Mr. Ward Kennes, Flemish MP and the Mayor of Kasterlee, a community in Belgium, sent a letter to the President of South Korea in support of persecuted Chinese Falun Gong practitioners seeking asylum in South Korea. A copy of the letter will also be sent to Ambassador Ho-Young AHN of the South Korean embassy in Belgium (Korean mission to the EU).

“I understand that recently around a hundred Falun Gong members of Chinese origin have applied for asylum in South Korea and been refused asylum, while ten of them have been forcibly repatriated to China. On the face of it, this, if true, would appear to put the republic of Korea in breach of its obligations under international treaties, given the strong possibility that these persons when repatriated to China would be seriously mistreated."

The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has lasted 12 years since it started on July 20, 1999. On July 20, Members of the European Parliament, Zuzana Roithova and Ana Gomes, wrote letters to Falun Gong practitioners to condemn the CCP's persecution and express their support to Falun Gong practitioners.

Ossur Skarphedinsson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently apologised on behalf of the Icelandic Government for the treatment that Falun Gong practitioners endured in relation with the Chinese president's visit to Iceland in the summer of 2002.

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, Falun Gong practitioners from Slovakia commemorated World Falun Dafa Day by holding an event in SNP Square in Bratislava. The passersby were drawn especially by the exercises, which the practitioners demonstrated. Many asked about the persecution in China and some signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution.

On November 13, 2010, Falun Gong practitioners from more than twenty countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium, gathered in Rome, the capital of Italy, to hold a massive parade. Many EU and Italian officials wrote letters or came to join in the parade in support of Falun Gong.

Ms. Valerie Boyer held a press conference to introduce the motion she is proposing to the assembly. The motion will require French residents that go to other countries to get organ transplants to provide proof of the source of those organs. The motion mentioned specifically the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

On July 18, 2009, 62-year-old Ji Guizhen, a Falun Gong practitioner from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, was arrested for her beliefs. Her daughter, Xu Anlan, and other family members haven't seen her since. After being illegally imprisoned for a year, Ji Guizhen was handed a two-year labour camp sentence for possessing Falun Gong informational materials calling for the end of the persecution.

On July 19, Mr. Liu Hongchang visited Slovakia. Mr. Liu spent 5 years in a Chinese prison because he practised Falun Gong. He was received by two members of the Slovak parliament, Mr. Dostal and Mr. Sebej, who heard his story. The MPs expressed their sympathy for the people in China who are persecuted for their beliefs.

Lodz, Poland, was the proud host of Shen Yun Performing Arts on June 14-16, 2010. Among the audience was Councillor Filip Urbanek, who attended the last Shen Yun performance held in Lodz, the third largest city in Poland. He, like the thousands of other people in the audience, bid farewell to the Shen Yun performers with thunderous applause.

Shen Yun Performing Arts was enthusiastically received at each of its three shows in Lodz, Poland. Former dancer Jzabela Polaszczyk was very moved by Shen Yun. She described the Chinese dance techniques and movements in the show as, "Very nice, very delicate, very smooth and emotional, I would say."

The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts completed its hugely successful European tour by staging three exhilarating shows in Lodz, Poland. Marek Klimczak, an economist and the director of a large company, attended the performance with his wife and a few good friends. He described Shen Yun as an unforgettable show.

The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company delighted audiences at the Teatr Wielki/Great Theatre, in Lodz, Poland, for three energy-charged shows on June 14-16, 2010. Robert Dybalski, the owner of the famous "Dybalski" confectionery, attended the Shen Yun performance.

The Shen Yun Performing Arts concluded three shows at the Teatr Wielki / Great Theatre in Lodz, Poland on June 14-16, 2010, bringing several standing ovations and curtain calls. Among the many distinguished guests in the audience was opera singer Andrzej Jurkiewicz (pictured with Shen Yun tenor Yuan Qu).

Shen Yun Performing Arts met with heart warming applause as it presented its premiere performance to Turin, Italy. The New York-based artists were welcomed by a very responsive audience at the Teatro Regio on Tuesday June 8, with several standing ovations and three curtain calls. Sir Sette was visibly amazed and moved by the show and said it was "fantastic".

A wonderful Mediterranean evening and a warm response from the audience welcomed the first performance of the Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company in Athens on Thursday, June 3. Lola Dafae, the public relations manager of Star Channel, a large Greek TV broadcaster, attended Shen Yun at the Badminton Theatre. Ms. Dafae enjoyed Shen Yun "very much".

A last minute change of venue could not deter Shen Yun Performing Arts as the New York-based company continues its 2010 World Tour. It is making history while delighted audiences around the globe bear witness as the artists resurrect China's ancient culture. Mr. Ghiolman found Shen Yun "really fantastic", exclaiming, "all my friends who were with me were really shocked and touched."

Commenting on the spiritual message of Shen Yun, Mr. Papadopoulos said, "I think it's the positive message of the dances. If one thinks of the tradition and the spirit that was needed for all of this to be preserved for 5,000 years, when you see it today, you realize there is definitely a strong spirit in order for it to survive this long."

