(Clearwisdom.net) Dozens of practitioners from Sydney and Canberra gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in the capital of Australia and held a press conference at noon on February 14, 2004. According to reports from Clearwisdom.net, twenty-six Falun Gong practitioners in China were tortured to death from November 2003 through January, 2004. Falun Gong practitioners held a memorial service for the victims in front of the Chinese Embassy and showed banners saying "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang to Justice" in both Chinese and English. Wreaths were placed on the grass across from the Embassy. On the biggest wreath was a list of all Falun Gong practitioners who died from the persecution since July, 1999.
A practitioner from Canberra read out the names of the victims, who had lived in different provinces and areas of China. The most shocking persecution happened in the three northeast provinces, where more than one third of the nearly nine hundred deaths have been confirmed.
Another practitioner said that the victims had been subjected to cruel tortures before they died. Among the exposed torture methods, the most commonly used are electric shocks exceeding standards, force-feeding with highly concentrated salt-water solution and other substance, "tiger bench", "Digging in Bamboo Sticks", (The police hammer sharp bamboo sticks into the fingers of the practitioner through the tips of the fingernails.) water cell, sun burning, freezing in cold weather and injection of large amount of nerve-damaging drugs. She pointed out that the deaths and on-going persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China were caused directly by Jiang Zemin and his followers. Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang have inescapable responsibility. Falun Gong practitioners around the world are calling the Chinese government and leaders to bring Jiang, Luo, Liu and Zhou to justice.
During interviews, the practitioner told the media that Falun Gong practitioners asked to bring Jiang's three accomplices to justice in addition to Jiang himself. They have not only violated people's constitutional rights of enjoying freedoms of belief and expression, but also prevented any exposure of the persecution inside and outside of China. They whitewash it by forcefully claiming "the best human right period in China" and "salutary influence of education (on Falun Gong practitioners.)" However, one forth of China's economical resources is utilized to persecute Falun Gong. The money came from the people's hard work, foreign investment and illegal fines on Falun Gong practitioners.
People who happened to pass the embassy, including tourist groups from China, witnessed the press conference. They were shocked by the facts of the persecution and got truth-clarification materials. Falun Gong practitioners made an announcement that another gathering would be held in front of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney on the next day to call for punishment of murderers of Falun Gong practitioners.
Local Chinese media, Epoch Times and NTDTV reported this activity.
Category: Rallies & Protests
