Friends of Falun Gong USA Writes to French Ambassador Over Mistreatment of Practitioners in Paris

January 28, 2004

Embassy of France in the United States

4101 Reservoir Road, NW

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 944-6166 (Fax)

Dear Ambassador Jean-David Levitte:

I am writing on behalf of Friends of Falun Gong USA, a human rights organization mandated to protect Falun Gong practitioners' freedom of beliefs. I respectfully request that all Falun Gong practitioners be released from detention and that further violations of basic human rights in France be stopped immediately.

It has been widely reported that during Hu Jintao's visit to France, excessive measures were used to intimidate and harass practitioners of Falun Gong -- identified by the yellow scarves or other clothing they were wearing. Reports from those detained say that unnecessary force was used to place them in police vehicles and that no laws had been broken or cited by the arresting officers.

As a human rights organization we are concerned that the Paris police are, at the behest of your government and due to pressure from the Chinese government, aiding in the persecution of Falun Gong. France's constitution guarantees freedom of belief and assembly and yet these good people were illegally harassed for upholding their beliefs. Although there may be many countries that are not aware of the extent and nature of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, France is not one of them. Falun Gong practitioners have received letters of support from MPs (including Mr. Didier Julia) mayors (including Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Mayor of Yerres and Andre Guerin, Mayor of Venissieux, Deputy for Rhone), and members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ms. Anne Marie Descotes wrote a letter to Falun Gong practitioners in France in which she stated, "France and her European partners have observed with concern that from last autumn the persecution of Falun Gong adherents has clearly intensified since the crackdown began in 1999. "

In the Council of General Affairs' findings of 22 January 2001, the Foreign Ministers of the European Union stated their concern. The Union indicated that, among the areas in which it would seek progress through Euro-Sino dialogue on human rights, would be the respect China shows towards fundamental rights of all prisoners, including those arrested for their adherence to political opposition groups, to non official religious movements or other movements such as Falun Gong."

It is clear that a choice was made to ignore the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners and to instead, support their persecutors. We expect more from France's leaders and its people must be shocked by the reports of the arrests of innocent people.

For the sake of justice and rule of law, I ask that the illegal persecution will stop immediately and that justice will prevail in a democratic country like France. Many decent and upstanding individuals have lost their lives in China simply for trying to be good people. Please do not participate in the persecution of Falun Gong for the sake of trade agreements with China.

Yours respectfully,

cc: Ambassador Howard H. Leach

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