Parliament. The conference was presided over by Mr. Simon Coveney, the human rights spokesperson of EEP-ED Party caucus in the European Parliament and was organized by Human Rights without Borders, the Friends of Tibet, the World Urumqi Congress, the International Society for Human Rights (Hong Kong Watch), the Belgian Falun Dafa Association, and others. The organizers called on the Chinese government to allow the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion of Belief to evaluate China's religious freedom and investigate the forced labor camps that imprison followers of various beliefs.

At the press conference, representatives of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan nuns and Uygurs who have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime in China were invited to testify against the Chinese regime's atrocities in their cruel persecution against religions, beliefs and human rights.

Falun Gong practitioner Chen Ying exposes the persecution she underwent in China's forced labor camps.

Ms. Chen Ying, a Falun Gong practitioner who currently lives in France, revealed the persecution she had undergone in China, and the journalists attending the press conference were shocked by her story. With the cruel torture testified by Chen Ying, people further realized the brutality of the Chinese Communist regime's genocidal persecution against Falun Gong groups in China. When exposing the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities, Chen Ying said, "I was forced to work strenuously over sixteen hours every day, making toys, gifts and disposable bamboo chopsticks for export. If I failed to reach the required targets, I would be deprived of sleep. Besides physical abuse, they tortured me spiritually by means of forcing me to view TV programs and read books that denounce my belief. Furthermore, I was forced to write reflections on what I viewed and read, to sing the songs featuring forced labor camps and to confess that I was guilty. I was also banned from talking to others. They deprived me of my human dignity and personality, forced me to accept brainwashing. I was on the brink of a mental breakdown. The cruel spiritual torture made me feel suffocated, as if I was going to die. With the long-term suffering, I was very weak. The Chinese Communist regime's high profile brainwashing was far beyond the limit I could endure spiritually and physically. I was forced to give up my own belief and to act against my conscience. The spiritual suffering resulting from the brainwashing and the so-called "transformation" was beyond what words can describe. I felt like I was a walking corpse."

The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, attended the press conference. After listening to Falun Gong practitioner Chen Ying's experience about the persecution she underwent in China, he stated, "Last week I went to Beijing and met with Falun Gong practitioners who had been incarcerated. I fully understood how they have been tortured. The accusation against the harvesting and selling of Falun Gong practitioners' organs is a very serious incident. The European Parliament should initiate an investigation into this incident. Personally, I think the Olympic Games should not be held in such a brutal country."

After listening to Ms. Chen Ying's explanation of the persecution she had suffered, Mr. Simon Coveney said, "the European Union has established closer and closer ties with the Chinese Communist regime through various channels, especially on business and trading fronts, as China is the E.U.'s biggest trading partner. Concerning the story we listened to just now, we should be responsible for it. It is the European Union's responsibility and we should not forget the respect for human rights and human dignity. We will try our best to change China's human rights situation, as it is our responsibility."

Simon Coveney, human rights spokesperson of EEP-ED Party caucus presides over the press conference

At the press conference, some people asked that after surviving the incredible persecution in China, how did the Tibetan nun and the Falun Gong practitioner come overseas. Ms. Chen Ying replied that in China, the Chinese Communist regime's purpose of incarcerating Falun Gong practitioners in forced labor camps and prisons is to force them to give up their beliefs and to act against their consciences. To achieve the evil objective, the Chinese regime has used all kinds of cruel methods to physically and spiritually torture Falun Gong practitioners who are steadfast in their beliefs in forced labor camps. When one is steadfast in his belief, normally it would be very hard to regain freedom. She said that, "I am very distressed. The torture I suffered in the forced labor camps was beyond the limit I could endure. Being deceived by the Chinese Communist regime's lies, I acted against my consciences and wrote a repentance statement as requested by the Chinese Communist regime. While writing the statement, I think as all those who live overseas with their own beliefs would know, it is extremely painful for a Falun Gong practitioner to betray his own belief and act against his own conscience. I was in despair. With acting against my own conscience, my physical body was temporarily free, and I was released from the forced labor camp, but my soul was on the path towards death during the process of betrayal."

She continued, "In China, my ex-husband, under pressure from all sides, insisted on divorcing me. As all his colleagues also urged him to divorce me, I was under great pressure that I could no longer stay in China. Based on my experience of staying in France when my ex-husband worked at the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy in France in 1998, I went to France as a visiting scholar. In France, I happened to see the photos displayed to expose the facts about Chinese Communist regime's persecution against Falun Gong. It reminded me of all the torture I suffered in China's forced labor camps. I would like to avail myself of this occasion to let people know that in China's forced labor camps and secret concentration camps, without giving up one's belief and conscience, one is faced with death threats at anytime. It is because of the Chinese regime's genocidal policy against Falun Gong that some people are forced to give up their beliefs and act against their consciences so as to survive, but in reality their spirits are dead."

After the press conference, one of the organizers, Nicolas who is the president of the Belgium Falun Dafa Association, told our reporter, "We'd like to take this opportunity to express our worry and concern about the religious freedom in China."

