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On April 9, 2007, practitioners rallied on the streets of Saint Petersburg to call on the Russian government to not bow to pressure from the Chinese Communist regime at the expense of human rights; to not be accomplices to the persecution, so the Russian people may have a bright future.
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 Practitioners explain the truth of the persecution to passersby in Saint Petersburg. |
Recently, bowing to pressure and temptation from China's communist regime, the Russian government has repeatedly behaved poorly in dealing with Falun Gong issues. Russia is a country that has just arisen from the horrors of communist rule. However, at this historic juncture, the head of the government has sought immediate interest at the expense of justice and conscience, led by the evil specter of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Which direction is Russia heading for? What kind of future will the Russian nation have? These are things that we need to worry about. The following are some examples of Russia's misdeeds:
In the past three years, the Moscow authorities, under the Chinese Communist regime's pressure, have designated the square in front of the Chinese Embassy as a restricted area and any activities that Falun Gong practitioners applied for permission to hold there were denied. Falun Gong practitioners who staged protests in front of the Chinese Embassy were arrested. Although Russia's laws stipulate that there is no application needed for individual protests, this civil right was violated by the police, who followed the orders of their superiors. Some police even threatened practitioners saying that, "If you stand here any longer, we will arrest you..."
On March 28, 2007, CCP special agents colluded with their Russian counterparts to abduct U.N.H.C.R. refugee Ma Hui and her daughter, and secretly deported them to China.
It is evident that the Russian authorities have overtly broken international law and Russia's national laws to help the Chinese Communist regime to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.
In this regard, some Russian organizations and over ten local media
have condemned the Russian government. The U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees also sent a letter asking the Russian government to provide an
explanation.
Wenjian Liang and her husband Zhiyong Lin were taken from their home by CCP authorities in February together with six other Falun Gong practitioners. In March, they were sentenced to two years in a labor camp without trial. Amnesty International issued an urgent action call about their case on March 20th.
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In
the UK, the Liberal Democrat Party Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and
Shadow Foreign Secretary gave his moral and active support to the free
Wenjian campaign. Michael Moore MP, wrote to Wenjian's sister Jane in
the UK on April 11th that he is "dismayed at the extent of human rights
abuses within China and given the seriousness of the issues surrounding
your sisters detention I have written to the Foreign Secretary to
highlight our concerns about the case."
He very kindly added, "in what must be a distressing time for you and your family, can I take this opportunity to wish you every success in the campaign to secure Wenjian's release."
The Nottingham Evening Post, a newspaper in the city where Wenjian's sister lives, highlighted the plight of Wenjian. The Post published a half page report about Wenjian and her husband's ordeal. The newspaper also reported the efforts of local MP Alan Simpson who has written twice to the UK Foreign Secretary in the past weeks asking her to take up the case of Wenjian and "make the strongest possible protest to the Chinese authorities against such arbitrary imprisonment."
Many Members of the European Parliament (MEP) have signed a petition
for Wenjian's release. Christopher Beazley MEP on April 13th wrote to
Jane, "I am most concerned to lean of the arrest and imprisonment of
your sister Mrs. Wenjian Liang by the Chinese authorities because of
her membership of the Falun Gong group. I note that your sister's
sentence runs until after the Beijing Olympics".
Roger Knapman MEP
based at Exeter signed the free Wenjian petition on April 11th. He
wrote in his letter to Jane: "I am very sorry to hear of the treatment
suffered by your sister. Unfortunately the Chinese government is
authoritarian and known for this sort of thing."
Many MEPs wished the
free Wenjian campaign success and good luck.