(Clearwisdom.net) Several human rights groups recently announced that a Human Rights Torch will be lit next Wednesday in Athens and then relayed around the world to remind the world about the horrifying human rights conditions in China.

According to a report from Radio Free Asia on August 2, the Human Rights Torch Relay was initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) and the project has received support from many overseas human rights groups. A press conference about the torch relay project was held in the Longworth Building of the U.S. House of Representatives at noon on Aug. 2, 2007. Two U.S. Congressmen spoke out at the press conference to voice lawmakers' support.

A spokesman for the CIPFG said that the organization had sent out an open statement to the Chinese Communist regime. [Among others demands,] the statement demanded the regime to allow international groups to enter China to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong and warned that CIPFG would start the Human Rights Torch Relay project if the regime failed to respond to the demands within three months. Because the Communist regime has not made any response to CIPFG, the group will light the planned Human Rights Torch in Athens, Greece on Wednesday, August 8.

At the press conference, California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said that the Olympic Games are a symbol of good in the world and it is totally unacceptable if such a symbol is associated with the most evil power on earth.

Rohrabacher said that he was planning to submit a proposal for the U.S. to boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing. He emphasized that criticism of human rights in China targets the Chinese Communist regime and by no means targets the Chinese people. He believes that the people in China also hope to have democracy and human rights and to have protection of their rights.

New Jersey Congressman Donald M. Payne said that the international community welcomes the rise of China in economy, yet China must undertake its international responsibility and stop its human rights abuses.

Payne said that the conduct of the Communist regime has always be problematic. In the UN Security Council, the Chinese Communist regime has been blocking a resolution which addresses genocide in Darfur. Because the regime vetoed and threated to veto all efforts to end the genocide in the region, 400,000 have been killed. The Chinese Communist regime supports the Sudanese government because Sudan has oil. In addition, the Communist regime also violates the UN weapons embargo regulations and sells weapons to Sudan.

Payne said that he supports the Human Rights Torch Relay project and boycotting the Olympic Games in Beijing, and hoped that these activities will draw international attention to human rights in China.

Reportedly, the Human Rights Torch will be relayed in more than 100 cities in twenty countries and thousands of lawmakers, attorneys and human rights activities from those countries are expected to participate.

Posting date: 8/6/2007
Original article date: 8/6/2007
Category: News & Media Reports
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/8/5/160241.html

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