(Clearwisdom.net) During the Swiss parliamentary
session of June 2005, Mr Luc Recordon, a national deputy, raised the question of
the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese authorities as well as the case of
Mrs Qiu Minghua, mother of a Chinese student in Switzerland who was arbitrarily
arrested and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Below is the official response
of the Swiss Federal Council of 24 August 2005.
Switzerland pleads in favour of ending the repression of
which members of some religious or spiritual groups are the victims, in
particular the Falun Gong movement.
It is unacceptable, therefore, that it should be hindered in
the exercise of freedom of opinion and of expression. It is even more shocking
that its members are subject to arbitrary arrest, to ill-treatment and often to
torture, that would be the same in the case of an organization infringing the
Chinese legislation.
The Federal Council is familiar with the problems of Falun
Gong in China. This movement, the ideas of which Switzerland does not judge, has
been prohibited in China since 1999. Thousands of its practitioners have been
imprisoned as a result of this prohibition and many of them are held in
administrative detention centres. The Federal Council is aware that serious
charges of torture are being brought against China. The Federal Department for
Foreign Affairs has on different occasions expressed its concern to the Chinese
authorities.
Miss Wang Xiaoyang, the daughter of Mrs Qiu Minghua, has
corresponded with members of the Federal Council. She has been received by
representatives of the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs who also recently
received a petition. Her mother's case is, therefore, known to the authorities
and Switzerland is following closely the development of this situation.
Alongside the visit of Federal Councillor Deiss, the Swiss Ambassador in China
met the authorities of Suzhou - where, according to our information, Mrs Qiu
Minghua is imprisoned - to express Switzerland's concern for this person.
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