Germany: Revealing the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners with an Anti-Torture Exhibition in Bremerhaven

We organised an exhibition of torture methods to inform the public about the unjust persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Banners were hung with inscriptions reading “Concentration Camps in China – Unsavoury Trade in Organs Taken from Falun Gong Practitioners”, “SOS – Rescue Falun Gong – Deadly Torture in China”, and “Concentration Camps in China – Torture – Murder – Organ Trade”. While we were distributing flyers next to the anti-torture exhibition, we were often able to give detailed explanations to the public. We answered their questions about the reproductions of paintings depicting the cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners or the horrible torture methods used to torment our fellow practitioners. Some of the visitors went to the table where we had placed a petition condemning the trade in organs taken from Falun Gong practitioners and a second one demanding the return of the Jiang family to China.

The focus of our activity was the latest information about the horrible trade in organs taken from Falun Gong practitioners. We passed out our regular flyer containing an insert with data on the jump in organ transplants after 1999 (the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong). It also contains an article by a reporter from the Sound of Hope radio station pretending to be a patient in need of a transplant. Her request met with the following response: “Patients should come quickly before May 1st because it will be more difficult to obtain organs after the current batch is used up. After May 1st it will be more difficult to obtain organs.” The reason for this timetable is a new law dealing with organ transplants in China, which will go into effect on June 1st. The law was passed after China’s organ trade was recently publicised with great fanfare by the international press. However, because it will only go into effect later, currently the harvesting of organs from living ‘donors’ is still permitted. We are certain that many thousands of unjustly imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners are among them. Many people were very touched by our concern for our dear fellow practitioners in China and they thanked us politely.

Many people watched us demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises and asked questions about it. The main attraction remained the torture exhibition which featured a practitioner wearing stage make-up simulating torture wounds. Very often the passersby asked concerned questions about the well-being of the practitioner. We explained that the practitioners are happy to endure this type of hardship if there is a chance of easing the tortures which practitioners imprisoned in China have to suffer.

[2] The Jiang family was mistakenly extradited from Germany to China in March 2005, despite credible claims that due to his Falun Gong practise the father’s life would be in danger once he arrived in China. Indeed, he was interrogated after his arrival in China and was sentenced to three years in a labour camp because he was practising Falun Gong and thereby ‘endangering public security’. Very recently, Mr. Jiang was released but he remains under house arrest. After having obtained asylum in Germany, we hope that he will soon be able to return to Germany with his family.

Published by de.clearharmony.net on May 2nd, 2006