(Clearwisdom.net) "From Russia to Greenland, from Northern Europe to South Asia, from North America, South America, Australia, to Africa, whatever the language or nationality, you can find Falun Gong." - selected from "Falun Dafa Spreads Around the World" (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/1/2/56185.html).

In the sixty countries where Falun Gong is practiced, several of them are often mentioned by people due to their special history. They are the former communist countries of Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Estonia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary.

At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, the political situation in Eastern Europe was changing rapidly. The communist system, which had been in control for decades, collapsed and the communist regimes in Eastern Europe failed one after another. In the process of breaking away from communist control and building up a democratic policy, people in these countries experienced a period of turbulence. A great amount of information about the persecution that was conducted and also hidden by the communist regimes was exposed to the light of day; people were shocked to see the Communist Party's true face of shame, evil and brutality.

During the five years that Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime, people living in these former communist countries can understand more easily why a peaceful practice that is based on "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" would be persecuted so brutally, as they have personally experienced the horror and autocracy conducted by communist governments.

Forty-two-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Galina moved from Ukraine to Germany after the Ukraine communist government collapsed. She said, "I lived in Ukraine for thirty years. When I was in middle school, I already knew that the propaganda of the Communist Party was all lies. However, lies repeated a thousand times can become the truth of the people. China is also controlled by the Communist Party; the Chinese Communist Government used exactly the same measures to slander Falun Gong."

People who have gotten away from the tyranny have now regained their freedom of belief, and the light of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" is shining all over Eastern Europe. Here, Falun Gong is extensively welcomed, and most people who practice Falun Gong in Eastern Europe are Westerners. While Falun Gong practitioners benefit from the improvement of both mind and body that the cultivation practice has brought them, they also make an effort to help practitioners in China, and sincerely hope that their fellow practitioners will obtain the freedom to practice that they deserve.

Russia

Falun Gong is widespread in Russia. Russian communities often hold events such as book exhibitions and health fairs. Falun Gong practitioners join these events as well as doing exercise demonstrations and other activities to promote the practice and expose the human rights abuses happening in China.

Ukraine

Falun Gong is now widespread in many cities in Ukraine and is also acknowledged by the government.

Czech Republic

People in the Czech Republic can still remember the state that their country was in while under communist control and they feel deep sympathy for the Falun Gong practitioners in China. Falun Gong practitioners collected many signatures during the peaceful demonstrations held in Brno, demanding an end to the persecution, and for the former Chinese head of state Jiang Zemin and his followers to be brought to justice for their crimes.

Brno citizens sign a petition to bring former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin to justice	In January 2005 Czech Falun Gong practitioners held an information day and demonstrated the practice

Bulgaria

As people from all over the world are getting more interested in Falun Gong, more and more Bulgarians are also discovering the wonderfulness of Falun Gong practice and are concerned about the brutal persecution taking place in China. With the May 2004 publishing of the introductory text Falun Gong in Bulgarian, more predestined Bulgarian people are joining the cultivation practice.

Latvia

Hungary

The activities held by Falun Gong practitioners have allowed more Hungarian people to learn about the benefits of practicing Falun Gong and many people remarked that they would definitely learn. A lot of kind-hearted people also offered their sympathy and support to Falun Gong practitioners suffering in China after they heard what is happening there.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200501/24543.html

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/1/18/93720.html