Switzerland: Government Officials Speak at Falun Gong Rally Marking 24 Years of Peaceful Protest

(Minghui.org) A rally was held in front of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on July 20, 2023 in Switzerland to call for an end to the 24-year-long persecution of Falun Gong. Mauro Poggia, president of the Council State of Geneva, and five members of Parliament from different areas came to support the rally. The l'ACAT-Suisse sent a letter of support.

Practitioners did the Falun Dafa exercises during a rally held in front of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on July 20, 2023 to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution in China.

A practitioner representing the Switzerland Falun Dafa Association gave a speech and thanked Members of Parliament in the French speaking region of Switzerland for their continued support over the years and for condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of practitioners in China.

She said, “Just like in previous years, we come here today to tell people we have not forgotten about the practitioners illegally incarcerated in China for many years. They did not commit any crime. They are simply following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance taught by Falun Dafa, believing in kindness. What crime is that? They strive to be better people, yet the CCP locked them in prisons and labor camps, allow doctors to take their organs while they are alive to sell them for transplant. How evil that is! Therefore, we must continue to censure such crimes until this harrowing persecution ends.”

President of the Council State of Geneva: You Are Awakening Our Conscience

Mauro Poggia, president of the Council State of Geneva, came to the rally to show his support for Falun Dafa.

Mauro Poggia, president of the Council State of Geneva, has stood with Falun Dafa practitioners for many years. He said in his speech, “We should applaud Falun Dafa practitioners! This is another year where peaceful practitioners raise awareness about the ongoing torture, illegal detention in China of their fellow practitioners outside the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“Indeed, human rights are overlooked in all parts of the world. However, for many years, you have been awakening our conscience here, reminding the world of what has happened as well as what is still taking place in China.” “New officials in the OHCHR are already condemning what is happening in China, this is also because for 24 years, you have been effectively reminding people year after year. If not for the awareness your presence here brings, the indifference would continue.”

He emphasized, “We will keep on going, coming here every year, until justice is finally restored.”

Member of the Council State of Geneva: I Fully Support You

Christo Ivanov Member of the Council State of Geneva spoke at the rally.

Christo Ivanov, Member of the Council State of Geneva, said, “It is difficult for one to accept that, up to the 21^st century, outside the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, there are still people who are attacked, tortured and subject to organ harvesting. This is unbelievable. I hope the council members of the human rights commission will strongly censure the CCP for torture and organ harvesting. I fully support you in your stand and hope all of this ends soon, and people can continue to practice Falun Gong in peace.”

Members of the Council State of Geneva André Pfeffer (right) and Christo Ivanov (left) attended the rally held by Falun Dafa practitioners to tell people about the ongoing persecution in China.

Member of the Council State of Neuchâtel: Falun Gong Is Full of Love, Compassion, and Tolerance

Hugo Clémence, Member of the Council State of Neuchâtel spoke at the rally.

Hugo Clémence, Member of the Council State of Neuchâtel took a nearly 2-hour train ride to Geneva to attend the rally. He said that he was excited to be with Falun Gong practitioners: “To me, this practice is full of love, compassion and tolerance.” He also said, “I know, several thousand kms away, hundreds of thousands of men and women are being tortured to death because their beliefs are different from what is promoted by the CCP. I am aware that the crimes taking place in these countries are a shock to our human society.”

He also said, “I finally realized that, rallies like this one today can help people learn about these tragedies, in spite of international pressure, these terrible events continue to take place.”

In conclusion he said, “My stand is clear: I am with the minority group who are persecuted. Solidarity! We have no choice but to stay united!”

Geneva city councilors Denis Ruysschaert and Ms. Charlotte Meierhofer came to the rally to support Falun Gong practitioners.

NGO Acat Schweiz Sends Letter of Support

Bettina Ryser Ndeye, secretary of Acat Schweiz (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture) wrote in her letter: “On this day, July 20, 2023, we remember the many sacrifices that came from China’s wrong policy of persecuting Falun Gong. Twenty-four years ago till today, people are still being persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, forced to do labor or killed for their belief in Falun Gong. We condemn such brutal suppression and other forms of abuse that led to the organs of Falun Gong practitioners being stolen and sold in organ transplants.

“On this day, July 20, 2023, we also mourn for the families of these victims. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their parents, children, spouses, relatives and friends, are unaware of or only know bits of information about their friends and family members, they are unable to express their grief for fear of being persecuted.”

Her letter made the plea: “On this day July 20, 2023, we call on China to stop the suppression of Falun Gong, investigate into these brutalities and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.”

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 24 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.