The Parliament of the Czech Republic
The Senate
Jan Ruml
Vice Chairman of the Senate
Prague
1 November 2001
I am pleased that you have chosen Prague as the place for the press conference that has its goal to bring to the attention the brutal persecution of the Falun Gong movement in China. The Czech Republic has its fifty years of experience with totalitarian regime and its citizens are sensitive about the abuse of human rights in the world.
We are troubled by the criminalisation of political and religious activity in China, executions of Chinese citizens without due process, and without the right to defence, and by the repression of those who have allegiance to those different to official religions, including the practitioners of Falun Gong, or those who belong to the nations whose rights and freedoms have been trampled on for long decades.
In 1998 the Senate of the Czech Republic, whose vice-chairman I am now, has accepted resolution about the abuse of human rights in China and Tibet. In that resolution (the Senate) has challenged the Chinese government, that apart from other things, it immediately releases all political prisoners and the prisoners of conscience in China and Tibet and upholds the obligations arising from the international norms in the area of human and civil rights.
In June this year arose in Prague an initiative called The Committee for the Summer Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country, which closely observes the situation in the field of human and civil rights in China. Fundamental improvement in this area is a precondition so that the most meaningful sports games would take place in an environment of peace, tolerance and freedom. Important persons from the whole world have become members of this committee, for example: publicist Timothy Gordon Ash from Great Britain, chairman of the Foreign Committee of National Assembly of France Francois Loncle, past Deputy of the Foreign Ministry for Human Rights John Shuttock of USA and peer of the House of Lords in Great Britain Lord Weidenfeld.
I join those who severely condemn the violence committed by the Chinese government on the people who practise Falun Gong. Murders, torture and terrorising people who express the values of tolerance in this world is a horrific calling card of the Chinese administration, against which the whole world must protest.
... you have my support and the support of all peace loving Czech citizens. Let Zhen-Shan-Ren, Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance govern in all of our country.
From the heart
Jan Ruml
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