Enthusiastic applause and joyful laughter resonated through the Badminton Theatre in Athens on the evening of Thursday, June 3, 2010, responding to the first of two shows from Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company. Deputy Mayor of Education Irene Papageorgiou attended the performance. "I was really impressed. It's a fantastic show! It's so colourful, with wonderful music! The male and female dancers are fantastic."

Gülsen Tuncer, a film and theatre artist and academic, was in the audience for the Istanbul show. "We know that the Chinese culture is a very [deeply] rooted, ancient, colourful and sophisticated culture," the artist said. "What we have seen and what amazes me with this show is how they combined the Chinese tradition with technology."

Shen Yun Performing Arts staged three shows at Lutfi Kirdar Congre Centre's Anadolu Auditorium, in the ancient city of Istanbul, Turkey. In attendance was Dr. Münci Kalayolu, an internationally renowned organ transplant surgeon and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Memorial Hospital in Istanbul. "I loved it a lot."

On Friday 21st May, Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the auspicious Anadolu Auditorium. Enjoying the performance was engineer Ismael Cinar. "This show was a magical music and dance combination.

 When I see a show, I'm looking for centralization... But this was good. It's incredible."



Florence Clavier is a stopover director for an airline company at the Geneva airport. She travelled over an hour from Geneva to see the Shen Yun Performing Arts show on May 15. This was her third time seeing Shen Yun. "The first time was magic, the second was also magic, and the third was even more magic!" After the show, she said, "I leave from there rejuvenated, rested."

Former ballerina Monique Deval was moved to tears after watching the Shen Yun Performing Arts show at the Aula Magna on Saturday May 8, 2010. "It is absolutely fabulous! Fabulous! Moving! It is extraordinary, they are all so full of beauty and lightness--I had tears in my eyes," she said. "It was all so extraordinary, this show."

Ms. Kristina László wanted to see Shen Yun after attending a reception in Parliament promoting the show. She and her mum, Ilona, attended in honour of her mother's 60th birthday. The ladies loved the show and thought Shen Yun was a great way to mark the occasion. Ms. László said joyfully, "We celebrated like this."

From April 30 to May 9, 2010, Shen Yun Performing Arts has been bringing the beauty and pageantry of ancient Chinese culture to the stage of the Aula Magna Theatre in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, near the EU capital of Brussels. Mr. Alvaro Guillen Lazo, who helps support the EU Parliament, came to the show with his wife and two children.

"This show has opened my mind to Chinese culture, the richness of this country, the diversity of everything that can be seen as cultural richness, the dances, the colours, mostly the differences between regions, because, depending on the scenes, some things would come from North, or Mongolia, or South, or the lakes area."

Patrice Neuenschwander, cultural delegate of the city of Neuchatel, joined the enthusiastic audience and expressed his delight in the show. "This is a truly magical show, the colours are really extraordinary, the costumers are fantastic, the technique of both the male and female dancers are also quite remarkable. It's really a beautiful spectacular."

Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company concluded a spectacular, ten-show run, at the Aula Magna in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium on May 11, 2010. Among the many distinguished guests at the show was European Parliament member, Roger Helmer, who represents East Midlands, UK. Mr. Helmer said he would definitely recommend the show to his friends.

"The principles promoted by Falun Dafa - Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance - can help us all, whatever our beliefs, to try to improve life and perspective on life. These principles help us to cherish the most important thing to us that men care for those less fortunate, sacrifice, loyalty and dedication."

"The principles promoted by Falun Dafa - Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance - can help us all, whatever our beliefs may be, in our attempt to improve our life and the perspective of life. These principles help us cherish the most important thing for us, as human beings: the concern for the less fortunate ones, the sacrifice, loyalty and dedication."

Truske Verloop, an organizer for the TEFAF Maastricht Art and Antiques Fair, along with her friend Carol Bentink, went to the show on Tuesday evening, May 4. "Totally awesome," Ms. Verloop said afterwards. "So delicate. All the colours, all the movement, all the thought behind it--it is too much to be able to comprehend in just one time, I think."

Among the audience was theologian Greet Heslinga. She talked about the perfection of the show. "It's incredible. It's truly magnificent. The costumes, the colours, the dance. For me, this was my first exposure to Chinese dance. And it was truly perfect, no flaws."

Sébastien Morgan, a journalist for Wolvendael Magazine, a south-Brussels newspaper, wants everyone to see the Shen Yun Performing Arts show wherever in the world they might be. "I think there is an important message to convey. This show is one of the channels able to convey this message of spirituality, peace, tolerance, which are missing today," he said.

"I think it's a celestial show!" exclaimed Belgian judge Christian Kubbens after watching Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company's opening show at the Aula Magna in Louvin-la-Neuve on Friday, April 30. He went to see the show with his wife, Cécile, also a judge, and their daughter who is of Chinese ethnicity.

Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company premiered at Aula Magna in Louvin-la-Neuve on Friday, April 30. Françoise Van Caillie, a dance and movement professor from the Brussels-based Institut de Rythmique Jacques-Dalcroze de Belgique was in attendance, and was deeply moved by the performances.

The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, UK, Councillor Brian Griffiths, called Shen Yun Performing Arts "out of this world!" After watching the New York-based performing arts company's début performance to Wales on April 27, the Mayor was highly impressed: "We thought the show would be good. But it was more than good, it was fantastic."