Japan: Activities to Call for an End to the Six-year Persecution (Photos)
By a Japanese practitioner
(Clearwisdom.net) Six years have passed since the Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) headed by former president Jiang Zemin started the persecution against
Falun Gong on July 20 1999, and the persecution is still ongoing. Practitioners
around the world hold various events to protest the persecution on this day
every year, to further expose the truth of the brutal persecution in China and
to call for help to end it. On July 18, 2005, Japanese practitioners gathered in
Tokyo to hold various activities, including a press conference and a peaceful
parade, to once again call for an end to the persecution. After group practice of the Falun Gong exercises in the morning, at noontime
on July 18, practitioners held a press conference at a park in Tokyo. A
spokesman for the practitioners said, "Six years ago, the Chinese authority
started to persecute innocent Falun Gong practitioners, who were then illegally
arrested, detained, sentenced to forced labor camps or prisons, and tortured...
Today is the 6th anniversary of the persecution. The purpose of our
activities is to let people know that the persecution is still ongoing in China
and to ask all people to please help us end it." At the press conference, Mr. Tsuruzono Masaaki told the press: "We want
to tell you that the persecution is still ongoing in China though the evil force
is not as rampant as before due to our persistent efforts and international
help. To date, 2,702 practitioners have been persecuted to death. The Japanese
Falun Dafa Association filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin this past April and
the lawsuit is in progress. "Though we have sued Jiang and have held many public activities to raise
awareness of the persecution, Falun Gong has no interest in politics and will
never get involved in politics. Falun Gong is not concerned with religion,
either. We just want to live according to the principles of
Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in order to be upstanding and healthy
people. Through our activities, we hope that the Japanese public and officials
in the Chinese Embassy will learn more about the truth of Falun Gong." A practitioner who is the director of Rescue Family Members of
Practitioners Persecuted In China also gave a speech at the rally. He
emphasized that Mainland practitioners are still subject to all kinds of
physical and mental torture. "For the past six years, Chinese practitioners
in Japan can't go back to China to visit their loved ones; and relatives of
ours are being persecuted in China for their belief in Falun Gong. We have lost
contact with some of them. I hereby call upon people from all circles: please
help us to rescue the practitioners persecuted in China and end the
persecution." A representative from the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice said:
"Jiang has been sued in 16 countries for torture, genocide and crimes
against humanity. The crimes committed by Jiang are against innocent
practitioners. With help from every kind-hearted person, we hope that we can
bring Jiang and his accomplices to justice soon." /emh/article_images/2005-7-19-japan720-09.jpg Starting at 2 p.m., more than 140 practitioners held a peaceful parade in
downtown Tokyo. The parade was led by practitioners carrying banners reading,
"Falun Dafa is Good," "Falun Dafa is a Righteous Way" and
"Falun Dafa Spreads Worldwide." Then came women practitioners in white
holding photos of practitioners killed during the persecution. Practitioners
also displayed photos of torture evidence and many other banners such as,
"Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice" and "Immediately End the
Persecution of Falun Gong." This reporter noticed that most passersby were attracted by this special
procession in the baking sun. Many people quietly read the photos and banners
displayed by practitioners. Some took pictures with their cameras, and some
Western tourists videotaped the parade. There were also people who used their
cell phones to take pictures. Those who received Falun Gong
truth-clarifying materials often read them carefully. One older
gentleman was so intently reading a flier that he didn't even notice that a
reporter was taking a picture of him. Among the parade participants, there were old practitioners in their 60s and
70s and also young mothers with infants. When asked why she would participate in
this parade in such hot weather, a young mother who was rolling a twin stroller
along in the parade said, "Falun Gong is being persecuted in China, and the
CCP has added my name to their blacklist because of my belief in Falun Gong. I
gave birth to two babies recently and I really want to take them back to China
to see my parents. However, I cannot. I hope that all Japanese citizens and
people around the world will come to know about this persecution and thus help
us end it so that I can return my homeland." Mr. Yang, a PhD, just came to Japan recently. He was a middle-ranking officer
in the Army. He was forced to quit the army because of his belief in Falun Gong.
As the persecution continued and escalated, he was forced to leave his home to
avoid being arrested. When he went to appeal for Falun Gong, he was arrested and
tortured brutally. Mr. Yang said: "My wife and I are so happy to be able to
live a free life now in Japan, and we are delighted to be able to participate in
activities of this kind. We experienced and witnessed the brutal persecution,
and thus we want to tell people the truth and call for support to end it as soon
as possible." Ms. Fan, although seven months pregnant, nonetheless finished the parade
carrying a poster. She had been illegally detained in a forced labor camp in
China, forced to do slave labor and was subjected to sexual abuse. She said,
"My heart is crying today; people in Japan can't imagine the harsh
situation of practitioners in China. I hope that all kind-hearted people will
help us end this persecution as soon as possible." In the evening, practitioners continued their activities by holding a
peaceful appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy.
Practitioners speak out at the press conference
clarifying the truth
Practitioners parade in downtown Tokyo
The practitioners' parade in downtown Tokyo
Parade in downtown Tokyo
Appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/7/20/106539.html
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