Bulgaria: “This Persecution Is Merciless!”

(Minghui.org) On two successive Saturdays—March 23 and 30, 2024—Falun Dafa practitioners held events in Plovdiv and Varna to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution in China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues the persecution, including forced organ harvesting from those who practice Falun Dafa.

The information booths and practitioners’ banners were set up near busy shopping streets and attracted the attention of passersby with their calls to end the CCP’s atrocities and repression against Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioners.

To help people learn about the situation in China, practitioners collected signatures on two petitions: The first condemns the CCP’s numerous human rights atrocities in China, and the second supports an initiative by Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH). The DAFOH petition calls on the government of Bulgaria to ensure that the Bulgarian state, citizens, and organizations are not involved in the persecution and forced organ harvesting from practitioners.

A local social media channel interviews practitioner Nicol from Varna about the event.

“This Persecution Is Merciless and Disgusting!”

The unusually warm weather drew hundreds of people outside to the shopping streets, and many stopped at the practitioners’ booth to find out more about the situation. For many of them, the extent of the brutality in China against innocent citizens came as a shock.

Radka signed both of the practitioners’ petitions after hearing about the persecution and the forced organ harvesting from practitioners in China. “What I hear is horrible, how could this be true?” she asked. Before leaving, she wished practitioners success in telling more people about the persecution in China.

Radka signed both petitions to help stop the abuse and killing of practitioners in China.

Michaela from Sofia was visiting her relatives in Plovdiv. She said she’s seen banners with the same content in the capital, calling for an end to the persecution and organ harvesting by the CCP, but passed them by. Today, she wanted to find out more.

Practitioners told her about the 24-year-long persecution and the efforts of the Falun Dafa community around the world to stop the persecution. “This [persecution] is a crime!” exclaimed Michaela. She signed both petitions, encouraged practitioners, and added that she would help them tell people about the egregious human rights abuses.

Michaela said she would tell her friends and family about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China.

A mother and son stopped in front of the petition stand. The mother, Velimira, asked practitioners a lot of questions about the persecution and why it happened, along with the details of how the practitioners in China are being treated.

“This is merciless and disgusting!” she said when she heard practitioners are tortured and have their organs removed while they are alive. Velimira asked if there were other efforts around the world to counter the persecution. She was interested in the actions taken by governments to stand in solidarity with practitioners.

She added her signature to both petitions to express her support for practitioners in China.

Students Interested in Learning the Exercises

Students from nearby schools were also curious about the practitioners’ activities. Simona and Bojidara are 15-year-old students at the Russian High School in Plovdiv. They quietly listened as practitioners described the persecution and human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners in China. “Is this only happening in China? It’s just unbelievable!” Simona said.

The two were drawn to the information in the leaflets about the practice and after signing both petitions the girls asked where practitioners in Plovdiv did the Falun Dafa exercises so they could learn them.

Simona and Bojidara learn about Falun Dafa and the CCP’s persecution in China.

Martin and Daniel, also 15 years old, were students at the electrical engineering technical school in Plovdiv. After they were told about the persecution, they immediately signed the petition to condemn the CCP for its human rights crimes.