Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners

The Wish to Stop the Persecution: Wang Jie and Mikko Mattila are Falun Gong practitioners, who yesterday participated in a small-scale demonstration at Espland Park

Falun Gong Practitioners go to Court

Falun Gong practitioners in several countries have now started legal proceedings against Chinese leaders. With this action, they hope to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners that is ongoing in China.

In July 1999, the president at that time forbade the practice of Falun Gong and since then Chinese leaders have systematically worked to [persecute Falun Gong]. The extent of the violations against Falun Gong has been so severe that several international organizations, including the UN and Amnesty International, have expressed their worries and concern over the situation.

Improvements have not been seen and so practitioners of Falun Gong in USA and several European countries have now started several separate legal procedures against Jiang Zemin, as well as several other Chinese leaders. Practitioners have accused the leaders of, amongst other things, genocide, crimes against humanity and torture.

One of those who started the procedures against the Chinese leaders is Swiss practitioner Erich Bachman, who visited Helsinki yesterday. He was arrested and deported from China in March after attending a silent demonstration against Jiang Zemin.

"Through the legal process against the ex-president, we hope that he will be finally brought to justice for all of the violence he initiated," says Bachman.

According to him, one month before Falun Gong was banned in July 1999 when actions to crush the Falun Gong movement began, the so called "610" office was founded. Since then, thousands of practitioners have witnessed mass arrests, murders and brutal torture against practitioners. "The "610" office is similar to the Gestapo. Their aim is to organize the fight against Falun Gong by any means" says Bachmann.

Many believe that Chinese leaders are frightened by the fact that Falun Gong grew too fast. When the movement was banned, Jiang Zemin claimed that 70 million Chinese practiced Falun Gong. There are also those who think that Falun Gong is a political movement that threatens the communist regime. Falun Gong practitioners themselves deny this, as it is only about meditation and becoming a better person.

According to Mikko Mattila, one of the leading figures for Falun Gong in Finland, this is a result of a collective will to support those who are being persecuted in China. "Of course we could have just thought about ourselves, but because we know about the situation of Chinese practitioners, we feel that we have to do everything possible to help them."

Next week, Lou Gan, one of the officials of the "610" office and one of those responsible for the persecution, visits Finland. Falun Gong practitioners plan to demonstrate against the visit because Luo Gan is regarded as one of those responsible for the persecution. He is also the subject of legal proceedings that have been filed on the 20th of August in Belgium. The lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier, has accused Jiang Zemin and the "610" office leaders, Li Lanqing and Luo Gan, of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200309/15180.html

Posting date: 9/19/2003
Original article date: 9/18/2003
Category: News & Media Reports

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