London, UK: Signatures Delivered to the Prime Minister’s Office, Candlelight Vigil Held

(Minghui.org) At 12 noon on July 20, 2023, several representatives of Falun Dafa practitioners in the UK handed over a box of signatures on Opposing Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Organ Harvesting from Living Falun Gong Practitioners and a letter of petition to the Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street in London.

That evening practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese embassy in London to commemorate the victims of the CCP’s genocide and persecution of Falun Dafa, and called on righteous people to help stop the 24-year-long persecution. Many passers-by supported their effort.

Falun Dafa practitioners hand over signatures and a petition letter to the Prime Minister’s Office. Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese embassy.

Before marking the April 25 appeal in April this year, the Prime Minister’s Office sent a letter conveying Prime Minister Sunak’s support and praise for Falun Dafa practitioners’ long-term peaceful struggle to safeguard freedom of belief.

This time, the British Falun Dafa Association appealed to the Prime Minister in its petition letter, “Please support the universal values of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and defend the right of Falun Dafa practitioners to enjoy freedom of belief, not only in the UK, but also in China. Your stand against the persecution will bring hope to those who are still suffering in China, as well as their families and friends in the UK.”

Victim of the Persecution Calls for an End to the Brutality

Among the practitioners who submitted 67,420 signatures at the Prime Minister’s Office that day, Ms. Han Fei from Beijing is a victim of the persecution. She said in an interview, “In 1998, after my mother practiced Falun Dafa, complications from her stroke, her cholecystitis, and cystitis all disappeared. I witnessed the amazing benefits of practicing Falun Dafa. I also started to practice, and soon my cervical spondylosis, frozen shoulder, and arthritis that troubled me for many years were all gone. 

“The CCP began to persecute Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. I decided to tell the world about my personal experience to show that Falun Dafa is good. In April and May 2000, I went to Tiananmen Square twice to unfurl a banner with the words Falun Dafa Is Good. Police arrested me and detained me for nearly two months. The police instigated other detainees to beat me brutally. After I went on a hunger strike for six days, I was released.

“Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, police broke into my residence at night, arrested me, and detained me in a women’s labor camp for nearly two years. In the summer of 2012, police harassed me again. In November 2019, I was arrested for distributing information about Falun Dafa. 

“On April 22, 2022, I was kidnapped again. The police handcuffed my hands behind my back and drove me to a hospital. A bald police officer strangled me and forced me to undergo a medical examination, almost suffocating me to death. Every time they kidnapped me, they drew blood, checked my eyes and internal organs, and collected my blood type and organ function information.”

After being persecuted for many years, Ms. Han finally went to the UK. She realized how valuable freedom is. She hopes that the international community will pay attention to practitioners’ plight, and help end this brutal persecution.

The CCP Must Be Brought to Justice

Nora hopes the international community works together to end the persecution. 

Nora, a third-year nurse intern, just got off work from the hospital and was on her way home when she noticed practitioners doing the exercises. She said the scene was peaceful and she learned about Falun Dafa and the persecution. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I am sorry that so many people have been harmed (by the CCP) for their beliefs, and that the CCP has taken their organs from them. I think it is wrong for the CCP to persecute them because of their beliefs.”

She said that everyone has the right to practice their beliefs peacefully and safely. People cannot be tortured just because they believe in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, or because they express their opinions.

Nora said she plans to send a letter to her MP to express her concern about the persecution of Falun Gong. She said, “I really hope the rest of the world puts pressure on the Chinese government.”

Mr. Farton said the CCP must be held accountable. 

Mr. Farton was riding an electric scooter, and stopped to talk with practitioners. He signed the petition and said, “I believe the CCP’s approach is wrong. People should be able to live peacefully and express their ideas. If someone stops them, it’s wrong.”

He did not understand the CCP’s live organ harvesting. “It’s terrible to harvest organs and sell them for money. I mean, they (the CCP) don’t like anyone doing this to their own family. Why do they think it’s acceptable for other families? It’s horrible. I don’t want anyone to do it. People commit crimes because they think they can get away from their wrongdoing. The CCP must be held accountable.” 

Minghui.org has confirmed that at least 4974 Falun Dafa practitioners have died due to the CCP’s violence. In the first half of 2023, at least 702 practitioners were illegally sentenced by the CCP, and 3,133 were kidnapped and harassed, and 535 of them were elderly practitioners over 60 years old. The persecution took place in 27 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. These practitioners are civil servants, university professors, teachers, senior engineers, accountants, designers, painters, doctors, entrepreneurs, radio hosts, deputy directors of the tax bureau and other social elites from all walks of life.