L'Est Républicain (France): "A Repressed Practice"

Below is an article published on May 28th 2008 in the daily newspaper of the East part of France L'Est Républicain.

The article was written following a conference on Falun Gong in Nancy on May 19th, 2008. A Falun Gong practitioner who escaped the persecution in China, Feng Yajun, was invited, as well as the former head of the China branch of Radio France International, Michel Wu and the President of the Falun Gong Association in France, Alain Tong.

L’Est Républicain

27th May 2008

A repressed practice

The emotions are strong. Memory revives fragile scars left by torture, prison and death. But in spite of all, Feng Yajun, 39 year old, born in the province of Liaoning in China, is determined in her new fight to testify as a witness of the genocide associated with a practice that is now banned in China.

Hard to remain indifferent

The story begins in 1992 with the creation of Falun Gong, a physical and spiritual movement inspired of Buddhism. “My family and I were practicing this traditional Qigong method close to Tai Chi and yoga. In 1997 my parents bought the “Paradise bookstore” where we used to store documents linked to the method, which is practiced by more than 100 millions people in the world.”

Yes, but the general enthusiasm unnerves the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The practitioners are more numerous than the CCP members. Without mentioning group gatherings that worry CCP leaders. Also CCP members who practice themselves. With the interdiction in July 1999, the paradise is turned into hell. The 610 office set up by the authorities has one goal; eradicate all these dissidents in the country.
“Our bookstore bankrupt, our home ransacked my parents in jail and tortured to death, my brother wanted, I have myself spent two years of forced labour in a place stained with blood”.

Her throat choking with emotion, Yajun will not stop telling her story with powerful words, yet very real: persecutions, arrests, torture, organ traffic and brainwashing. The facts are overwhelmingly numerous.
By her side for the evening conference organised by the “Maitreya Association”, Michael Wu, from RFI China and Alain Tong, President of the Falun Gong Association in France, insist: “Today, 3150 people have been tortured to death. The movement is called a sect. It’s pure defamation by the regime to justify its repression. One of our missions to fight injustice is to tell the reality. With such acts, human rights are trampled and a lot of innocent people suffer. This has to stop.”

Hard to remain indifferent in front of such a presentation whose fight defends a cause born by three fundamental values: Truth, Compassion, Tolerance.