Australia: Candlelight Vigil Held in Brisbane in Memory of Falun Gong Practitioners Tortured to Death in China

Call to bring Jiang, Liu, Luo and Zhou to Justice

On the evening of the 27th of February 2004, Brisbane's King George Square was transformed by a candlelight vigil held in memory of all Falun Gong practitioners tortured to death over the past four and a half years. Our candlelight vigil, held in front of Town Hall, beckoned people with its serene atmosphere. Banners in English, Greek and Chinese were held by practitioners during the evening, together with a huge wreath of flowers.

Banner boards about the 4 criminals

Four banner boards were held clarifying the facts of the crimes against humanity by Jiang Zemin, Liu Jing, Luo Gan and Zhou Yongkang and the need to bring these four criminals in China to justice for their genocidal policies against Falun Gong practitioners.

• 64 Practitioners have been tortured to death in the past three months (890 deaths have been verified since July 1999).


• Labour camps routinely release practitioners on the brink of death to avoid responsibility; most die within days of release.


• Deaths from torture and abuse were reported in 17 Provinces throughout China, from Heilongjiang to Guangxi, from Sichuan to Beijing.


• According to the definition of the 1948 U.N. Convention Against Genocide, Falun Gong practitioners in China are being subjected to genocide.

Peaceful vigil

The atmosphere in the square was one of peace and serenity as practitioners sent righteous thoughts and sat in silence during the early hours of Friday evening. The square is often far from peaceful, with many people mingling noisily or passing through. Our vigil completely changed the whole atmosphere of the square and had a noticeable impact on passers-by.

Clarifying the facts Signing our petition

The visual display and the peaceful energy deeply touched the hearts of many people who stopped to read the banner boards displayed on the grass and to chat with practitioners handing out fliers. It seemed that people were simply drawn to us. Some passers-by were astounded that such inhumane treatment of other human beings could possibly happen in our world today. Some wanted to know how they could help; others spent time reading the pictorial banner boards and then came to ask questions, with others signing our petition. Practitioners briefly shared the practice of Falun Dafa and clarified the facts of this senseless persecution.

Most onlookers took information and appreciated the special information sheet for the evening, which included up-to-date information on the persecution with details of the four main perpetrators and the following message for politicians and journalists, that also applies to all people.

When the full facts of this human tragedy are revealed to the world, everyone will need to look to their conscience. People in the future might ask: "You were a politician/journalist at that time...what did you do to help stop this genocide from continuing?" It will be a tragedy of a different kind if one has to reply - "Nothing."