A Russian state-run TV station recently reported the ongoing brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China. It revealed that since July 1999, while Falun Gong has been subject to slanderous propaganda and persecution in China, the practice has spread rapidly abroad to over sixty countries and the number of practitioners has reached 100 million.

A report from Radio France Internationale's Chinese language broadcasting programme to the Asia Pacific area on the evening of Friday 23rd July 2004: According to news from Agence France Presse, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners held a demonstration yesterday in Washington DC to expose the crimes of the Beijing authorities in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Organisers of this demonstration hoped that the 3000 participants would build a “Great Wall of Courage”.

Falun Gong practitioners and human rights organisations in Germany and other major cities in Europe have held activities to commemorate the five year persecution of Falun Gong, urging people all over the world to oppose the torture and suppression by the Chinese government and supporting Chinese people’s freedom to pursue a better life. The following report is the summary of a broadcast by German special reporter Tian Yi at Radio Free Asia.

Yesterday, about 4,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Taipei to do exercises and hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the practitioners who have been killed during the persecution. Also, they launched the 'Rescue Falun Gong practitioners Campaign' in Taiwan in order to express their support towards mainland practitioners. At the same time, French practitioners staged a torture exhibition show in China Town Paris to show the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China to the public.

More and more Russian media reported on the persecution of Falun Gong in China. When we distributed leaflets about the shooting incident in South Africa and lawsuits against Jiang Zemin in many countries, three middle-aged women from the former Soviet Union asked me in Russian, “What is this?" I answered, “This is a peaceful method of cultivation, Falun Dafa, which is being persecuted in China." On hearing this, they said to me that they had seen a report about it on TV.”

After the shooting incident on June the 28th in South Africa, Falun Gong practitioners in Germany and other European countries started to appeal to draw attention to the matter, with protests at Chinese embassies and consulates in countries all over Europe. Falun Gong practitioners in Germany and other European countries have now extended the protests and appeals to South African Embassies as well.

Practitioners in Germany appealed to the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer about human rights abuse in China, and asked him to help to bring an end to the persecution taking place in China during his coming visit to China. The following report is the summary of an interview with Falun Gong practitioners conducted by Tianyi, a reporter for Radio Free Asia.

“As a Politburo Standing Committee member, Mr Li is in charge of information and media control in China...He supported brainwashing and torture of Falun Gong practitioners while serving as the Communist Party Secretary of Guangdong province. So far, twenty six Falun Gong deaths from torture in Guangdong prison have been verified. Of China’s thirty provinces, the number of deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong ranked 8th, ” says Zhang Jianping.

Three practitioners of the Falun Gong Spiritual movement filed a lawsuit in Paris against Li Changchun. The group said Mr Li was the accomplice to crimes of torture against the group, which is outlawed in China. The group said Mr Li had called for the elimination of Falun Gong practitioners and supported torture while serving as Communist Party Secretary of Guangdong Province. “Of China’s thirty provinces, Guangdong ranks eighth in terms of deaths of Falun Gong practitioners from abuse in custody ”, says Zhang Jianping, Falun Gong contact person in Paris.

In a fax document forwarded to us by Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Jianping , it was stated that the vice president of China, Zeng Qinghong, is now visiting South Africa and has met with the President. Australian Falun Gong practitioners heard about the visit and a small group travelled to South Africa and shortly after their arrival in the capital, Johannesburg, last night one of them was shot. His foot was injured and he is now in hospital for treatment. The Falun Gong Association believe that the gunmen were hired to kill in an act of terrorism conducted by Beijing.

In a recent special report about World Anti-Torture Day on Russian TV, a series of torture pictures and film stills were shown, many of which showed Falun Gong practitioners that had been tortured. The report pointed out that although every country has its laws to protect people’s right to be alive and live securely, they had not been able to stop the use of torture.

On June the 8th, 126 bipartisan Taiwan legislators signed their names to introduce a resolution calling on the Chinese authorities to immediately release the arrested and imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners and to stop persecuting Falun Gong. On the same day Taiwan legislature passed the resolution and submitted it to the Executive for further research.

