Swiss Interprofessional Workers' Association Writes to Chinese Embassy to Express Concern Over Persecution of Falun Gong
Syndicat interprofessionel de travailleuses et travailleurs* Tel: 41 22 818 03 00 Geneva, 14 May 2004 The Embassy of the People's Republic of China Re.: The situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China Your Excellency, We hereby notify you that we have recently been made aware of the fate of
some of your citizens in your country. We should like, consequently, to
intervene on their behalf, as it seems meaningful and important for us to bring
to your attention the following: These persons [citizens] are practitioners of Falun Gong, a discipline
practised worldwide, and based on physical exercises and meditation. For several long years now, the Chinese Government has undertaken a series of
measures to put an end to the development of this practice. Even worse,
President Jiang Zemin, head of Government at that time, was to make the decision
to prohibit Falun Gong and to persecute its practitioners. From different reports, therefore, mainly from human rights organizations, it
appears that there are hundreds of people who have been arrested and imprisoned,
and who still remain locked up in forced labour camps. Aside from the criticism expressed by China in regard to this population
group - as to any other group, we may add - nothing could justify such a policy
on the part of your former President who we know continues to exert considerable
influence on the politics of your country. May we remind you that the acts of violence for which your State is
criticized are manifestly in violation of the relevant international
conventions. In arresting, imprisoning and killing citizens for having practised
a discipline that in no way disregards the internal security of your State, the
leaders of your Government are violating several clauses in international law,
and particularly the United Nations conventions and covenants on human, civil
and political rights. We request you, therefore, to kindly convey our concerns to your Government
and ask you to bring pressure to bear on the latter in order to stop these
practices immediately and allow individual human rights to be fully respected in
the People's Republic of China. Concerned particularly by the protection of the rights of workers (both
female and male) worldwide, and driven by a strong sense of social and civil
justice that we dare to believe is universal and shared by your country, we hope
that this letter will receive your undivided attention. We thank you in anticipation of your future action. Accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration. For SIT (Signed): Séverin Guelpa * Interprofessional Workers' Association cc: Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations at Geneva
16, rue des Chaudronniers
case postale 3287
CH-1211 Geneva 3
Fax: 41 22 818 03 99
www.sit-syndicat.ch
Attn: H.E. the Chinese Ambassador
Kalcheggweg 10
3006 Bern
Association Secretary
Swiss Falun Gong Association, Geneva
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/6/17/77291.html
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