Germany: The International Human Rights Association Hosts a Long Distance Race in Support of Human Rights

At approximately 10am on the 28th of August 2004, the International Human Rights Association hosted its first long-distance race in support of human rights, in the southern German city of Karlsruhe. About one hundred and thirty people participated in the race. The International Human Rights Association organised this ten kilometre race a day before the end of the Olympic Games in Athens. With the theme “For the Purity of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games”, the race was intended to raise further public awareness of the serious on-going human rights violations in China. China will be the host of the 2008 Olympic Games. The media reported this activity through newspapers, magazines, radios and TV. Some media used this opportunity to report the lawsuits against Jiang Zemin and the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China.

At the half way point of the race, the runners stopped at the Market Square in Karlsruhe to join a 60-minute public gathering. There the public were able to see the ongoing large-scale human rights violations in China through many exhibitions. The anti-torture exhibition was particularly shocking to many people.

Mr Martin Lessenthin, spokesperson for the International Human Rights Association, first paid his respects to all runners and visitors. In his opening speech, he again condemned the extremely serious human rights situation in China. He pointed out that China has always been the worst nation for human rights violations and the use of torture. In these circumstances, there are problems for Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. All governments and the International Olympic Committee must press China to respect human rights.

Mr Erleche gave his regards to all the runners and visitors on behalf of the Mayor and the Karlsruhe City Council. He stressed that fifteen years ago, he stood in the same place protesting against China’s human rights violations. At that time the Chinese government used tanks to crush students, leading to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Mr Erleche also pointed out that although economic relation with China has become very close, one must not ignore the human rights problem. Christians have always been persecuted in China; since China took control of Tibet by force in 1949, 1,200,000 Tibetans have died. Falun Gong is being brutally persecuted. Over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners have been detained without due legal procedures and hundreds have been beaten to death.

Mrs Schroder made a speech in the name of Karlsruhe’s Christian Democratic Union Party. In her speech, this city council member repeatedly stressed that respecting human rights and human dignity, especially the right to life and the right to not be physically harmed must be the most fundamental base for every society. She appealed to all citizens to unite with Falun Gong practitioners and the International Human Rights Association and resist the persecution.

In the following speeches, representatives from Falun Gong, Tibetans, Uighurs, the Democratic Movement and Christians described their respective situation of being persecuted in China. It was the first time that all the groups suffering persecution in China, joined in the same activity in Germany.

The last speaker was a Chinese lady living in Germany. Representing forty plaintiffs who sued the ex-President of China Jiang Zemin and other Chinese government officials, she read out a letter from a lawyer Mr Clark. In his letter, Mr Clark described again the facts of the lawsuit. He declared that from a human rights point of view, China may not be able to host a qualified Olympic Games in 2008. The mistakes of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and 1978 World Cup in Argentina should not be repeated.

At around 12:30, all the runners resumed the race to finish the last four kilometres of the run. At 14:00, the spokesman for the International Human Rights Association Mr Martin Lessenthin honoured every runner with a certificate. At about 14:30, Falun Gong practitioners provided a very entertaining performance. They performed dances, music, songs and demonstrated the beautiful Falun Gong exercises to display the beauty of Chinese culture.

There was a very moving and picturesque event at the end of this activity. Two hundred and fifty yellow balloons were released, each with a postcard attached. They symbolised the spread of peace and human rights to every corner of the world, especially to China.