Australia: Rally at Capital Hill Calls to End the Persecution in China

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a four-day event which included a rally, signature collection and awareness raising in Canberra, Australia from March 25 to 28, 2024. They also visited members of Parliament and other organizations. They called on the Australian government to help stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 24-year-long persecution and rescue the practitioners persecuted in China who are family members of Australian residents.

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioners held group practice in front of Parliament and displayed banners. Drivers of passing-by vehicles honked their horns to show their support.

They collected signatures at intersections and shopping centers. By March 28, 3,300 people had signed the petition calling to stop the persecution.

Practitioners did the exercises in front of Capital Hill in Canberra on March 27, 2024.

Practitioners display banners along the main streets of Canberra.

Practitioners talk to people about the CCP’s persecution and collect signatures.

The Persecution of Falun Dafa Is Trampling Universal Values

Dr. Lucy Zhao, Director of the Australian Falun Dafa Association, said that since July 1999, countless practitioners have been persecuted, leading to over 5,000 documented deaths, imprisonment and broken families of several million practitioners. The persecution is ongoing and is the biggest human rights tragedy in China.

Dr. Lucy Zhao, Director of the Australian Falun Dafa Association, addressed the rally on March 27.

She said, “The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong is actually persecution of traditional Chinese values, as well as persecution of the Chinese people, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are universal values. Ending the persecution of Falun Gong is actually helping China’s future.”

She called on the Australian government to learn from the European Union, “The European Union passed a resolution against the persecution in January, and the Australian government can also pass a similar resolution. This can be used to clearly express the Australian government and people’s opposition to this persecution, express the support of the Australian government and people for human rights, support for freedom of belief, and support for universal values.

“On the other hand, from the perspective of the long-term trade development between Australia and China, the Australian government’s support for human rights and stopping the persecution is also seeking a common and equal basis, because trade should be based on common values and mutual respect.”

Multiple practitioners also gave speeches during the rally and explained how their family members suffered in the persecution.

Multiple practitioners gave speeches.

76-Year-Old Woman Is Persecuted

Ms. Chen from Sydney said that her 76-year-old mother Ms. Tan Zezhen lives in Beihai City, Guangxi Province. She recovered from several illnesses after she began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. She was detained five times and her home was ransacked more than 20 times since the CCP initiated the persecution. She was incarcerated in forced labor camps twice for a total of three years and nine months. She was detained in brainwashing facilities many times and suffered unimaginable, brutal torture.

Her mother was reported to the police for talking to people about the persecution on December 19, 2020. Police raided her home that afternoon and confiscated her personal belongings.

Ms. Chen said, “But my father did not receive any notice of her detainment. My family members and friends do not know the whereabouts or fate of my mother. My father is 80 years old and has no one to care for him. He sits in front of his home in a daze every day and worries for my mother’s safety.”

Sister Arrested and Husband Sentenced to Eight Years Prison

Ms. Liu from Sydney narrated her family’s suffering during the 24-year-long persecution.

Her sister Ms. Liu Chunxia was arrested on May 6, 2023, before the CCP head Xi Jinping participated in the Central Asia Summit in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. A hearing was held last December. She is still detained in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.

Ms. Liu said, “My sister was an engineer at a state enterprise. She was imprisoned for five and four years in 2000 and 2017, respectively, for her belief in Falun Gong. She spent the best years of her life in prison.”

When Ms. Liu and her son fled China, her practitioner husband Jia Ye was imprisoned for eight years. Her son was separated from his father for 20 years. Because of the persecution, the family has been torn apart.

The CCP Refuses to Issue Passport, Leading to 20-Year Separation

Ms. Zhuang from Sydney petitioned the Foreign Minister Penny Wong in the rally to rescue her husband Li Tao. “Because my husband upholds his belief, Falun Gong, the CCP refused to issue him a passport. My daughter was three years old when she was separated from her father. Now she is a first year university student.”

She said her husband was forcibly brought to the police station to have blood drawn, “I’m worried that he may be listed in the forced organ donor database. I’m afraid that he’ll disappear one day.”

When she saw that the Foreign Minister was actively rescuing a Chinese-Australian journalist and bringing her back to Australia, she said, “Australians hope that every mother can be reunited with her family.” “Hope was ignited in my mind. I thought maybe my daughter and I don’t have to wait that long, and my daughter can reunite with her father.”

Parents Fled China and Stayed in Thailand for 11 Years

Ms. Yang from Melbourne said her father Mr. Yang Naiming and her mother Ms. Liu Min became healthy after practicing Falun Gong. Her mother was incarcerated four times from 2000 to 2004, including one year in a forced labor camp and one year in a brainwashing facility. Because police frequently harassed them, they fled China in 2013 and applied for refugee status in Thailand. They have stayed there for 11 years.

Ms. Yang said, “Like my parents, countless practitioners are forced to separate from their families for their belief. Today, I am standing here and wish to seek help from the Australian Government and call upon them to help stop the 25-year-long persecution.”

Sister-in-Law Sentenced to Seven Years Prison

Mr. Zhao from Melbourne started practicing Falun Gong in 1998. Before he moved to Australia in 2023 he was arrested and incarcerated in labor camps and brainwashing facilities many times.

He said, “The persecution in China is ongoing. My sister-in-law Li Xia was an excellent employee in her work unit. She took care of her mother-in-law who was sick and bed-ridden for ten years. She was arrested and imprisoned many times.”

She was arrested in July 2023 and sentenced to prison for seven years on unfounded charges. He said, “I call on the Australian Government to help rescue kind Ms. Li Xia and have her return home safely.”

Teacher Stays in Thailand for Seven Years

Ms. Liang from Sydney said her sister Ms. Tang Yiwen was an excellent foreign language teacher in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Ms. Tang recovered from her years of illnesses including eye disease, chronic headaches, and cervical pain after practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Tang was arrested at home in August 2008 and sentenced to two years prison without proper legal procedure. She was later imprisoned for one more year.

Ms. Liang said, “In prison, she was subjected to every kind of torture.”

In February 2014, she was seized and detained in a brainwashing facility. She was released after holding a 20-day hunger strike in protest. She went from place to place afterwards and had no identification.

“In November 2017, she fled to Thailand and was approved as a UN refugee. Today, I call on Prime Minister Albanese to help my family member escape the persecution and call on the CCP to stop the brutality.”