Canada: Falun Gong Practitioners in Toronto Hold Press Conference and Candlelight Vigil to Support Jilin Practitioners

Nearly one hundred Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto, Canada gathered in front of the Chinese General Consulate in Toronto on the evening of October 29, 2003 and held a press conference and candlelight vigil to support fellow practitioners holding a hunger strike in a Jilin prison and Liu Chengjun being tortured to critical condition. At noon of October 28, Canada Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa and Chinese Consulates in other cities. Several practitioners who were originally from Jilin Province made speeches exposing the brutal persecution of over one hundred Falun Gong practitioners in Jilin Prison and demanding immediate release of all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners and humanitarian aid to Liu Chengjun. Falun Gong practitioners have already requested the Canadian Government to appeal for urgent rescue.

Based on reports from Clearwisdom.net on October 26 and 27, more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners are being held in Jilin Prison, and most of them are undertaking a hunger strike to protest the ongoing severe torture by prison guards there. The current situation is critical, and one of them, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Liu Chengjun from Changchun City has been confirmed to be on the verge of death as a result of torture he received.

Mr. John Zhang, contact person of a Toronto Falun Gong practise site, said, "Countless facts have demonstrated that Jiang Zemin regime's persecution of Falun Gong is completely based on lies. Falun Gong practitioners in China do not have any channel or opportunity to express their views. The extent and scope of the brutal persecution is covered up by fabricated reports of official media and neglected by people who do not know the truth. A hunger strike becomes the only effective way to reduce the cruelty of the persecution in jail. Falun Gong practitioners call on the international community to pay attention to this matter and people in all walks of life to participate in the rescue. We also call on righteous forces in China and the international community to actively support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin to end the persecution and rescue lives."

Mr. Bixing Zhang from Jilin Province said to the media, "Jilin Province is where Master Li's [Founder of Falun Gong] hometown is located and one of the provinces that have greatly benefited from Falun Gong. But since the persecution in 1999, it is one of the provinces with the worst persecution."

Mr. Zhang said, "I represent practitioners in Jilin Province and I call on the Chinese Government to follow the constitution, stop the persecution against Falun Gong, release all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners, and safeguard the basic rights of Falun Gong practitioners. We call on the international community to pay attention to and condemn the persecution in China."