European Parliament

  • MEP Tables Question to European Commission on the Persecution Against Falun Gong

    Pannella denounces the fact that the “crusade” launched by Jang Zemin in 1999 now affects 100 million followers of Falun Gong, and has already led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of barbaric episodes of torture and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people, as denounced by Amnesty International, the Human Rights Watch and the Falun Dafa Center of New York.
  • Simon Murphy MEP Shows Concern for the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in China and the Issue of Article 23 in Hong Kong

    "I share your concerns over the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. I would like to inform you that the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office together with the global European Commission Delegations and the Diplomatic Missions of the European Union follow closely human rights issues around the world."
  • Letters of Reply from UK MPs concerning Hong Kong's Article 23

    "In addition, the Union has on several occasions undertaken formal demarches to express concern about report of torture and ill treatment of followers of the Falun Gong movement who have been arrested, and has urged China to review harsh sentences imposed on them...Concern about the violations of the human rights of the followers of Falun Gong was also expressed in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on Human Rights in China in March 2002."
  • Reply to a Question from MEP on the Effect of Article 23 on Dafa Practitioners

    "In addition, the Union has on several occasions undertaken formal demarches to express concern about report of torture and ill treatment of followers of the Falun Gong movement who have been arrested, and has urged China to review harsh sentences imposed on them."
  • Question from MEP to European Commission on Effect of Article 23 on Dafa Practitioners

    "What is the opinion of the Commission on the introduction of the controversial Article 23 legislation of anti-subversion law, and is the Commission concerned about the threat to the ability of those who wish to peacefully practise Falun Gong activites either in Hong Kong or in the rest of China to practise their beliefs unimpeded or without threat of arbitrary arrest?"
  • Speech in the European Parliament Debate on Article 23

    "We hear not only what Hong Kong’s religious groups, but also Hong Kong’s economists, press and journalists are telling us, and we must take these concerns very seriously. These concerns clearly tell us that the opposition will be silenced, that freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to publish and the right of assembly, as well as the right and the freedom to form labour unions are no longer guaranteed."
  • Speech in the European Parliament Debate on Article 23

    "Last weekend, a large demonstration in Hong Kong illustrated the genuine concerns that Article 23 laws could undermine existing human rights and civil and religious liberties. I share these concerns and I urge the Hong Kong SAR Government to address them in the final proposals that they bring forward."
  • Speech in the European Parliament Debate on Article 23

    "In September the government of Hong Kong put forward a suggestion for a new law that threatens freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of belief in the region. The Falun Gong movement, as well as Christian Churches that are not approved of by the Chinese government, would have the same legal status in Hong Kong as it has had in China since 1999."
  • Interviews with MEPs about Article 23

    “At this moment, civil rights is not just a concern in Hong Kong, it is a global concern...What we need to do is to express those concerns to the Hong Kong government to ensure that this unique law is not used to suppress people’s rights.
  • Speech in the European Parliament Debate on Article 23: Cecilia Malmström MEP

    "The strength of Hong Kong lies in the fact that the ‘one country, two systems’ principle has been able to be maintained. I fear, and many with me, that this change will undermine that principle severely. This would, of course, be completely unacceptable. The fact that Mainland China is exerting pressure to make this change happen is not comforting...If a group such as Falun Gong, which is forbidden in China, were also to be forbidden in Hong Kong, it would be a serious violation of the principle: one country, two systems."
  • Speech from the European Parliament Debate on Article 23

    "Note, as an article that only gained its form after the Tiananmen massacre in Beijing, Article 23 therefore reflects the Chinese communist paranoia of then and now. The negative reaction of even the business class in Hong Kong speaks for itself. It reflects a broad civil discontent about a diffuse consultation process about the legal execution of article 23."
  • MEP Speaks out Against Article 23

    "We hope that Hong Kong will not follow the Chinese system of general regulations that allow completely random persecution of political dissidents. In particular we fear, just like Mrs. Malmström, for the adherents of Falun Gong whose peaceful protest cannot justify any persecution."
  • Epoch Times: Living Through this Critical Moment in History: European Parliament Passes a Resolution Against the Article 23 Legislation in Hong Kong

    'One Hong Kong citizen told a reporter that she was brought up in Mainland China where she and her family were persecuted. She had been sentenced to eight months of labour “re-education” [Jiang regime's term for brainwashing] without trial. She said that she did not want to see Beijing’s terror tactics exported to Hong Kong.'
  • Speech by Roger Helmer MEP at a Press Conference in Strasbourg (photo)

    'I am very concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners that is taking place in the PRC and obviously therefore I share the concern expressed in this demonstration today at the risk that the proposed article 23 legislation in Hong Kong may leads to repression in Hong Kong itself.'
  • European Parliament Resolution on Hong Kong