Friends of Falun Gong Europe Writes to the World Trade Organisation

Mr Mike Moore

Director-General

World Trade Organization

154, Rue de Lausanne

CH-1211, Geneva 21

Switzerland

15 Jan 2002

Dear Mr Moore:

I am appealing for your help for the Falun Gong practitioners in China, who have been severely and unjustly persecuted by the Chinese government for the last two and half years.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a powerful system for improving mind, body and spirit. It is combined with 5 gentle, easy-to-learn, meditative exercises, which can be practised by people of any age, in groups and individually. It follows the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has far reaching effects in stress relief and overall physical and spiritual health. Over 100.million people have benefited from doing this exercise in over 40 countries worldwide. The book “Zhuan Falun”* has been translated into nearly 20 languages in the last 5 years. About 650 awards worldwide have been received. Before July 1999, the Chinese government was very supportive and the only award “Frontier Science Award” in China was awarded to Falun Gong.

Since July 1999, the Jiang Zemin regime all of a sudden turned their back on Falun Gong and started this most inhuman, most brutal persecution... They have used the army, police, torture, mental hospitals, prisons, labour camps, cutting off finance income, etc. Falun Gong practitioners in China are out of a job, out of their home, out of school, out of the army, out of the party. The Jiang Zemin regime has used the whole country’s propaganda tools, television, newspapers, radio, “brainwashing classes” etc, all kinds of media to abuse Falun Gong ruthlessly.

· So far 343 practitioners have been tortured to death while in custody. There have been 20 of them in the last 22 days;

· More than 500 have been sentenced, as long as 18 years;

· More than 1000 have been sent to mental hospitals;

· More than 50,000 have been sent to labour camps without trial;

· More than 100,000 have been illegally detained;

In view of the recent accession of China to the WTO, and the major significance that will have for the Chinese economy and their ability to trade openly with the West, we believe that the time is right for the West to take a stand against the tyrannical Jiang Zemin regime. While China is allowed on one hand to trade freely with the U.S.A, UK, and mainland Europe, on the other, China continues to show no respect for the freedom of expression and belief of a large number of its own citizens. This should not be accepted and allowed by an international organization, like the WTO.

We believe that the WTO should urge China to adhere to the conditions of the International Convention on Human Rights, of which it is a signatory. In the case of Falun Gong, China has shown no regard whatsoever for this treaty. The WTO is a symbol of world trade, and United Nations under one global umbrella organization. China should therefore not be allowed on the one hand to enjoy the prosperity provided by its membership, while on the other hand to carry out such barbaric acts upon its own citizens. It will reflect very badly on the WTO itself if it allows such persecution to go ahead unchallenged, if it continues to trade with a country which carries out state terrorism against its own people.

When a country is trying to develop its economy worldwide, it must also develop its morality to a similar high standard. When its people are following the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance”, it makes no sense for the government to persecute those very people who are the treasure of future economic development.

We sincerely hope you could offer a hand to help this crisis situation. Your time and any help are greatly appreciated. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time!

Kind regards

Mr John Dee (Vice-Chairman)

Friends of Falun Gong Europe

*editor’s note: Zhuan Falun is the main book of Falun Gong