(Minghui.org) On July 20, 1999 the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) initiated a nationwide persecution in China to eradicate Falun Dafa and practitioners. Every year practitioners hold events to tell people about the persecution and call for it to end. Falun Dafa practitioners held activities in Istanbul and Karadeniz Ereğli to protest the CCP’s 23-year persecution on July 20, 2022.

Practitioners held banners near the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul on July 20, 2022 to protest the CCP’s persecution.

As soon as the practitioners arrived, two passersby said that they would sign the petition calling to end the CCP's persecution. After reading the flyer, another man said he would sign it online.

Mayor Halil Posbıyık of Karadeniz Ereğli Supports Practitioners at the International Festival of Love, Friendship and Peace

Practitioners participated in the International Festival of Love, Friendship and Peace held in Karadeniz Ereğli. The festival was held for three days from July 21 through 23, 2022.

They participated in the parade on July 21, which included demonstrations by ethnic groups from different countries. During the parade, many people applauded the practitioners and took photos and videos.

Practitioners participate in the International Festival of Love, Friendship and Peace parade held in Karadeniz Ereğli on July 21.

Practitioners set up a stand in the coastal area on July 22. Mr. Muhammet Ali Ateş, Manager of the Cultural and Social Affairs, and Mr. Halit Aydın, the local police chief, visited the stand. They welcomed the practitioners and asked what they could do to help.

Mr. Muhammet Ali Ateş (second from right), Manager of the Cultural and Social Affairs, and Mr. Halit Aydın (first from left), the local police chief, take a group photo with practitioners.

Mayor Halil Posbıyık met with the practitioners. When a practitioner began to tell him about Falun Dafa, the mayor said, “I know everything about you. I watched your works and videos. You are a very positive and beautiful group. We thank you for participating in our festival.” He gave each practitioner a festival participation certificate.

Practitioners take a group photo with Mayor Halil Posbıyık (middle).

On July 23, practitioners participated in the Ayazma (Holy Water) Cave event. Their stand attracted a lot of attention.

Practitioners’ stand during the Ayazma (Holy Water) Cave event on July 23

People imitate their hand gestures as practitioners demonstrate the exercises.

Ms. Asli, who lives in Ereğli, said that she was happy when she heard that the practitioners were participating the event and that she had been searching the event area for two days.

Asli and her mother

Asli, who is a lawyer, heard about Falun Dafa from her close friend, a practitioner, six months ago. She said that when she first started reading Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, she was moved to tears. She learned the exercises with her mother.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

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 and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners 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 China’s organ transplant industry.