Righteous Faith, Courage and a Bright Future--Remembering July 20, 1999

On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin launched the persecution of Falun Gong out of personal jealousy and envy. The persecution has lasted five years so far, and Falun Gong practitioners' anti-persecution efforts have also lasted five years. For others, five years may not be a very long time, but for people who constantly suffer as a result of such persecution, five years is a very long time. For Falun Gong practitioners who have endured brutal torture and cruel mistreatment, the past five years have been very significant.

Jiang's persecution and Falun Gong practitioners' anti-persecution efforts would seem to be a completely unbalanced contest. During the thirteen years when he was the head of China, Jiang took control over all the resources of the whole nation. He has used the world's most powerful and violent dictatorship and media propaganda tools to persecute Falun Gong. To persecute Falun Gong, the Jiang regime has fully mobilised the Party, administration, the military, special agents, personnel in the Foreign Affairs Department, educational system, media, and the "religious field" and "scientific field." On the other hand, Falun Gong practitioners had next to nothing from the material aspect, and had no opportunity to publicly defend themselves.

Jiang's earliest goal was to "annihilate Falun Gong in three months," and he implemented the extremely brutal and terrorist policy of "defaming their reputation, bankrupting them financially, destroying them physically." But three months passed, and Falun Gong practitioners were still tenaciously persisting. Then, Jiang again executed the policy, "death of Falun Gong practitioners from beating is nothing and shall be counted as suicide;" "the body shall be directly cremated without investigating the person's identification." Tortures used on Falun Gong practitioners include scorching the skin with red-hot iron, electric batons, water dungeon, brutal beating, sexual abuse, been bitten by poisonous snakes and bugs, drug injection, force-feeding of human feces and much more. Jiang failed again. Falun Gong practitioners didn't give up, and now truth clarification materials and banners can be seen everywhere in China. More and more people have come to know the truth. Many government officials, police officers, prison guards, inmates and many common people were changed by learning the truth of Falun Gong. Outside China, Falun Gong is being practised in more than 60 countries, while Jiang is being sued in seven countries and regions around the world, and some of his accomplices have been convicted of crimes against humanity.

In the beginning, Jiang was confident about the persecution of Falun Gong. He slandered and attacked Falun Gong during an interview with CBS (a TV network in the US), and he gave every foreign head of state a pamphlet that defamed Falun Gong at the APEC Summit Meeting. But the situation changed. In 2002, he demanded of the German police to keep Falun Gong practitioners out of his sight and feared anyone wearing yellow and blue clothing. He even asked that the sewer lids be welded shut. During his visit to Chicago, he went so far as to take the rear door reserved for dumping garbage as his way to enter and leave the hotel to avoid seeing a Falun Gong protest. He is even extremely afraid of seeing Falun Gong practitioners appeal in China. Jiang is no longer thinking about how to suppress Falun Gong, but is constantly worrying when Falun Gong will send him to another foreign court, or worse, when Falun Gong practitioners might bring him to justice in China.

This different situation indicates that the persecution will be a complete failure. Falun Gong practitioners have overcome the darkest period in history and will welcome the victorious dawn. In China's history, no group has been able to survive under such powerful government machinery and such brutal persecution. Falun Gong has created a miracle in China's history by surviving these past five years. In history, no other group has been able to reverse the overall situation under such violent attack from the government in such a short period of time. Even righteous religions and other groups in history were restored only after several generations or even several hundred years, after a ruler was finally converted to that religion. Falun Gong, however, has achieved it in a short period of a few years, which is a miracle among miracles.

Looking back on this part of history, people are moved by Falun Gong practitioners' perseverance and fortitude. In Chinese society, after 5,000 years of absolute monarchy and after half a century of endless political movements and persecutions, and as the Chinese people had become numb, indifferent, and full of fear, Falun Gong practitioners tossed aside the traditional notion of "protect oneself first." They have stepped out of fear and faced violence with compassion, lies with righteous faith, terror with courage. Their indomitable spirit encouraged and awakened people who watched silently on the sidelines. These ordinary believers, who remained obscure with their names unable to be recalled by people, overcame the most brutal persecution in history with their unprecedented courage, and with their righteous faith in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance and are stepping toward their final glory. This bright, glorious chapter cast by courage fully illustrates the power of compassion and the power of righteous faith. Their heroic stories, their courage and their perseverance will forever remain in people's memory and inspire them to pursue the Truth.