The reporter mentioned that he interviewed Mr Li Hongzhi in 1993 in Beijing. He could not understand why the Chinese regime would start the persecution of Falun Gong. He was shocked when he realised how many thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been sent to slave labour camps, placed in mental hospitals, tortured to death and driven away from their homes, and that some of them were forced to become homeless because of their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.

'According to a report by the Falun Dafa Information Centre, the Chicago Superior Court is to decide whether Jiang Zemin, the ex-chairman of China, is exempt from the charges against him. Groups such as Falun Dafa have charged Jiang Zemin with crimes of cruel torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The Falun Dafa Information Centre appealed to Falun Gong practitioners worldwide to go to every Chinese Embassy on this day.'

'On June the 4th 1989, on TV screens all over the world, the Chinese Government arbitrarily slaughtered college students who called for democracy and had no weapons. After ten years, the leadership of the Chinese government again launched a brutal campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners who adhere to their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.'

According to a report by a journalist for Radio Free Asia, German and other European Falun Gong practitioners, human rights groups and the Global Alliance to Bring Jiang to Justice, participated in various activities at the Chinese Embassies and Consulates around Europe to voice their support for the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin currently taking place in a Chicago court. The lawsuit against Jiang Zemin filed by Falun Gong practitioners began proceedings in Chicago on May 27th.

The reporter interviewed an ordinary German who protested on the square near the hotel where Wen Jiabao stayed, asking her if she would like to say a few words. This lady, named Leonarda, said, ” We welcome Mr. Wen Jiabao’s visit to Germany very warmly. But, we hope that he would stop damaging China’s human rights, stop persecuting Falun Gong, and be able to put the people who suggested the persecution of Falun Gong first, like Jiang Zemin, on trial. I hope that the Chinese people can get real freedom.”

"During Wen Jiabao’s visit to Germany and other countries, Falun Gong practitioners unfurled banners reading, “Welcome Wen Jiabao”, “Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice” and “Expel the Human Rights Criminal Bo Xilai”. According to the news from Falun Gong’s Minghui website, before the Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai visited Europe with the delegation led by Wen Jiabao, his name was not on the name list announced to the public."

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao began his European trip in Germany. During the two day visit to Germany, there was an ardent atmosphere of economic collaboration. However, German human rights groups called for a reminder not forget the Chinese human rights problems when conducting economic collaboration talks.

The Chinese Premier concluded his visit to Germany on May 5th, and headed for Brussels. During Wen Jiabao's stay in Berlin, the Chinese delegation pressured German police to confiscate the banners unfurled by Falun Gong practitioners and other demonstrators. It became a problem for the German police. Regarding this incident, Radio Free Asia’s correspondent interviewed a legal scholar, Ms. Zheng Zhihong, who was involved in this matter.

During Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Berlin, Falun Gong practitioners unfurled banners that read, “Welcome Wen Jiabao” and “Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice”. However the Chinese delegation requested to remove the banner reading “Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice”, saying that to “bring Jiang to justice” is to sentence him to death. German psychiatrists said this indicated that those who participated in the persecution and those who protected the participants are very clear about the consequence of their actions in terms of international law.

'Before the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Germany, the police department in Germany acknowledged that during Jiang Zemin’s visit to Germany the year before last, certain police behaviour meted out to Falun Gong practitioners was illegal. They also promised from now on they will improve communications with Falun Gong practitioners when they engage in appeals and demonstrations during visits by Chinese officials.'

When Jiang Zemin visited Germany two years ago, protests by Falun Gong practitioners were widely noticed by the German media. Under pressure from the Chinese leadership, the German police adopted certain restrictive measures towards practitioners. Recently, it was announced that this had contravened the basic principles of the constitution.

"It was International Labour Day yesterday, over seven hundred Falun Gong practitioners from around the world gathered in Hong Kong to attend the 2004 Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference. Falun Gong practitioners came from Taiwan, Canada, Australia, America, Malaysia, Thailand, Macao and Hong Kong. Huang Jieyi, the contact person for Falun Gong in Hong Kong, told the CNA reporter that some practitioners had been prevented from entering Hong Kong by the authorities."

