A German Falun Gong Practitioner’s Impressions of the Events in Geneva

Today on March the 13th 2004, I am visiting Geneva during the 60th session of the Commission on Human Rights, the annual UN human rights conference. Many Falun Gong practitioners visit Geneva at this time of year for a reason: to call attention to the human rights violations committed against Falun Gong practitioners in China. Today, practitioners will man five information booths, located at different locations in Geneva, to inform Geneva’s residents and visitors about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, a persecution that has already caused hundreds of deaths.

Hundred of thousands of innocent people and law-abiding Chinese citizens have been deprived of their human rights because they practise Falun Gong, a traditional self-cultivation practice. They lost their rights solely because Jiang Zemin was jealous of Falun Gong’s growing popularity and he feared that such popularity would become a threat to his exclusive power and control. Falun Gong practitioners have lost their jobs and been expelled from schools and universities; they are harassed, discriminated against, exploited, imprisoned, sentenced to long terms in prison or labour camps, tortured and even murdered, because of their steadfast belief in Falun Gong. Falun Gong has no political aspirations, and is solely interested in cultivating body and mind, a system of cultivation that allows one to attain health and well-being.

To address this injustice, many people have come from far and wide and spared no cost or effort to be in Geneva during this time. One practitioner gave the following reasons for his decision to come to Geneva, “Annually, different countries are chosen to be representatives during this Human Rights Commission conference. This is a great opportunity for me to show those representatives Jiang Zemin’s real opinion of human rights.” One practitioner who held a banner that read, “Take Jiang Zemin to Court” in the pouring rain for more than an hour stated that she was there because she wanted to see those evil people put behind bars. She felt that enduring a little bit of cold weather and rain is nothing compared to what the practitioners in Mainland China have to suffer.

I have high hopes that the persecution will soon come to an end and that Jiang Zemin will be put on trial for his crimes against humanity, and I think that he deserves to be put behind bars. But, I asked myself, “Why have I come to Geneva?” My response to this question is that I came here because representatives from many powerful countries attend this meeting. With our presence we will assure that these countries hear about Falun Gong and learn the truth about Jiang’s violations of human rights. This is a special opportunity.

Translated from German at http://de.clearharmony.net/articles/200403/15611.html