Germany's Chamer Newspaper: Silent protest against torture and the persecution

“Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance are invaluable virtues" was written on Utz-Reiner Römer’s T-shirt

CHAM - “Truthfulness – Compassion – Tolerance:” These three words were written on the t-shirt worn by Falkensteiner’s Utz-Reiner Römer during his three-week travels through China. This may sound perfectly harmless to a European, while it gives a political message in China. In China, the words Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance are considered the pillars of the Falun Gong movement. Adherents of this practice have been persecuted, arrested and tortured in China for years, and more than three thousand of those arrested had been murdered, said Römer during one of today’s human rights day press events.

Min Teng-Schwägerl describes Falun Gong as a meditation practice based on Buddhism and practitioners’ focus on mind and body improvement. “Humans should behave themselves respectfully and maintain high morals,” said the Falun Gong adherent from Cham. The movement was brought to the public in 1992. Apparently more than one hundred million adherents have practised in seclusion for generations according to Teng-Schwägerl.

It has been six years since Falun Gong was categorised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a cult and its adherents persecuted. “Destroy the reputation of this movement, as well as ruin the practitioners financially and physically,” explained Römer. Since that time, the CCP disregarded the human rights of these practitioners in the land of 1.3 billion inhabitants systematically. “Falun Gong is for the CCP just like holy water for the devil,” said Römer in a dramatic analogy.

Civil police subdue a Falun Gong practitioner on Tiananmen Square

Römer, wanted to improve the reputation of this movement in China during his trip. In the state controlled Chinese media, Falun Gong is depicted as a dangerous sect, who incites its adherents into committing self-immolation. Römer brought with him to China CDs that told the “Truth about Falun Gong.” He gave other tourists informational material. Those interested Chinese, who reacted in a friendly manner concerning the words on his t-shirt, he gave information regarding the short-wave radio “Sound of Hope,” which signals can also be received in China.

At the same time, Utz-Reiner Römer tried to have contact with the Chinese people during his trip as often as possible. He debated with students from the German faculty at the University of Shanghai. He told the tour guide “the truth about the Self-Immolation” and the disdain of human rights in his country. The tourist guide had warned him at the beginning of the trip that he might run into problems because of the Falun Gong logo on his t-shirt. “Someone asked me at the end of our conversation, ‘Is it really this terrible?’” Römer remembered.

The reaction to his t-shirt was generally very positive. “Many Chinese smiled at me, waved towards me or asked to have a picture taken with me,” said Römer. He did not run into any problems because of the words on his t-shirt. But, Römer admitted that he was a little more careful concerning his well being when visiting Tiananmen Square – he changed to a t-shirt without the aforementioned words -- considering that the CCP attacked peaceful demonstration student with tanks in 1989.

He was more concerned to “combine his travels with humanitarian help.” Therefore, he distributed clothing in Morocco, took a suitcase filled with medicines to Afghanistan, and medication to Tibet. Next year he intends to travel to Cuba. “There is no other country where more journalists per residents are imprisoned than in Cuba,” explained Römer. When on such trips, Utz-Reiner Römer disregards his personal safety. “Those who are always worried about the danger will not be motivated by anything,” is his standing motto. Isn’t it worthwhile to risk danger to promote human rights? Human rights need to be recognised worldwide. “Without attention to human rights, this world has no future.”

In being a part of the struggle for human rights, Utz-Reiner Römer has become a member of Cham’s International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) working group. It is a non-profit humanitarian citizen movement with consultation right at the Council for Europe and the United Nations. ISHR will fight for the human rights of those who were arrested although innocent, those who are being tortured and those who suffer brutal force and abuse. ISH will sent care packages, embark on a letter writing campaign and collect signatures.

Human Rights Day falls on December 10th and is the global commemoration day for human rights, initiated on December the 10th 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. Human rights associations, including Amnesty International and the ISHR will look critically, especially on this day, at human rights situations and focus on those countries that are the world’s worst human rights abusers.

Originally published in German at: http://www.clearharmony.de/articles/200512/28253.html