(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners held a rally outside the United Nations Building on September 22, 2009, the first day of the G20 Summit, to call on the international community not to be deceived by the lies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and show concern over the brutal persecution imposed on Falun Gong practitioners. They also called for support for Falun Gong practitioners seeking an end to the persecution and the protection of human dignity and basic human rights.

Heads of State from about a hundred countries converged to attend the four-day meetings at the UN in New York City.

Falun Gong spokesperson Gail Rachlin gives a speech at the rally

On September 22, 2009, on the first day of the UN Summit, practitioners rallied outside the UN to call for support to stop the CCP's persecution

According to the Clearwisdom website, on September 1, 2009, agents from Domestic Security Division dragged 53-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Wang Huilan from her home and took her to Zhuozhou City Detention Center in Hebei Province, where she was force-fed. She was dead six days later (the afternoon of September 7) in the detention center.

Spokesperson Gail Rachlin of the Falun Dafa Information Center said at the rally that the case of Wang Huilan is only one of many. She said that in the past ten years, Falun Gong practitioners that have died as a result of torture and mistreatment included homemakers, military officials, judges, engineers, teachers, farmers, and students.

According to the Clearwisdom website, since the CCP started the persecution in 1999, it has been verified that 3305 practitioners have died as a result of the persecution. Tens of thousands of practitioners have been illegally detained and locked up in mental hospitals, subjected to gross abuse and mistreatment, and even had their organs harvested while they were still alive. The persecution has spread to all provinces, cities, and rural areas. Tens of thousands of families have been torn apart.

Falun Gong spokesperson Zhang Erping noted that the persecution has been ongoing and that the world leaders cannot ignore the fact that the CCP disregards human morality and fundamental human rights. He pointed out that the persecution of Falun Gong is the persecution of humanity. He called upon the international community to stand up to protect the most basic human rights.

Mr. Zhang hoped that those that are participating in the persecution of Falun Gong choose wisely. As the Chinese saying goes: "Good will be rewarded with good and evil will be punished."

Wife of Zhang Mengye: The CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is inhuman

At the rally a number of Falun Gong practitioners recounted their own experiences or their family members' experiences of persecution. One of them was Luo Muluan, wife of Zhang Mengye.

Ms. Luo said that her husband, Zhang Mengye, and Hu Jintao, the current Chinese leader, were classmates in college. Mr. Zhang and other classmates explained the facts about Falun Gong to Hu numerous times, so Hu should have learned about Falun Gong.

Mr. Zhang graduated from the Hydraulic Engineering Department of Tsinghua University. He used to work as a lecturer at the Guangdong Electric Power Institute. He suffered from hepatitis B for over 20 years and could not be cured. He completely recovered eight months after he began practicing Falun Gong. After the persecution started in 1999, Mr. Zhang was sent to forced labor camps several times. In their attempts to force him to recant his belief in Falun Gong, the guards grossly abused him, including forcing him to drink dirty mop water, pushing his head into the toilet, long-time sleep deprivation, and so on. Mr. Zhang wrote to Hu numerous times, pointing out the merits of Falun Gong and revealing the brutality of the CCP's persecution.

Ms. Luo emphasized that the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is inhuman. Zhang Mengye was subjected to severe mistreatment and abuse despite his special status, so she recognized that the persecution imposed upon ordinary Falun Gong practitioners could be even harsher.

Calling for the world to learn the facts about Falun Gong

Wang Weidi, who is studying in the US, appealed to the international community to help rescue her mother, Qiu Shaojie. Ms. Wang spoke of her mother, Qiu Shaojie, 46, a middle school history teacher, who was reported by her student's parents for informing her students about Falun Gong and the persecution. She was taken forcibly from her home in China on September 10, 2009, by the Chinese authorities and sent to the Shandong Province Women's Prison, located in Jinan City, to serve a four-year term. Ms. Wang made a special trip to attend the rally outside the UN, in hopes that more people will learn about the persecution of Falun Gong.

Ms. Li Xiurong came to New York from Yunnan Province. She had had poor health and suffered from heart disease. Her friend introduced her to Falun Gong, and she took up the practice in December 1997. Three months later, her daily episodes of cardiac irregularity had disappeared. She was full of energy and became broad-minded. She no longer haggled over trivial things, and her temper became even. Ms. Li said that the CCP has fabricated numerous lies to slander Falun Gong, and many people have been deceived, so she hoped that people would learn about the positive aspects of Falun Gong.

Democracy activists: Have no illusions about the CCP and do not remain silent about the CCP's crimes

Among the other speakers at the rally were Hu Ping, chief editor of Beijing Spring journal; Wang Jun and Zheng Kexue, chairman and vice chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party; and Mr. Zhiyuan Yang, spokesperson from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution Falun Gong (WOIPFG). They pointed out that, since the CCP seized power 60 years ago, it has never stopped persecuting and killing the Chinese people. The actual number killed over the past years exceeds 80 million. However, the CCP has always told lies to the international community to cover up its crimes. The CCP has even extended its persecution and terrorism outside China. The speakers called upon the international community to be alert and not to have any illusions about the CCP and no longer remain silent about its crimes.