(Clearwisdom.net) On November 28, 2006, the Epoch Times newspaper and Human Rights Without Borders held a forum in the European Parliament in Brussels on the issue of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) suppression of religions. A representative of the Falun Dafa Association of Europe was invited to give a speech to expose the CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China since 1999, and to request the European Union to condemn the CCP's human rights abuse openly.

The forum about the CCP's suppressing of religions was held in the European Parliament in Brussels

A representative of the Falun Gong Association Europe, Ms. Waltraud Ng condemns the CCP's persecution

Mr. Simon Coveney, Irish European Parliament member and the European Parliament's biggest party spokesman, took charge of the forum

Mr. David Kilgour points out that the CCP's reaction has verified the authenticity of the report

Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott believes that the genocidal crime of harvesting organs from living people must be stopped immediately

The forum were hosted by Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament and Mr. Simon Coveney, European Parliament member and spokesman of the EPP, the biggest Party in the European Parliament. An expert on Chinese issues, Dr. Thomas Weyrauch from Germany, Mr. Erping Zhang, a scholar from Stockholm University Asia Research Centre, and Mr. David Kilgour, the former Canadian Asia-Pacific Secretary of State were invited to attend this seminar. In addition, different religions and belief groups were invited to join.

To start off, Mr. Coveney discussed the incident of the Tibetan nuns who were shot at China's border, as well as the investigation report made by David Kilgour and David Matas concerning the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners, which has aroused strong attention from the European Parliament and many other countries' governments.

As a European Parliament human rights spokesman, Mr. Coveney clearly pointed out that his duty is to safeguard human rights. It is appropriate to have such a forum in this time of economic cooperation and trade between the European Union and China, in order for the European Union to bring up major issues with the CCP and conduct an open and sincere discussion.

When European Parliament Vice President McMillan-Scott presided over the forum, he talked about his 1992 proposal concerning European Union democracy and human rights, to transform the former Soviet Union Communist Party camp. Currently, the CCP is a very brutal and repressive regime. He met with Falun Gong practitioner Cao Dong in Beijing in May of this year, after which Mr. Cao was arrested and imprisoned. In his meeting with Mr. McMillan-Scott, Cao Dong discussed how he had seen dead bodies of Falun Gong practitioners after their organs were harvested. Mr. McMillan-Scott stated that the genocide of harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners for profit must be stopped immediately. He does not believe that under such circumstances should the 2008 Olympic Games be held in China.

Dr. Thomas Weyrauch, a Chinese issues expert from Germany, published a monograph called "The Huge Suffering Dragon" in September last year, which introduced China's human rights status in the last stage of CCP control of China. It was awarded a human rights news special award by the German ''International Human Rights Association.'' In his speech, Dr. Weyrauch pointed out that China's constitution and the international human rights covenant are to ensure citizens' rights of freedom of belief, but up to now, religious activities are still persecuted in China. In order to have "freedom of belief," believers must register in religious groups which are controlled by an atheistic government. It is so strange and even self-contradictory that in China, religious activities are set by the atheistic government under the control of the CCP. This party defines "legal religions," and labels all of the other religious and belief groups as cults in order to suppress them. The persecution of religions and different belief groups by the CCP generally entails sexual abuse of women, including Christians, Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan nuns. The practice of Falun Gong was hailed and promoted by the government in the beginning, but later was suppressed. Doctor Weyrauch discussed the ''610 Office", an agency which specifically persecutes peaceful Falun Gong practitioners and receives orders directly from the CCP. He said that currently, in China there is no freedom of belief at all.

Mr. Erping Zhang, a scholar at Stockholm University Asia Research Centre, Asia Research Association director, gave an in-depth analysis of China's different religions and beliefs, especially Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and Falun Gong cultivation. They all originate from traditional Chinese culture, and have a fundamental difference from the doctrines of the CCP's Marxism. Mr. Zhang discussed the persecution of different religious and belief groups in China, especially the Falun Gong cultivation group.

Former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), Mr. David Kilgour came especially for this forum. He pointed out that the CCP only found two errors in his report -- the spelling of certain place names, which verified the authenticity of the report. This report has been translated into sixteen languages. Mr. Kilgour also talked about his journey in August this year, when he and Mr. McMillan-Scott visited Australia and New Zealand and promoted investigation of the CCP's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. Not long ago, he was told that a group of Australians was planning to go to China for organ transplants but changed their plans as a result of their efforts in Australia.

A representative of the European Falun Gong Association, Ms. Waltraud Ng spoke about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China since July 1999, especially the atrocity of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners exposed this year. Ms. Ng also talked about the situation of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng who sent three open letters to the CCP leadership, speaking up for Falun Gong. Attorney Gao is now being persecuted in China. She called on the CCP to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and release all Falun Gong practitioners in detention. She also called for bringing the criminals of this persecution to justice. Ms. Ng requested the European Union to condemn the CCP's human rights abuses openly.

Other European Parliament members and their assistants, representatives of non-governmental organizations, experts and media reporters and others also joined the forum. The two CCP officials in the European Union, as well as reporters from the CCP Xinhua News Agency and the Economy Daily also came to listen.