Walking Through Four Years of Tribulations, Thousands of Falun Gong Practitioners Will Gather in Washington DC to Expose the Persecution

Caption: In 2001, Falun Gong practitioners from more than 30 countries gathered in Washington DC to hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate fellow practitioners who had been tortured to death in Mainland China.

July 20th, 2003 marks the fourth year of the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong. It is estimated that thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from about 60 countries and of different races around the world will gather in Washington DC on July 19-22 to hold a series of large-scale activities to present the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners are being arrested in Tiananmen Square

Falun Gong practitioner Mindy Ge, who coordinates the preparation of the Washington DC activities said, "It has been four years since the Chinese regime began brutally persecuting Falun Gong. Over the past four years, more than 700 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death because they persist in the belief in 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.' Thousands of practitioners have been sentenced to imprisonment, and tens of thousands have been sent to forced labour camps, typically without trial. Hundreds of thousands have been forcibly sent to brainwashing centres, and countless people have been frequently and unreasonably harassed."

She said, "To uphold justice, conscience and freedom, we call upon all kind-hearted people around the world to work together to end the persecution of Falun Gong. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from around the world will hold a series of large-scale activities in Washington DC on July 19-22."

A Western practitioner is being arrested on Tiananmen Square

The activities will begin with a "Peace and Light" concert in front of the pond on Capitol Hill on Saturday, July 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Chinese and Western musicians and artists from around the world will offer wonderful performances.

On July 21, large-scale parades will be held on the main streets of Washington DC in the daytime; in the evening, a large-scale candlelight vigil will be held under the Washington Monument to mourn Falun Gong practitioners who have been tortured to death.

On Tuesday July 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., there will be an activity entitled, "The People's Court Brings Jiang to Justice," in front of Capitol Hill in Washington DC. From 12:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. a public rally with the theme, "Uphold Justice, Conscience, and Freedom, Let's End the Persecution of Falun Gong Right Now," will be held with congressmen, non-governmental organisations and various civil organisations. This activity will be the climax of the entire series of events.