January 11, 2002

Falun Gong practitioners and supporters launched a three-day vigil around the world, including Los Angeles, to protest China's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The demonstrators in front of Chinese embassies and consulates said their activities were prompted by reports of 20 deaths in the last 22 days of Falun Gong practitioners, who allegedly died due to torture and mistreatment while in police custody in China, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. Nobody from the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles returned a phone call seeking comment on the allegations.

"Through these events we seek to expose the recent atrocities and inform those who follow Chinese President Jiang Zemin to assist in carrying out this persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, that their evil deeds are not going unnoticed," said Adam Montanaro of Falun Dafa Information Center.

"Great efforts have been made to document the names of those responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, including their personal information and details about the crimes committed."

Montanaro said that information would be distributed to the public and put on the group's Web site.

According to the organization, He Xingzong of Hubei Province died after allegedly being assaulted and strangled on the streets of his hometown while posting fliers on human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners.

Recent court decisions in New York and Montreal in favor of Falun Gong practices "demonstrate that what is happening to Falun Gong practitioners in China is illegal and unjust," Montanaro said.