He added, "It is solely a joke for the Chinese Communist regime to proclaim that it has given religions a greater degree of freedom. In fact, the persecution against Falun Gong indicates that what the Chinese Communist regime gives to those who seek spiritual beliefs is not freedom, but intimidation. What the Chinese Communist regime has relied on to subsist in the past several decades was nothing but the policy of horrible suppression. As many people keep silent about the Chinese Communist regime's human right situation due to economic interests, a piece of horrendous news has been exposed, that is, some deadly concentration camps are set up in China. This report has been testified by some people who used to work with China's medical and military institutions. The internal organs of some Falun Gong practitioners incarcerated in these concentration camps were harvested before they died. Organ transplant in China is a lucrative business. After the organs are harvested from living humans, their bodies are cremated to destroy the evidence. Falun Gong practitioners are regarded as class enemies in China. They don't have legal rights and even are not treated as human beings. Their corpses are not allowed to be claimed by their family members; therefore, they are an ideal source of living organ supplies. It is indeed evil. In the meantime, the Chinese Communist regime proclaimed that it has given religions a greater degree of freedom. Isn't it the biggest joke? I hope that through this press conference, a platform will be established, so that the European Union and the international society are able to take some measures to put an end to the Chinese Communist regime's evil acts."

When interviewed after the conference, the Director of Human Rights without Borders, Mr. Willy Fautre said: "I've engaged in promotion of freedom of religion for thirty years, and I started to be concerned about freedom of religion in communist countries in 1970. Last year, I got an opportunity to meet with people from house churches and dissidents during my visit to China. In the past years, I have kept in touch with Falun Gong practitioners in west European countries. As to Dalai Lama's visit to Belgium tomorrow, in particular his visit to the European Parliament, and the Olympic Games to be held in China two years later, I think they will be good opportunities for European political policy-makers and the international society to understand the Chinese Communist regime's persecution against religious groups including Christianity, Falun Gong, Tibet, etc." He added: "In terms of harvesting organs from living humans, I think we should expose the Chinese regime's despicable human rights record to the people around the world. If the Chinese Communist regime doesn't allow the U.N. to deploy journalists to China, it indicates that they have something shameful hidden away."

From the 20th to the 25th of May, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners from the Czech Republic staged a tour of north Moravia and Silesia to inform the Czech people about the continuous persecution of their fellow practitioners in China and about the atrocities of organ harvesting from living people. According to the latest information, the Chinese Communist regime established thirty-six concentration camps where Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience are having their organs harvested while they are still alive and their organs are then sold for transplants.

Practitioners visited six cities, Opava, Ostrava, Karvina, Sumperk, Cesky Tesin and Koprivnice. Although it was not hard to meet people who answered, "I know about it already", there were still many people who learned the truth for the first time and wondered with awe, "Is it possible, that such things are done by people?" This was asked by a young man in Sumperk after reading information about organ harvesting atrocities. It remains to be asked, whether the degenerated beings who are personally involved in these things and do them consciously and voluntarily, are still humans.

Voices of support could be heard from all the visited cities. Practitioners prepared a petition calling on the President and Premier of the Czech Republic to appeal to the Chinese officials and ask for an investigation of these crimes. "This must be signed by every good person", said a woman in Karvina and called upon the passers-by to sign the petition. The total number of people signing during these tours reached one thousand.

Practitioners also met with the Czech Deputy in the European Parliament, Mr. Vladimir Zelezny, after his public speech in Sumperk. He said he knew about the situation very well through the information which was sent to him to the European Parliament. Without hesitation he signed the petition for rescuing Falun Gong practitioners in China.

There are still many people who do not know about the cruelty of communism which wants to "fight with Heaven and Earth" and "order wind and rain." However, when a human being accepts the traditional values of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance into his life, he can live a life full of joy and goodness. Practitioners would like to thank all the compassionate people for their support of basic human values.


Ostrava City: signing the petition	Ostrava City: Queueing to sign the petition

Karvina City: people reading the banners about the persecution	Sumperk City: signing the petition to free practitioners from the concentration camps

On the afternoon of June 3, 2006, Russian Falun Gong practitioners held an activity before the "Baltic Sea Film House" to expose the CCP's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in secret concentration camps, labor camps and prisons to be sold for profit and cremating the bodies to destroy the evidences.

The city council gave permission for this activity. Representatives from governmental departments and the police chief came to the activity personally, in addition to a group of policemen keeping order to guarantee Falun Gong practitioners' activity progressed without interruption.

At the site of the activity, practitioners reenacted the CCP's crimes of organ removal from living Falun Gong practitioners. Live reenactment, truth-clarification boards, banners and a practitioner explaining to people through a loudspeaker about the wicked facts of the organ-harvesting happening in China - the whole scene was moving to the eye and heart. Two lines of big words reminded people: "In China: organs are removed from living Falun Gong practitioners and sold", "Everyone should help to stop this crime".

People stopped one by one to listen and watch the bloody act of live organ removal. Many people looked puzzled and shocked and asked, "Can this be true? Are these things really happening in China?" To answer these questions, many practitioners clarified the truth to people in more depth, face to face. With the flow of conversation, some formerly indifferent hearts were touched.

After listening to a practitioner's explanation, a group of young people signed their names on a petition to condemn the CCP and call for an international investigation. During the three hours of activities, there were many times when people lined up to sign the petition.