European Falun Gong Information Centre Press Release - 21 November 2001

• 33 Western Falun Gong practitioners were arrested today in Tiananmen Square for standing up for the freedom of belief of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
• One practitioner was injured.
• We appeal for the immediate release of these and all other Falun Gong practitioners.

Today 33 western Falun Gong-practitioners held a peaceful demonstration at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The action was initiated and carried out by individual Falun Gong-practitioners from ten different countries including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the US.

These practitioners appeared on Tiananmen Square at 6 am (UK time) and 7 am (Central European time) this morning. They said "Falun Dafa is good" for seven minutes before the Chinese police swooped on them and transferred them to the local police station. This is the last contact that we have had with them.

The totalitarian regime's rule of terror in China has stripped tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners of their basic human rights. According to human rights groups, over 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested, tens of thousands have been thrown into labour camps without trial; at least, one thousand healthy practitioners have been put into mental hospitals and abused with psychiatric drugs. And while 311 are known to have died in police custody, inside Government sources put the death toll at well over 1,000. Millions of practitioners have been pressured, threatened and forced to go through brainwashing programmes from which the only release lies in renouncing their beliefs.

For more than two years attempts to have a dialogue with the Chinese regime has not been possible. To go to Tiananmen Square is the only way for the Chinese practitioners to be heard. With enormous courage and great determination they have stood up for their most basic human rights.

Throughout Europe we have on several occasions tried to deliver letters to the Chinese Embassy but they were rejected without reason. In spite of our appeals and the support from the international community the situation has deteriorated. As the world rallies together and vows to fight terrorism, let us make it clear how determined we are to oppose China's state-sanctioned terrorism against its own citizens.

We appeal again to the European governments, the media, non-governmental organisations and good people everywhere to support us in saving the practitioners in China.

Together we can create a better world. The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance -- the key principles of Falun Gong. It takes all of us to ensure that this is not an age of terror.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please see http://www.clearharmony.net or contact Mr Peter Jauhal

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