On May 2nd, the Chinese Premier will arrive in Germany. The Berlin Administrative Court judge, the representatives of the German Federal Department of Domestic Affairs and representatives of the German Falun Dafa Association officially reached an agreement this week, confirming that the behavior of the Federal Department of Domestic Affairs during Jiang Zemin’s visit to Germany in April 2002 was illegal. Journalists interviewed Ms Zheng Zhihong, who participated in the lawsuit and attended the meeting.

Extremely nervous about the upcoming 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre on June 4th, 1989, the Chinese government has no alternative but to give priority to the 5th anniversary of Falun Gong's "4.25" Peaceful Appeal. Falun Gong practitioners in all parts of Europe as well as human rights groups plan to hold various activities during this weekend. Falun Gong has spread widely in Europe. This report is based on a broadcast from Tian Yi, a reporter in Germany for Radio Free Asia.

"The majority of people thought that the suppression of Falun Gong was caused by the appeal of the Falun Gong practitioners who gathered at Zhongnanhai in 1999 and that this shocked Beijing. However, from a large amount of investigations, it has been discovered that the incident of the Zhongnanhai appeal was a historical necessity."

A Human Rights Association based in Germany has been paying close attention to China's human rights problems. At their annual general meeting last year, they passed a resolution asking the German government to express concern over China's crackdown on Falun Gong and to help release the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioner Xiong Wei. Last weekend they passed a five-point resolution based on last year's resolution and submitted it to the European Parliament.

'Seventy million people are being persecuted, and brutally so. About 100 000 practitioners have been put in jail: women, people any age…There are over 800 documented cases of people who have been tortured to death, but it talks for itself: the real number is much higher. They also try to force the practitioners to give up their belief, to sign statements; they send them to brain washing classes and forced labour camps. It is a very, very sad situation.'

The German Human Rights Association invited Chinese students in Germany to report the persecution of their relatives in China for practising Falun Gong. The following is summarised from a report by reporter Tian Yi of RFA in Germany on April the 8th 2004.

“The World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong” announced yesterday that it would launch a new book entitled “Investigation Reports on the Persecution of Falun Gong” in Geneva where the annual United Nations Commission for Human Rights is being held. This book was published at the end of March this year, and copies of the book will be given to the representatives of different countries participating in the commission meeting.

According to a journalist from Taiwan’s Central News Agency, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from over sixty countries around the world will parade through New York’s Chinatown in Manhattan this Saturday afternoon. This large-scale parade, entitled “The Journey of Fa-rectification,” will have nine sections, and will use means such as dancing to introduce Falun Gong and draw people’s attention to the persecution in China.

Hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world gathered together in Geneva, at the opening of the 60th United Nation Human Rights Conference, to peacefully appeal for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China, which has lasted for 5 years. Geneva Broadcasting station interviewed the Swiss Falun Dafa Association, as well as two practitioners who had personally encountered persecution.

On March 22nd, the US government put forward a resolution condemning China’s human rights. In response, the Chinese government not only put forward a White Paper to defend its position, but also tried to persuade some member African nations to shun the resolution. To gauge the reaction of the German society and government, RFA’s correspondent interviewed a Law scholar from the University of China, Ms Zheng Zhihong, now living in Berlin, on the evening of Tuesday 30th.

Several hundred Falun Gong practitioners from all parts of the world gathered in Geneva for the opening of the sixtieth session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, to appeal peacefully for a halt to the persecution that has been raging in China for almost five years. The Swiss Falun Gong Association and two victims of the persecution were interviewed by Radio City, a local radio station, for a broadcast devoted entirely to Falun Gong.

'Mr. Zhang Jianping, spokesperson for Falun Gong in Paris, has faxed us the news that a delegation from the World Psychiatric Association will depart for Beijing on the 4th of April 2004 to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners inside China’s psychiatric hospitals. The persecution allegedly takes place under the directives of Chinese officials.'

