Canada: A Motion Protecting Freedom of Belief Passed by the Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development

On December 2nd, 2004, a hearing for people persecuted for their beliefs was held in the Canadian Parliament. Practitioners from the Canadian Falun Dafa Association attended the hearing and presented witnesses. Members of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development listened to the witnesses and passed a motion to protect and promote the right to freedom of religion and belief. This is a central element of its efforts to defend human rights internationally, and find ways of making Canadian aid conditional upon the protection of religious and other fundamental human rights.

David Kilgour, Chairman of Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development, listens to the witness	Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Chipkar talks with members of parliament

Photos showing torture victims shock attendees in the hearing

Ms. Grace Wollensak of the Falun Dafa Association gave a speech and with visual aids illustrated the brutal torture of three Chinese women for persisting in practising Falun Gong in China. She said, "The young lady in the picture named Ms. Gao Rongrong, 36, was arrested for her belief in Falun Gong and sent to the Longshan Forced Labour Camp in Liaoning province. On March 22, 2004, Ms.Gao was tortured with electric batons for 6-7 hours at the labour camp, leaving her face charred and disfigured."

The next picture showed 32 year old Ms. Zhu Xia, who was detained in a Brainwashing Centre in Xinjin County, Sichuan Province. She was repeatedly raped and humiliated during her detention until she suffered a total mental collapse. The next photo was of Ms. Lingxia Wu, 37 shown with her son. She was later tortured to death by police.

"All this happened in China," said Ms. Wollensak, "The cases from the United Nations, Amnesty International and other NGO's represent less than 1% of the known cases of deaths, violence against woman, psychiatric abuse, brainwashing, arbitrary arrests and detention, and torture, including, rape, forced abortions, electric shock, freezing, burning, forced feedings, suffocation, drug injections. The back of the 2004 UN report details in pictures many of the torture methods being used right now."

Mr. Joel Chipkar introduced Falun Gong to the attendees, "Falun Gong is a profound spiritual belief that focuses on cultivation of mind, body and spirit, through gentle exercises and the study of the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance. In 1992 Falun Gong debuted into China and was respected, supported and awarded by the state. One hundred million people from all levels of society in China were practising and benefiting from Falun Gong.

In 1999 a government survey showed that over 100 million people were practising in China. It was then out of jealousy and insecurity that former president Jiang Zemin launched a persecution against Falun Gong.

In August 2001, The Washington Post published an article stating that the number one weapon being used in the attempt to eradicate Falun Gong was hate propaganda.

In the first 6 months inside and outside China, over 300,000 articles have been published, framing Falun Gong practitioners as mass murderers, serial killers, suicide prone and insane.

In March 2004 the National Post reported on the large scale 'hate mongering' happening right here in Canada by Chinese officials. I myself sued the vice consul general of China here in Canada for defaming me and I won the case. However, the hate still continues."

Ms. Wollensak said, "Jiang Zemin has ordered the use of all measures necessary to eliminate Falun Gong."

"Over the past five years the persecution of Falun Gong and its associated hate campaign have deeply and systematically penetrated all corners of Chinese society. All levels of government and police have engaged in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners or they would face losing their own positions.

The entire legal system is manipulated. Lawyers and judges are ordered to not defend, but to criminalise Falun Gong practitioners. The entire educational system forces students from kindergarten to university to condemn Falun Gong or face expulsion. State and private workplaces persecute practitioners on the spot, fire them, take away their housing, or send them to brainwashing classes. Citizens are rewarded for spying on and reporting Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr Lizhi He was a renowned civil engineer in China who suffered for 3 ? years in a Chinese prison for sending letters to his colleagues about Falun Gong. He was almost tortured to death. He endured slave labour, electric shock torture, intense brainwashing, and mental torment. Amnesty International Canada called him a prisoner of conscience and issued an urgent action campaign for his release.

ABC news in Australia stated, "Falun Gong practitioners make up close to half the number of Chinese people being held in labour camps, a process that requires no legal or judicial ruling." There are more practitioners being held in detention centres, psychiatric hospitals, and other places of imprisonment across China.

Mr. Lizhi He is only one of the 120 direct victims now living in Canada, This little girl is named Rongrong. She is a niece of a Canadian citizen. Her father was tortured to death in the Wangcun Forced Labour Camp and her mother was abducted by police three years ago and has been missing since. She is one of the hundreds of children documented in this NGO report who have been affected by this persecution. (Holds Up Report)

Her family's story is just one of the millions of families suffering in this campaign of crimes against humanity.

(pointing to picture) Ms. Wang Lixuan and her 8-month-old son were abducted by police and were both killed in police custody.

Last month alone there were 42 death cases reported. Expert sources estimate that the current verified death toll of 1142 is nothing compared to the actual number of deaths.

We know that majority of the brutal cases remain unreported, as the Chinese regime imposes an information blockade and cover-up, and anyone revealing these cases will be charged with the crime of "leaking state secrets." One of the investigation reports from WOIPFG (Showing book) reported that at least 108 practitioners have been sentenced to prison for up to 12 years term for using the Internet to access and send Falun Gong information. Three of them have been tortured to death."

The attendees were shocked after listening to the presentation. Mr. David Kilgour, MP and Chairman of the subcommittee, said during an interview that the tortures were the worst he had seen in photos. He said that we could not allow any so-called Chinese diplomats to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Canada. He said that they would continue efforts to deport those diplomats involved in illegal activities in Canada.

Canadian Members of Parliament proposed to have foreign aid linked to human rights conditions

After hearing the witnesses, MP Ed Broadbent said that the foreign aid from Canada should be linked to human rights conditions of the country receiving the aid and economic aid should be discontinued to those countries trampling the freedom of belief and basic human rights.

Practitioner Ms. Wollensak pointed out that Jiang's faction spent one fourth of the national economic resources to persecute Falun Gong practitioners and that lots of the funding was used to construct forced labour camps, brainwashing centres and the internet blockade.

The Vice Chairman of the subcommittee, MP Stockwell Day, said during an interview that at least one million Canadian dollars were given to China as foreign aid. He said that such a large sum of Canadian taxpayers' money should not be given to such a government, and that Canada should pay attention to the human rights violations by this government.

At the end, the subcommittee unanimously passed a motion on Freedom of Religion.

SDEV Motion on Freedom of Religion

"That the ongoing International Policy Review examine ways in which the Government of Canada can make the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of religion and belief a central element of its efforts to defend human rights internationally, including in its international development assistance policy and programs; and, in particular, look at ways of making the receipt of Canadian aid conditional upon the absence of abuse of religious and other fundamental human rights."