DUBLIN (IFDIC): Practitioners of Falun Gong will hold a peaceful demonstration in front of Dublin Castle today and on Friday as officials from Europe and China come together to discuss human rights.

This dialogue has been cited by governments across Europe as the proper means to pursue human rights issues with China. However, to date, the proceedings of the dialogue have not been openly disclosed to the media thereby putting little public pressure on the Chinese to improve the situation on the ground.

Event:

Public Demonstration
Dublin Castle
Thursday and Friday (26 and 27 Feb)
9am-4pm

Mr. Donal Maddock from the Irish Falun Dafa Information Centre comments, "We hope that this year the doors of the talks can be blown open and that the EU officials can pass on this message to the Chinese officials: that the whole world has learned of the Jiang regime's campaign against Falun Gong; that this brutal persecution, which has drained the country's economic resources, is indeed China's greatest shame and that these crimes against humanity have been condemned by good people the world over."

Irish human rights officials will use this opportunity to raise the specific cases of Mr. Feng Liu and Ms. Fang Yang, two practitioners of Falun Gong who have been prevented from returning to their studies in Dun Laoghaire colleges.

NEWS – Feb. 26, 2004
Ireland Falun Dafa Information Centre, www.clearharmony.net

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Practiced in over 50 countries world-wide, Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture. With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's Communist leader Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report). Since that time, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practise it. 896 deaths (reports / sources) from maltreatment have been verified since the persecution began in 1999. However, the true death toll is feared to be in the thousands. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.