United States: Organisations Gather in Front of the UN Headquarters in New York on World Human Rights Day to Condemn Chinese Communist Party Persecution of Falun Gong

On December 10th, 2004, World Human Rights Day, a strong wind blew as rain steadily drizzled. Falun Gong practitioners and a number of non-governmental organisations gathered in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York to hold a press conference. They requested that the United Nations stage an open investigation of Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party's violations of Falun Gong practitioners' fundamental human rights and help stop this suppression.

Falun Gong practitioners' representative Kati presides at the conference

UN human rights NGO representative, Richard Cook

Director of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Conference on Human Rights and Committee member of Unitarian Universalist Association of churches, Mr. Richard Cook said that the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong directly violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it must be held accountable.

Cook said that practitioners' rally in front of the UN Headquarters was to remind the UN of the Chinese authorities' continuous persecution of Falun Gong. He said that this totalitarian government employed political means, torture, imprisonment, and "reeducation through forced labour" to persecute Falun Gong. Its crimes are against humanity.

Mr. Cook enumerated some articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including:

Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practise, worship and observance.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Mr. Cook pointed out that the Chinese government signed and ratified the UN Declaration. Falun Gong practitioners should also enjoy the rights mentioned above. The Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners directly violates the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it must be held accountable.

Representative from the legal council of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice: UN should uphold the spirit of universal human rights rather than being bewildered by political and economical interests

Representative from the legal council of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, Ms. Chu Woan-chyi

Representative from the legal council of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, Ms. Chu Woan-chyi addressed the press conference. She said, "What falls now is rain, but what falls from Falun Gong practitioners' family members' eyes is tears."

Ms. Chu pointed out that over the past five years, the persecution launched by Jiang Zemin against Falun Gong practitioners is completely against the law, it also violates articles of the Declaration of the United Nations. Currently, Jiang Zemin and his accomplices of the Chinese Communist Party continue persecuting Falun Gong, which results in the daily increase of the death toll of Falun Gong practitioners.

Ms. Chu said that up to present, a number of lawsuits have been filed against Jiang Zemin in many countries. What he is accused of are the most severe crimes including genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. These three crimes are generally believed to be the most seriously condemned crimes in today's world. Therefore, we gather in front of the UN Headquarters to appeal all governments in the civilised world not to tolerate, for the sake of political and economical interests, Jiang Zemin's continuous suppression of good people who believe in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance.

Ms. Chu continued, "On behalf of all attorneys of the legal council of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, I come here to sternly extend our wish: All countries of the United Nations, please do not ignore the facts and sacrifice the spirit of the universal human rights for the sake of economical and political interests."

Falun Gong practitioner: Call upon all countries in the world to send out voice of justice and help stop the persecution

Professor at Metropolitan College of New York, practitioner Mr. Feng Keran said, "Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affair Zhang Qiyue claimed a few days ago that improvements of China's human rights were obvious to all. It is indeed obvious to all! Over the past five years, a hundred million Falun Gong practitioners who cultivate themselves in accordance with Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance have been persecuted in China. Their family members and friends are also incriminated. This is no longer an issue for a hundred million people, as so many people are incriminated. At least 1000 people were tortured to death, several thousands people were forcibly sent to psychiatric hospitals and injected with drugs that damage the nervous-system. More than 100,000 people were illegally imprisoned in forced labour camps. Countless families are mentally tortured and financially extorted. This is what Jiang Zemin claimed as 'China's best human rights period'."

Mr. Feng pointed out that Jiang's faction has employed a quarter of the nation's resources to persecute Falun Gong for more five years. During this period, Falun Gong practitioners and people from all walks of life continuously stage petitions and appeals. Falun Gong practitioners in China have risked their lives and all kinds of pressure to peacefully resist the oppression.

Mr. Feng stated that currently the suppression of Falun Gong is still going on. We call upon all countries in the world to speak out with voices of justice and help stop the persecution.