(Minghui.org) The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is a tradition designated by the United Nations General Assembly on June 26 every year to eradicate “Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.” On June 24, 2023, Falun Dafa practitioners from over ten countries in the European Union gathered in Strasbourg in eastern France, calling to end the persecution of Falun Dafa in China.
As the seat of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg is an important city and the event drew broad attention. Practitioners came from Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Italy, Finland, and other countries. They set up booths and anti-torture exhibitions at Place Kléber to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutalities against their fellow practitioners in China.
To help call attention to the egregious human rights violations in China, Dafa practitioners marched through the main streets of Strasbourg and distributed information about Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong).
Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrate the exercises at Place Kléber in Strasbourg.
People enjoy a waist drum performance.
Practitioners held portraits of Dafa practitioners who were persecuted to death in China.
Passersby ask for information about Falun Dafa.
Practitioners from the Czech Republic performed a traditional dragon dance.
The practitioners’ march was led by a waist drum group.
Demonstrating the torture of solitary confinement, often used by the Chinese regime against Dafa practitioners in China.
Practitioners introduce Falun Dafa and talk about how the CCP persecutes Dafa practitioners in China.
International Society for Human Rights: A Persecution Against Mankind
Hubert Körper, spokesperson for the China Working Committee of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), said that Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance have drawn a clear contrast to the CCP’s brutality and lies. He added that because the CCP suppresses Falun Dafa for these principles, the persecution is targeting all mankind.
Hubert Körper, spokesperson for the China Working Committee of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR)
Mr. Körper said that the suppression of Falun Dafa is also secretive. Due to CCP censorship, the words “Falun Gong” are banned on the Internet in China as though the persecution has ended. But in fact, the suppression has never slowed down and Dafa practitioners have been arrested, detained, tortured to death, and even had their organs harvested while they were alive.
Given the nature of the CCP, the regime will continue to violate human rights and cover up its crimes, Mr. Körper said.
The Importance of Informing the Public
Strasbourg resident Pierre Kustur (right) commended practitioners for their courage.
Pierre Kustur, a company inventory manager, said he as an affinity with Chinese culture and has been to China three times. After a friend told him about the event at Place Kléber, he came to hear about the current situation in China.
Mr. Kustur said that Falun Gong is good for society and it is wrong for the CCP to suppress such a peaceful group. In particular, he cannot accept the forced organ harvesting, calling it an evil deed against humanity. He thanked practitioners for their courage to speak the truth.
Legal consultant Adrien Trilhé thanked practitioners for telling people about the persecution.
Legal consultant Adrien Trilhé provides service for detainees and prisoners. Coming from Besançon in eastern France, she had not heard about Falun Gong previously. She said she was happy to hear about this mind-body discipline during the event in Strasbourg. With a strong interest in international affairs, Ms. Trilhé said she’d signed a petition previously to end spiritual and human rights suppression in China. She thanked practitioners for being there and informing the public.
Say No to Torture
The practitioners’ event included a march and rally from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. After listening to several speeches at the rally, Giacomo, an information security officer at a telecommunications firm, said he agreed that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are universal values.
Giacomo said that in the past, he felt that he should be cautious about commenting on issues in a country so far away because he may not know the background. But after hearing how practitioners in China have suffered for their belief, he realized that it is wrong for people to be harmed and tortured like this. “I will say ‘no’ to torture. We absolutely cannot tolerate something like this,” Giacomo said.
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