Speech by Chairman of the European Falun Dafa Association outside the UNHRC in Geneva

This is now the 5th consecutive year that Falun Dafa practitioners have attended the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. We have travelled from all around the world, from near and far. We have come using our own time and resources, sometimes enduring hardships to deliver our message. Our message is simple and clear: “Stop the genocide against Falun Gong practitioners in China.”

International law has clearly identified that genocide is being committed against Falun Gong practitioners in China. We call upon all the nations at this year’s Commission gathering to recognise and oppose this crime against humanity, which is occurring before the very eyes of the world.

There is ample evidence and no doubt that a planned and deliberate policy of elimination has been directed at tens of millions of innocent people in China. Gross human rights violations have been committed against these people simply because they believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The criminal acts seek to destroy everything that is positive and good in our world and they seek to take away human beings’ fundamental rights to improve themselves physically, morally and spiritually.

Jiang Zemin must be held accountable for this genocide as he has personally orchestrated this reign of terror. Lawsuits have been issued in many countries around the world to bring this arch criminal to justice for the innumerable crimes he has committed against humanity, humaneness and moral conscience.

As world citizens, if we consider ourselves to be people of conscience, compassion and justice, then we must acknowledge that this genocide is unacceptable, immoral and illegal. It must end. We hope that this year, 2004, the international community will not bow to bribes, bullying or blackmail from the Jiang regime. But instead, that it can unite to recognise the severity of the crime of genocide against Falun Gong practitioners in China and take a firm and unequivocal stand against it.

Many people believed that the key to the betterment of human rights in China was trade. However, it is patently clear that trade with the Jiang regime has not fostered even a modicum of respect for basic human rights. As trade continues, torture continues; as trade continues, abuse continues; as trade continues, imprisonments continue. The simple fact of the matter is that the Jiang regime oppresses, tortures, and mistreats tens of millions of its own citizens.

Even moderate critics of China are now openly expressing their disappointment at China’s deterioration in the field of human rights. It is important, therefore, that the U.S. and other countries sponsor a resolution that is critical of this poor human rights record. Six times in the past, China has used parliamentary manoeuvres to block language critical of its rights record. However, we feel that the U.S. and other governments have a moral duty and obligation to raise the issue anyway.

For our part as Falun Dafa practitioners, we will persevere in exposing the crimes committed against our fellow practitioners in China, we will persevere in telling people the truth of the genocide, we will persevere in bringing Jiang and his accomplices to justice wherever they may be and we will always uphold Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Thank you.