Romania: Policemen Violate People's Basic Freedom during Chinese President's Visit

During Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Romania from the 12th to the 14th of June 2004, it seemed that the Romanian government’s treatment of the Chinese President was rather low-profile. There were no Chinese national flags or posters with welcoming messages on the main streets of Bucharest or Constanta. Before TV and other media reported it, many local people did not know anything about Hu’s visit. However, around the areas of the hotel and venues that he visited, as well as the Chinese Embassy and Consulates, a high level of security and a large number of police were present.

Spokesperson of the Romanian Falun Dafa Association Dana Betlevy told reporters that on June the 13th and 14th, Falun Gong practitioners were harassed, closely monitored and followed by officers from the National Security Department and the police. They were even stopped by the officers for no good reason while they were walking on the street. The National Security Department and the Police Department told those practitioners that they were just following orders from the top. We strongly condemn the Jiang Zemin regime’s use of economic and other benefits as bait to force the Romanian government break the rules of democracy and basic human rights, such as freedom of expression. Those practitioners who have been fined by the police should launch legal action against the relevant department(s) of the Romanian Government.

Dana Betlevy also said that a formal legal complaint has been filed against a member of Hu’s delegation, the Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai, for his role in the persecution of Falun Gong.