CIPFG Statement Regarding the Chinese Communist Party's Statement About Falun Gong and the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Note: The CIPFG stands for the 'Coalition to Investigation the Persecution of Falun Gong'

On November 8th, 2007, Li Zhanjun, News Director of the Beijing Olympics, responded to western criticism of religious restrictions, saying that the Chinese Communist government would allow athletes and tourists from major religions to bring religious objects for self-use during the Olympics. However, this policy would not apply to Falun Gong practitioners: "Any Falun Gong-related text and activities are prohibited in China".

Hereby, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong declares as follows:

1. The response made by Li Zhanjun, News Director of the Beijing Olympics is in direct and obvious violation of the fifth article of the Olympic Charter, "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement." This further proves that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has and will not fulfil its promise to the international community of bettering its human rights, and that any wish of bringing improvement to Chinese human rights through the Olympics is a one-sided wish.

2. Li Zhanjun's response demonstrates that the CCP regime's policy of persecuting Falun Gong and its practitioners is still ongoing. The Chinese Communist Party has overtly extended the regime's persecution of Falun Gong onto the Olympics - a movement of the highest and most noble spirit in human society. Such actions of outright abuse and international brutality are not only a trampling of the Olympic Spirit, but also a challenge to fundamental morality and ethics in international society. Having called upon the world not to politicise the Olympics, this is clear evidence that the Party is in fact itself doing so.

3. As the highest executive branch of the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) mission explicitly states:

"The IOC's role is to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement."

Thereby, we call upon the IOC to face up to and stop Beijing's severe breach of the Olympic Charter, re-consider the eligibility of the CCP regime for its ever worsening human rights situation in China today, and discuss the possibility of holding the Olympics in another nation.

4. We call upon the international community and athletes from around the world to: condemn the CCP's trampling on the Olympic spirit, call upon the Chinese regime to respect freedom of belief, and call upon the regime to halt the persecution of Falun Gong and all other Chinese citizens. We also call upon the global community to begin discussions on whether or not to participate in the Chinese Communist Party's "Genocide Olympics" - so as to not repeat the 1936 Nazi Olympics tragedy.

5. The "Global Human Rights Torch Relay" launched by the CIPFG aims to expose the Party's crimes, promoting peace, freedom, justice, and the Olympic spirit. It has traversed across 18 countries in Europe since its inception on August 9th in Athens, Greece. Currently in Australia, it has received support from hundreds of politicians and Olympic athletes from around the world as "Human Rights Torch Relay Ambassadors". To date, tens of thousands of people have participated in the relay events.

We invite everyone from around the world who values peace, freedom, justice and the Olympic Spirit to step forward and participate in the "Human Rights Torch Relay", and let the light of freedom illuminate every dark corner of the world.

The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China.