In the sixty countries where Falun Gong is practised, some of them are often mentioned by people due to their special history. They are the former communist countries in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Estonia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary.
At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, the political situation in Eastern Europe was changing rapidly. The communist system, which was in control for decades, collapsed and all communist regimes in Eastern Europe failed one after another. In the process of breaking away from communist control and building up a democratic policy, people in these countries experienced a period of turbulence. A great amount of information showing the persecution conducted and also hidden by the communist regimes was exposed to the light of day; people were shocked to see the Communist Party’s true face of shame, evil and brutality.
In the five years that Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime, people living in these former communist countries could understand more easily why a peaceful practice that is based on “truthfulness, compassion and tolerance” would be persecuted so brutally, as they had personally experienced the horror and autocracy conducted by Communist governments.
Forty-two year old Falun Gong practitioner Galina moved from Ukraine to Germany after the Ukraine communist government collapsed. She said, “I lived in Ukraine for thirty years. When I was in the middle school, I already knew that the propaganda of the communist party was all lies. However, lies repeated a thousand times can become the truth of the people. China is also controlled by the Communist Party; the Chinese Communist Government used exactly the same measures to slander Falun Gong.
People who have got away from the tyranny now regain their freedom of belief, the light of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance” is shining all over Eastern Europe. Here, Falun Gong is extensively welcomed by people and most people who practise Falun Gong are westerners. While Falun Gong practitioners benefit from the improvement of both heart and body that the cultivation practice has brought them, they also make an effort to help and sincerely hope that fellow practitioners in China will obtain the freedom to practise that they deserve.
Russia
Falun Gong is widespread in Russia. Russian communities often hold events such as book exhibitions and health fairs. Falun Gong practitioners join these events as well as doing exercise demonstrations and activities to promote the practice and expose the human rights abuses happening in China.
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| Exercise practice site in Russia | Collecting petition signatures |
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| The 2004 Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference |
Ukraine
Falun Gong is now widespread in many cities in Ukraine and also acknowledged by the government.
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| Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day at People Friendship Square in Kiev City | Practitioners were invited to the "LIfe and Health Event" held by the Kiev Government |
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| Ukraine practitioners appealing to end the persecution at the Chinese Consulate |
Czech Republic
People in the Czech Republic can still remember the state that their country was in whilst under communist control and they feel deep sympathy for the Falun Gong practitioners in China. Falun Gong practitioners collected many signatures during the peaceful demonstrations held in Brno, demanding an end to the persecution and for the former Chinese head of state Jiang Zemin and his followers to be brought to justice for their crimes.
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| Brno citizens sign a petition to bring former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin to justice | In January 2005 Czech Falun Gong practitioners held an information day and demonstrated the practice |
Bulgaria
As people from all over the world are getting more interested in Falun Gong, more and more Bulgarians are also discovering the wonderfulness of Falun Gong practice and are concerned about the brutal persecution taking place in China. With the May 2004 publishing of the introductory text Falun Gong in Bulgarian, more pre-destined Bulgarian people are joining the cultivation practice.
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| Group exercise practice in Bulgaria | Children reading a Falun Gong leaflet |
Latvia
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| Latvian Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful appeal activity at the Chinese Consulate in Riga, strongly demanding the Jiang group to stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners |
Hungary
The activities held by Falun Gong practitioners have allowed more Hungarian people to learn about the benefits of practising Falun Gong and many people remarked that they would definitely learn. A lot of kind-hearted people also offered sympathy and supported Falun Gong practitioners suffering in China after they heard what is happening there.
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| Exposing the Jiang regime's genocide against Falun Gong | Falun Gong was popular at the Budapest Exercise Festival |
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