August 20, 2010 is Saint Stephen's Day, recognizing the founding of the Hungarian state over 1,000 years ago. The holiday coincides with the 41st Flower Festival of Debrecen, Hungary's second largest city. The European chapter of the Divine Land Marching Band was invited to perform at the flower festival.

After the Chinese Communist regime began to suppress Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Liu Yingxu was persecuted many times. He was sent to a labour camp twice and imprisoned for three years in total. He was once detained in a brainwashing centre for seven and a half months. Recounting his ordeal in a labour camp: "I was assigned to make bricks. I often had to work until late at night, and with the lights on for quite some time. Initially, I was assigned to push the dump trucks and shovel debris. However, it was too strenuous for me, and I nearly fainted several times from exhaustion. My whole body ached after finishing work for the day. My hands were blistered, and I could not straighten my arms."

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Cui Lu was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment on September 9th, 2009, without a confession or any evidence whatsoever, and he was taken to Jidong Prison. The authorities did not inform his family about the verdict. While in prison, he has been subjected to severe torture. Mr. Cui began a hunger strike in June 2010 to protest the persecution. he has been force-fed. His mouth and oesophagus were injured as a result of the barbaric force-feeding. After two months on hunger strike, he has become extremely weak. He is now extremely weak and emaciated.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zheng Lanrui was arrested in 2001 and beaten by several people. She was tortured so severely because she refused to give up her belief in Falun Gong that she was bedridden for more than seven years. On August 10th, 2010 police ransacked her home. They confiscated her money and personal belongings, then took her to Chengguan Police Station. She was later transferred to Zhengding County Detention Centre.

The 610 Office [an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong] in Baoding City, Hebei Province have recently escalated the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.Police have arrested and harassed Falun Gong practitioners on a large scale. The police officers broke into practitioners' homes. They kicked in the doors, pried opened the locks, and took away cash and private property. Over 60 practitioners were confirmed arrested. Most were imprisoned in a forced labour camp. Over 100 practitioners were harassed. Wang Heli is now demanding that each county hold its own brainwashing session.

My wife and I began practising Falun Gong in early 1996. My wife was five months pregnant in July 1999, when the Chinese communist regime launched the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The persecution was very severe everywhere in China at that time. On July 20, my wife went to the provincial government to appeal for Falun Gong. As a result, she was detained in the stadium. Due to stress the baby's foetal position dropped lower.

The annual Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races and Taiwan Day Festival were held by the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on August 28th, 2010. Falun Gong practitioners had a table at the Festival.