Ottawa Citizen: Falun Gong protests challenge illegal law

Friday, November 30, 2001

Re: I'm tired of Canadians begging for help after they break foreign laws, Nov. 23.

Contrary to what letter-writer Bill Berdnikoff thinks, Falun Gong practitioners do not like to break the law -- especially the laws in China, where the practice of Falun Gong has been banned.

When the 35 western practitioners went to Tiananmen Square in China last week, they were indeed breaking one of China's laws.

However, the law itself goes against China's constitution and against the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. So the law banning Falun Gong is unconstitutional.

People in China have been inculcated with hate propaganda against Falun Gong. Information does not enter or leave the country, so people there do not know that Falun Gong is held in high regard in other countries around the world.

I fully support the actions of the 35 brave people who went to Tiananmen Square. I think people can see the difference between breaking the law for personal gain and breaking an illegal law to help stop the torture and murder of innocent, virtuous people.

Pamela McLennan,

Nepean

http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=0C25CC26-514D-4290-B2D0-45DAC F317769