?a href="/emh/article_images/2001-7-15-atlanta-derrickofaispeaks-3.jpg"> ?a href="/emh/article_images/2001-7-15-atlanta-derrickiandamyli-5.jpg">

On July 13, at park Woodroff, Atlanta practitioners held a press conference to announce their one week "SOS! Urgent Rescue" Ride from Atlanta to DC.

The conference began at 12:10pm. Local practitioners demonstrated the 5-sets exercises, gave an opening speech, and read the statement of the US Department of State on Falun Gong in China. Three Georgia Senators sent their supporting letters to the press conference. Mr. Derrick Kayongo from Amnesty International also gave his speech against the torture in China.

Practitioner Amy Lee, who immigrated from China recently, told her experience of the persecution in China. Just because she refused to give up practicing Falun Dafa, she was detained 5 times, sent to a detention center, brainwash class, and mental hospital for physical and mental torture. Once she was stripped naked and beaten until she lost consciousness.

News media, such as ABC, NBC, Fox News, AP, PeopleTV, AJC, The Epoch Times, and World Journal, also came to the press conference.