Forum on Rescuing Falun Gong Practitioners' Family Members Held in Geneva

A "Forum on Rescuing Falun Gong Practitioners' Family Members" initiated by "CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation," an NGO with its headquarters in Geneva, was held at the United Nations Building. The organisation hoped that through the forum, more countries, international organisations and people with a sense of justice would pay attention to the serious violation of Falun Gong practitioners' human rights and help rescue illegally detained practitioners.

The forum was attended by the Committee for the Threatened Ethnic Groups, the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners in China, the World Family Reunion and Women Association, and the World organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong.

Representatives of organisations and Falun Gong practitioners

US Assistant Secretary of State Mr. Lorne Craner was especially invited to give a speech at the forum. He expressed that the US State Department and all other governmental departments, as well as the Canadian government, have been trying to help Falun Gong practitioners. He hoped that more governments and NGOs would stand up to help Falun Gong practitioners.

Three US representatives attending the forum

At the forum, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. He Haiying, representing the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners in China, introduced the severe situation of the persecution against practitioners in China.

He said that, as of today, it has been verified that 630 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death because they refused to renounce the practice of Falun Gong. In order to rescue persecuted practitioners in China, Falun Gong practitioners overseas spontaneously established this association and, through various contacts with different levels of the government and judicial system in China, now demand the related authorities to immediately and unconditionally release detained family members of Falun Gong practitioners. At present, Falun Gong practitioners from 16 countries around the world have joined in the association.

Ms. Beufler Afton, representative of the World Family Reunion and Women Association, said in her speech that she had heard about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners before, but hadn't realised that the persecution was so systematic, extensive and brutal. She expressed that their association would try harder to help rescue Falun Gong practitioners.

Ms. Jane Dai (Dai Zhizhen)

In addition, Falun Gong practitioners Zhao Ming, Dai Zhizhen and Zhang Xiaotian were also invited to attend the forum. They respectively talked about their personal experience or their family members' experiences of suffering persecution, imposed upon them by Jiang's regime because they practised Falun Gong. They appealed to all governments to extend a helping hand to rescue persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.

In the end, the audience and the media raised many questions and showed their concern for the Chinese citizens who have to tolerate such systematic suppression.

Falun Gong practitioners stated that the Jiang regime strictly controls the media, fabricating lies and slandering Falun Gong, and at the same time blocks access to the Internet so that the citizens have difficulty learning about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200303/18482.html