(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held activities in multiple German cities to mark the 26th anniversary of their peacefully protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing persecution. Many elected officials addressed the rallies, wrote letters, or gave interviews to express their support for practitioners and admiration for practitioners’ perseverance in peacefully protesting for so many years. They expressed solidarity with practitioners in working to end the persecution and safeguarding basic human rights.
Fourteen elected officials at various levels of government condemned the persecution of Falun Dafa in China.From left to right:top row: Michael Gahler, Member of European Parliament (MEP); Oliver Stirböck, Member of State Parliament (MSP) of Hesse; Frank Börner, MSP of North Rhine-Westphalia; and Nicole Höchst, Member of the Federal Parliament (MP).Middle row: Norbert Altenkamp, MP; Dr. Günter Krings, MP; Anne König, MP; Thomas Rachel, MP; and Sascha Herr, MSP for Hesse.Bottom row: Dr. Jonas Geissler, MP; Peter Beyer, MP; Dr. Franziska Kersten, MP; René Domke, MSP of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Dr. Rainer Rothfuß, MP. (Photo composite from official websites)
German Government Concerned about Falun Gong Issue and Requests Investigation
Thomas Rachel, MP of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German government Commissioner for Global Freedom of Religion at the Federal Foreign Office (from the official website of Germany)
Screenshot of X platform
Thomas Rachel MP posted on the X platform on July 20, “For 26 years, China has brutally persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. I urge China to uphold their human rights in line with international standards and national law. Multiple reports allege torture and death of Falun Gong followers in custody, which requires transparent investigation.”
MEP: Europe Should Pass Similar Bill as Falun Gong Protection Act in the US
Michael Gahler, MEP of CDU
Michael Gahler MEP addressed the Falun Gong rally in Frankfurt on July 19, 2025.
“The European Union, Germany and the entire democratic world have always been committed to upholding basic human rights, including freedom of belief and conscience. Even countries including China signed and adopted international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
He said that the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is not only related to China. “It is also closely related to us because it violates international norms and conventions and must be condemned,” MP Gahler said. “In the European Parliament, we have repeatedly mentioned the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners when discussing the human rights situation in China.
“We condemn all forms of persecution, whether it is imprisonment or forced organ harvesting. We note that, for example, the United States has passed the Falun Gong Protection Act, which should serve as a model for other democratic countries. The bill aims to identify individuals involved in the persecution and impose sanctions on them, such as banning entry and freezing their overseas accounts. I believe that we should take similar actions against the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other persecuted groups.”
Click here for an audio recording of MP Gahler's statement.
Finally, Mr. Gahler called on everyone to pay attention to the groups persecuted in China. “In all our contacts with China, including the EU-China summit to be held at the end of this month, in addition to economic and tariff issues, we must not forget human rights issues,” he stated. “We must continue to demand an end to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, release all detainees, and allow them to freely practice their beliefs and cultivation.”
MP: Thank You, Falun Gong, for Your Perseverance
Anne König MP of the CDU
Letter from Anne König MP of the CDU
Anne König MP stated in her letter, “It is a disturbing paradox that authoritarian states invoke their order—while destroying precisely that which underlies every legitimate order: freedom of conscience. On July 20, 1999, the People’s Republic of China began declaring Falun Gong a threat to the state, not because of violence, but because of its internal independence. Since then, we have witnessed state-organized persecution of millions of citizens, not despite, but because of their faith.
“Falun Gong is not a force of power, not a party, not a movement with political goals. It is a quiet practice, a search for meaning, sustained by values such as truthfulness, morality, compassion, and tolerance. That a state felt threatened by it when it grew rapidly is revealing: It reveals the weakness of a system that wants to control everything and, precisely for this reason, does not provide for trust in the individual within the system.
“Philosophy teaches us that freedom does not consist in being able to do what one wants—but in not having to do what one cannot take responsibility for. Those who, like the followers of Falun Gong, remain steadfast under pressure, without violence, without reciprocal hatred, demonstrate an inner independence that is greater than any ideological power.
“The reports are well known. Imprisonment without trial. Re-education under duress. Reports of torture, of psychological abuse, of forced organ harvesting—horrific atrocities are revealed without disguise.
“The European Parliament clearly stated these things in its resolution last year: It demands the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, it condemns the systematic violation of religious freedom, it calls for an international investigation into the events, and the application of targeted sanctions against those responsible.
“Our voice may barely be heard in Beijing. But it is not ineffective. For, according to [German philosopher Emmanuel] Kant, moral action is not measured by success, but by insight into what is required. Those who silently accept injustice numb themselves. Those who name it send a signal to the persecuted that they are not forgotten. And to ourselves, who remind ourselves that political responsibility begins with having the courage to tell the truth, and not shrinking from doubts about its effectiveness.”
MP: Freedom of Belief Is a Universal Right
Peter Beyer MP, CDU
Letter from Peter Beyer MP, CDU
Peter Beyer MP of the CDU stated in his letter, “Today’s occasion is a serious and distressing one—for we commemorate the beginning of a systematic persecution that was initiated by the Chinese government on July 20, 1999, and continues to this day. Millions of people who peacefully practice Falun Gong have since become victims of surveillance, deprivation of liberty, forced labor, torture—and in many cases even organ harvesting.
“This repression is not only a clear violation of fundamental human rights, but also an expression of a deeply immoral policy. The Chinese government is not concerned with religion—it is about control. It is about control over the thoughts, beliefs, and personal freedom of its citizens. For a regime that fears truth, compassion, and tolerance demonstrates one thing above all: that it fears its own people more than its own injustice.
“The persecution of Falun Gong is not alone in this. Tibetans, Christians, Uyghurs, dissidents, journalists, and human rights lawyers are also becoming targets of a state apparatus that does not tolerate dissent.
“Precisely for this reason, we must state clearly today: Freedom of religion is a universal right that may not be taken away from any person—not even by a government. If this right is violated, the erosion of other fundamental freedoms inevitably follows. And when the world turns a blind eye, it is not helping the victims, but the perpetrators.”
(To be continued)
Copyright © 1999-2025 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
Category: July 20 Events
