Peru and Finland: Events Held to Commemorate the April 25 Appeal and Call for an End of the Persecution

(Minghui.org) Every year, Falun Dafa practitioners all over the world hold group exercises, rallies, candlelight vigils, and other activities to commemorate the April 25 appeal. They also call on the world to help end the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of practitioners in China. Practitioners in Peru and Finland held events to commemorate the peaceful appeal that took place in Beijing 23 years ago.

Practitioners hold a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Finland on April 25.

Raising Awareness in Peru

On the afternoon of April 23, 2022, practitioners in Peru did the exercises in El Parque Alfonso Ugarte Park in front of the Chinese Embassy in Lima, the capital. That evening they held a candlelight vigil.

Group practice in the El Parque Alfonso Ugarte Park in front of the Chinese Embassy on April 23

Candlelight vigil in Peru on April 23 to commemorate practitioners in China who died in the CCP’s persecution over the past 23 yearsIn front of the Chinese Embassy on the evening of April 23, practitioners in Peru call for an end to the CCP’s persecution.

Background: What Was the April 25 Appeal?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries worldwide. Millions of people have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance as well as five gentle exercises—and experienced improved health and well-being.

On April 23 and 24, 1999, police officials in Tianjin, a city near Beijing, assaulted and arrested dozens of practitioners who had gathered outside a magazine office to discuss errors in a recently-published article attacking Falun Dafa. As word spread of the arrests and more practitioners inquired with officials, they were told they had to take their appeals to Beijing.

The following day, April 25, some 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners spontaneously gathered at the Central Appeals office in Beijing, as they had been instructed by Tianjin officials. The gathering was peaceful and orderly. Several Falun Dafa representatives were called in to meet with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and members of his staff. That evening, practitioners' concerns were answered. The arrested practitioners in Tianjin were released and everyone went home.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the CCP, perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners due to the persecution over the years; the actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.