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Toronto, Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners Hold Press Conference and Candlelight Vigil to Support Jilin Practitioners (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) Nearly one hundred Falun Gong practitioners from
Toronto, Canada gathered in front of the Chinese General Consulate in Toronto on
the evening of October 29, 2003 and held a press conference and candlelight
vigil to support fellow practitioners holding a hunger strike in a Jilin prison
and Liu Chengjun being tortured to critical condition. At noon of October 28,
Canada Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese
Embassy in Ottawa and Chinese Consulates in other cities. Several practitioners
who were originally from Jilin Province made speeches exposing the brutal
persecution of over one hundred Falun Gong practitioners in Jilin Prison and
demanding immediate release of all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners
and humanitarian aid to Liu Chengjun. Falun Gong practitioners have already
requested the Canadian Government to appeal for urgent rescue. Based on reports from Clearwisdom.net on October 26 and 27, more than 100
Falun Gong practitioners are being held in Jilin Prison, and most of them are
undertaking a hunger strike to protest the ongoing severe torture by prison
guards there. The current situation is critical, and one of them, Falun Gong
practitioner Mr. Liu Chengjun from Changchun City has been confirmed to be on
the verge of death as a result of torture he received. Mr. John Zhang, contact person of a Toronto Falun Gong practice site, said,
"Countless facts have demonstrated that Jiang regime's persecution of Falun
Gong is completely based on lies. Falun Gong practitioners in China do not have
any channel or opportunity to express their views. The extent and scope of the
brutal persecution is covered up by fabricated reports of official media and
neglected by people who do not know the truth. A hunger strike becomes the only
effective way to reduce the cruelty of the persecution in jail. Falun Gong
practitioners call on the international community to pay attention to this
matter and people in all walks of life to participate in the rescue. We also
call on righteous forces in China and the international community to actively
support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin to end the persecution and rescue
lives." Mr. Bixing Zhang from Jilin Province said to the media, "Jilin
Province is where Master Li's hometown is located and one of the provinces that
have greatly benefited from Falun Gong. But since the persecution in 1999, it is
one of the provinces with the worst persecution." Mr. Zhang said, "I represent practitioners in Jilin Province and I call
on the Chinese Government to follow the constitution, stop the persecution
against Falun Gong, release all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners, and
safeguard the basic rights of Falun Gong practitioners. We call on the
international community to pay attention to and condemn the persecution in
China." Posting date: 11/1/2003
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