(Clearwisdom.net) In order to stop the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong before the Beijing Olympics, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) initiated the "Millions of Signatures Global Campaign" in January 2008. The signature collection campaign has received an enthusiastic response across the world.

Since May 13, New Zealand practitioners have participated in the signature collection. In busy downtowns and small towns, Falun Gong practitioners set up poster boards and signature collection tables, explaining the facts to people and collecting signatures in support of ending the persecution.

People read the poster boards and were shocked at the CCP's violence and atrocities. After listening to practitioners' explanations of Falun Gong and descriptions of the persecution, many local residents came to understand the brutality of the persecution. Sometimes people stood in line to sign the petition.

Two months passed and 28,060 people signed the petition. They condemned the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and supported the belief that the Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China.

On the afternoon of July 17, 2008, at a rally calling for the end of the CCP's nine-year-long brutal persecution of Falun Gong, renowned lawyer Mr. Kerry Gore, representative of CIPFG New Zealand, said that safeguarding humanity and human rights is included in the Olympic charter. After winning the bid to host the 2008 Olympics, the CCP promised the international community that it would improve its human rights situation. But the latest reports from UN human rights organizations and Amnesty International pointed out that China's human rights situation is deteriorating. The CCP has escalated its infringement of human rights, especially the persecution of Falun Gong, under the name of preparation for the Olympics.

Mr. Gore reiterated the CIPFG's requests to the Chinese government:

1. Stop the persecution of Falun Gong immediately and release all practitioners incarcerated for their faith.
2. Stop the persecution of friends and supporters and defense lawyers of Falun Gong practitioners (e.g. Attorney Gao Zhisheng, Li Hong).
3. Hold discussions with CIPFG to arrange details of the opening up of labor camps, prisons, hospitals and related secretive facilities for inspection by CIPFG independent investigators.

Background:

In order to protest the CCP's severe crimes against humanity, the CIPFG, an organization composed of more than four hundred members including political leaders, lawyers, doctors, and journalists, initiated the "Millions of Signatures Global Campaign" at the beginning of this year, calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China before the Beijing Olympics.