Czech Republic: Signature Collection in Three Cities Calling for an End to the Persecution

On August 6, 8 and 9, 2012, Falun Gong practitioners held a signature collection campaign in three cities in the Czech Republic: Plzen, Beroun and Pribram. They condemned the CCP for its persecution of Falun Gong, and called on the Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Czech Republic to support and promote the motion to end the suppression of Falun Gong.

Many Czechs signed the petition and condemned the CCP's atrocities after learning about the persecution. According to the Beroun Daily, more than 70,000 people in the Czech Republic have signed a petition against the persecution.

Pribram

In downtown Pribram, a gentleman named Peter, originally from Israel, learned about the persecution and then took the initiative to help deliver flyers to both the local hospital and the municipal government. He told the practitioners that the municipal government would replicate the flyers, and distribute them to the villages nearby.

In Pribram town centre, people learn about the persecution.

Having learned that Falun Gong practitioners in China had been persecuted cruelly because of their refusal to give up their faith in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, an elderly lady stood in front of the display boards for a long time, with tears in her eyes. She murmured, “Oh, it’s terrible!” and offered to send the truth-clarification information to the local medical schools.

An old gentleman, pushing his bicycle, walked towards the Falun Gong practitioners. He told them that he loved China very much and had a predestined relationship with China even though he had never been there. The truth about the persecution of Falun Gong lingered with him for so many hours that he couldn’t eat his lunch. He felt a wave of sadness wash over him. After signing the petition to end the persecution, he kept coming to take care of the practitioners until the end of the event.

Beroun

The signature collection activities were held next to the Prague City Gate in downtown Beroun. The Beroun Daily reported on the campaign and the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong on August 10.

The Beroun Daily reported on the persecution of Falun Gong.

The report said: Everyone who learns about the persecution of Falun Gong is shocked by the fact that the Falun Gong practitioners in China have been sent in jail and labor camps. According to the Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group, there are more than 40,000 recorded cases of torture and over 3,500 recorded cases of death resulting from the persecution. David Kilgour, former Member of Canadian Parliament, and David Matas, Canadian human rights lawyer, published their findings that tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have died as a result of having their vital organs removed while they were still living. Ms. Jana, shocked by the display photos, said: “I feel very sad that people could be brutally tortured for meditation. It is just like the persecutions that occurred in past centuries. How can such a crime (the persecution of Falun Gong) be allowed to occur in our modern world without any punishment?” Ms. Jana, together with her friend, signed the petition.

Plzen

People in Plzen sign one after another to condemn the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong.

Plzen is the biggest town among the three that were visited, with a population of 170,000. The well-known Plzen beer has become the specialty of the town. In the pedestrian street, some practitioners set up the truth-clarification display boards, and some distributed flyers to passers-by. Many people in Plzen not only signed the petition to end the persecution of Falun Gong, but also expressed their wish to learn the practice.