Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners Hold Symbolic Trial of Jiang at Parliament Hill, Urge Prime Minister to Safeguard Human Rights

On September 25, at Parliament Hill and the Canadian Supreme Court in Ottawa, the Capital of Canada, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto and supporters held a grand rally, a parade and staged a symbolic trial to try the chief perpetrator, Jiang Zemin, who launched the persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners also called on the Canadian Premier, who plans to visit China, to help rescue their family members who are being persecuted in China and help end the four-year-long persecution. Representative of the "Word Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (WOIPFG) Matt Hildebrand delivered a speech. Six Parliament members attended the rally and gave supportive speeches. They were: MP Irwin Cotler, President of the Human Rights Committee, MP Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, MP Libby Davies, MP Rob Anders, MP Keith Martin and MP David Kilgour.

Parade in the rain.

Grand trial in the court of morality

Practitioners practising the Falun Gong exercises	Symbolic tribunal.

Around 11 am, a solemn trial in the court of morality started. Defendant Jiang was charged with committing genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. Several witnesses used their personal suffering of persecution as examples to expose the crimes and murder committed by Jiang and his 610 Office against millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China, as well as their poisonous deception and mental torture of innocent people over the world.

MP Rob Anders.

Rob Anders said in his speech that the persecution of the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners is a persecution of humanity's fundamental morality; it is an attack on morality and freedom. Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong in China has employed information institutions, labour camps and psychiatric hospitals. It has used the state-controlled media to deceive and threaten its own people. These coercive and suppressive measures have been extended to other countries. Large amounts of evidence shows that the Chinese Consulates and Embassies use exactly this kind of means to spread the anti-Falun Gong propaganda to other countries. In addition, in Canada, they even threatened Falun Gong practitioners. At present, Jiang Zemin is facing a global trial for the crimes he has committed.

MP and President of Human Rights Committee, Irwin Cotler.

Human rights attorney Irwin Cotler stated his view on the global trial of Jiang, saying that from a human rights perspective, every country has the responsibility to sue and extradite those world criminals whose crimes are irrefutable. This is also part of a global effort to break away from situations in which someone can escape from being punished; instead, they should be investigated under the law, so as to ensure that human rights criminals no longer have the immunity under the law but will be held accountable for what they have done. This kind of effort is one of the responsibilities of the world judiciary system in the 21st century.

MP Libby Davies.

MP Libby Davies said that it is very important to apply legal measures to punish the criminals according to law. At the same time, we still need more common people's persistent help: those who come to the Parliament, those who meet with Members of Parliament, different organisations. Then at the political layer, we need help from the United Nations and Canadian government. With all these efforts, we will achieve the momentum we need. Therefore, I think the legal challenge and the active prosecution and trial of Jiang are very important.

Representatives of "World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" and "Global Alliance to Bring Jiang to Justice" also joined this public tribunal. The representative of WOIPFG announced the most recent results of the investigation on Jiang and the 610 Office's hate crimes.

Rescue Trip

To rescue family members who are being persecuted in China, Toronto Falun Gong practitioners started a bike trip. After eight days of arduous journey, seven Falun Gong practitioners successfully arrived at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa this morning. Toronto practitioner Mr. Sun Dali said when he was interviewed, "During the trip, practitioners overcame physical and technical difficulties as well as bad weather. We successfully spread the information about Dafa and the persecution of Dafa in China to the governments and people of over the 10 cities along the way. We received broad support from the Canadian people. We hope the Prime Minister will utilise this opportunity of visiting China to urge the Chinese government to stop the persecution and release Falun Gong practitioners, including our family members." Sun Dali's aunt is currently imprisoned in Wangcun Forced labour Camp in Shangdong Province for practising Falun Gong.

During the one-day activity, Falun Gong practitioners delivered a petition letter to the Prime Minister's office and talked with his assistant, who promised to pass the petition letter as well as practitioners appeal to the Prime Minister.

Support from MPs

The six Members of Parliament who joined the rally today all expressed that they had already used different means to urge the Canadian Prime Minister to raise human rights issue in China and urge China to end the persecution of Falun Gong during his visit, and they would continue to do so.

MP Irwin Cotler said when answering reporters' questions that we must clearly express to China: How you treat Falun Gong will become a criteria to judge whether the China-Canada relationship can be improved and whether China can be respected in the International community. Falun Gong is not only related to China, but it is also echoed in the international community.

MP Libby Davies stated that she and many other MPs had written letters and held news conferences to urge the Canadian Prime Minister to call for an end to the persecution. Davies said that the MPs would like to let the Prime Minister know that although trade and business relationships are important, we have to give human rights the first priority. We must have determination to persistently appeal and constantly call for the government to be the leader of human rights, rather than to follow other's footsteps. Instead of being a silent partner, we should be the leader of calling for safeguarding the rights of China's Falun Gong practitioners and express to the Chinese government that Canada will not put these fundamental human rights beneath trade, but above trade. Although, sometimes, the road to justice can be long, and we might encounter frustration and obstacles, nevertheless, we are persisting.

MP Stockwell Day

MP Stockwell Day said in his speech that if we forgot or ignored raising the fundamental questions of freedom, love, tolerance and justice, we would lose all others.

MP David Kilgour stated at the rally that we can find our common humanity in Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance and unite people together, no matter how different our nationalities or cultural backgrounds might be. If more people and governments could think for a second and ask themselves what Truthfulness and Compassion mean, the world would become more beautiful.