The persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese communist authorities is one of the worst human rights problems in Asia today.

Numerous reports since the ban of Falun Gong in 1999 have illustrated how the Chinese government disregard its international human rights commitments in its attempt with brutal means to crush a movement which is characterized by peaceful, non-violent behavior.

Information from the US Congress, House of Representatives indicates that as of July 2002 more than 400 adherents of Falun Gong so far have died from torture, tens of thousands have been tortured while confined to labor camps, prisons and mental hospitals and hundred of thousands have been forced to attend brainwashing classes.

Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2002, describes how the Chinese officials, in their campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, have imprisoned thousands of practitioners and used torture and psychological pressure to force recantations.

Just a few days ago, according to the BBC, 15 Falun Gong followers have been sentenced to between four and twenty years in jail for breaking into a television network to show protest videos - an offence which in the free world would most likely have been settled with a fine.

We who are gathered here today can use our freedom of expression to protest against the persecution of Falun Gong and to demand that these transgressions of elementary human rights shall come to an end. We can use our freedom to encourage people who are concerned with human rights, politicians, NGO's, researchers, media people to focus more intensely on this outrageous development in China, to participate in the demand to the authorities in Beijing that these transgressions should be stopped and to remind the Chinese government of the international commitments which China has undertaken.

In the Vienna declaration and programme of action, at the conclusion of the UN world conference on Human Rights June 1993, the participating nations, including China, stated that "human rights and fundamental freedoms are the birthright of all human beings; their protection and promotion is the first responsibility of governments."

The conference was very specific concerning the condemnation of torture: "Freedom from torture is a right which must be protected under all circumstances." China voted for the following:

"The World Conference urges therefore all States to put an immediate end to the practise of torture and eradicate this evil forever through the full implementation of the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights...."

The reports concerning the harassment of Falun Gong by the Chinese authorities again and again mentions extensive use of torture against people who have joined the movement.

The House of Representatives in the concurrent resolution - unanimously passed on July 24, 2002 characterises the policy of the government of the People's Republic of China in relation to Falun Gong as violating the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, as well as the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

If the Chinese Communist authorities think that they can exploit the new serious international situation which has arisen after September 11, 2001 to try to suppress the Falun Gong movement and to do so with impunity, because world attention is focused on other issues, it is all the more necessary that people who are concerned with human rights use their freedom of speech and focus even more strongly on the persecution so that this plan shall not succeed.

Evidently president Jiang Zemin, when he really wants to impress Western political leaders, quotes the famous Gettysburg address from November 19, 1863 by the American president Abraham Lincoln, the address which ended with the strong commitment to "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

President Zemin's credibility in this context in not impressive, however, because his government has never faced a free election and cannot be characterized as a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Governments for the people do not deny people their freedom of expression, do not use torture against peaceful demonstrators, and do not abuse psychiatry to crush opponents.

Thank you for your attention.

Viggo Fischer

23.09.2002