The second annual Irish Students’ Human Rights Conference was held in Dublin at the end of February. Guest speakers included human rights officials, activists, and researchers from England and Ireland, as well as UN human rights officials. Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for human rights, made a speech at the conference. Zhao Ming is a Falun Gong practitioner who recently obtained his MSc in Computer Science from Trinity College in Dublin. As a victim of human rights violations rescued from China, he was invited to make a speech in the conference. He also accepted an interview with NTDTV reporters.

The annual UNHRC meeting has opened in Geneva. Nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world, together with human rights groups from various countries, assembled at the United Nations building to call for a dialogue concerning the issue of human rights in China and for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Government.

'The Central News Agency says that the demonstration activities conducted by worldwide Falun Gong practitioners outside the conference hall will become a major focus. Information shows that there will be more than one thousand Falun Gong practitioners attending the demonstration in Geneva on Monday. Among them, more than one hundred practitioners are from Taiwan.'

'According to the Falun Dafa Information Centre, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong just issued an investigative report into the illegal actions of government official Chen Zhili who works in the educational field in China.'

A French TV station recently reported on Falun Gong practitioners' participation in the recent “Spring Telling” Exhibition in France. This provided a chance to clear the good name of Falun Gong and to explain the facts about the nature of Falun Gong and the persecution. This TV report was a significant opportunity to clear out the poisonous lies behind which the Jiang regime has hidden its evil persecution from the conscience of the world's people and the condemnation of the international community.

'Many of my friends who practise Falun Gong suffered from the brutal persecution. One of them was arrested in winter. They poured cold water on him after stripping him of his clothes and binding him to iron handrails. The temperature in Beijing was minus 20 degrees Celsius at that time. Another Falun Gong practitioner was forced to crawl on the ground covered by thick snow. To make the torture even more painful, the guards poured water on the practitioner’s feet. The purpose of the torture and persecution is to make Falun Gong practitioners give up their practice, and abandon their belief.'

RFI reported on the 6th of February that a Canadian court announced the verdict of libel against the Chinese Deputy Consul in Toronto.

On January 29th 2004, France’s national Radio station RTL attended a Falun Gong Press Conference. After listening and asking questions to Falun Gong spokespersons for one hour, the journalist interviewed Mrs. Chen Ying who was persecuted and brainwashed in China for refusing to renounce her practice of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners had originally planned to hold a series of activities to celebrate the spring festival and to expose the Jiang regime’s persecution. Practitioners applied to the relevant departments for permission as usual. Instigated by an evil manipulator, the Chinese Embassy unreasonably obstructed the activities and applied pressure to the relevant French departments. This challenges the idea of democracy and freedom.

Belgian Falun Gong practitioners recently appealed to the European court of human rights to launch a lawsuit against the former Chinese president, Jiang Zemin. Practitioners also raised the issue of the Jiang regime’s persecution of Belgian practitioners in China.

On Xiong Wei's birthday, Miss Christina said that she “wishes Ms. Xiong Wei a happy birthday and also said that German citizens and others sent her a lot of cards, letters and parcels in the hope that Ms. Xiong Wei will receive support and courage from them. She also said that they have already sued Jiang last November. She and others believe that truthfulness, compassion and tolerance will definitely win.”

On Monday the 8th of December, the German International Human Rights Association and Amnesty International held a series of activities for World Human Rights Day. Representatives of Falun Gong were invited to participate in these activities.

'To begin with, it [the exhibition] illustrates the rapid development of Falun Gong since it was first introduced by Mr. Li Hongzhi in China in 1992, followed by a description of the growth of Falun Gong in western countries, particularly, the in Western Europe. Then it talks about the persecution against Falun Gong carried out by the Chinese Government and details the facts of practitioners being badly tortured since July 1999. The pictures also show Falun Gong practitioners’ peaceful appeals and its impact around the world.'

Recently, Ukraine’s national TV Station broadcast films two days in a row, which reported positively on Falun Gong. On the morning of the 26th of November 2003, the film “Cuiying Zhang – Traditional Chinese Artist” was shown. The film exposed the persecution, and also introduced Falun Gong to audience. These films were broadcast throughout Ukraine.