Friends of Falun Gong Europe: The failure of Jiang Zemin’s persecution of Falun Gong

14th February saw the latest episode in a long line of violence on the part of the Chinese government against Falun Gong practitioners, when 40 western Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and detained on Tiananmen Square for peacefully appealing to the Chinese government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. This is the fourth appeal since last November, when 36 western Falun Gong practitioners went to Beijing, 1 Canadian 2 weeks ago, 1 American and 1 Canadian 1 week ago. They all travelled to China using their own money, knowing the cause is a just one, and knowing they were certain to be arrested. They went with a pure and kind heart, hoping to awaken the deceived Chinese people, to tell the truth; hoping the Jiang Zemin regime could see the point that Falun Gong is not a China issue, but an international issue! This appeal will not stop until the killing stops!

The sadness of the Jiang Zemin regime is that they would not listen to the voice of the world, would not look at the scene of the world: so many governments and organisations from all over the world condemn the Chinese government’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners! Falun Gong is no longer confined to China itself. These examples of selfless sacrifice have shown to the world that the pursuit of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance is an essential principle which all mankind can value.

China aims to be a major player on the world economic stage, having been admitted to the WTO only last year. However it must be made to understand that it cannot hope to engage profitably in the world economy on the one hand, while on the other continuing to abrogate its responsibilities to its own people on a humanitarian level. It must treat its citizens as the treasure upon which the economy is built. Without them it has no hope of progressing either economically or spiritually. Both must go hand in hand.

After all, if China’s signing of the International Convention on Human Rights is to have any credibility at all, it must be called to account, it must improve and be seen to be improving its human rights record forthwith. The international community cannot sit back and allow a tyrannical regime to trample mercilessly over a group of innocent people who pose no threat of any kind to the Chinese authorities, and who seek no political power.

We sincerely hope the Jiang Zemin regime can realize now that, if they do not stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, the protest round the world will not stop! We also hope those who have been following Jiang Zemin could stand back and survey the whole picture: Falun Gong practitioners are innocent. Good deeds receive good rewards and bad deeds receive bad rewards! It is not too late to stop following Jiang Zemin blindly now.

Friends of Falun Gong Europe

16th February 2002