A television programme about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China was transmitted by a television-station, Presens TV, on the Stockholm's Open Channel on July 22nd. The programme was very well done with pictures from different events.
As an introduction, two pictures of Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong were shown, one before and one after she was tortured. The reporter Mr. Askensten said, "China is counted as one of the worst human rights violators in the world when it comes to proportion and continuity."
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The reporter explained that in a country with a dictatorship there is an opposition both among the intellectuals and among farmers, but in China the opposition is very brutally intimidated into silence. He continued to say that in countries outside China there exists also an opposition, an example of that being Communism and Human Rights in China, a seminar held on June 13th 2005 at the ABF Parliament Building in Stockholm.
The seminar, which was sponsored jointly by the China Democratic Movement Overseas Association, The Epoch Times, China Independent Writers Association and the International Human Rights Association, generated a positive re-action from Swedish communities and the media alike. A large audience at the ABF-house listened to keynote speakers, including chief editor of The Epoch Times Ms. Annette Jun Guo, vice chairman of the China Independent Writers Association Mr. Maiping Chen, Swedish human rights lawyer Peter Bergquist, former Chinese political prisoner Professor Shizhong Chen, an expert on persecuted faith-based groups in China Professor Sen Nieh and Chinese business professional Mr. Man-Yan Ng.
The programme focused on a speech given by human rights lawyer Mr. Bergquist who initiated a lawsuit against the previous Chinese president Jiang Zemin and some other human rights criminals in the Chinese regime.
Mr Bergquist mentioned that there are three circumstances that are favourable for such a process:
1. China has ratified the Convention against Torture.
2. The crimes committed inside the country are against China's own laws.
3. There exists a clear disagreement on the subject of Falun Gong within the regime in China
The reporter Åke Askensten from Presens TV showed at the end of the programme once more the pictures of Falun Gong-practitioner Ms. Gao Rongrong and said where she was from in China, that she had worked as an accountant, that she was a Falun Gong practitioner and that she is now dead.
He mentioned that this only is one example of many similar cases where the Chinese Communist Party persecutes innocent people with another political view or belief and peaceful groups such as Falun Gong.
The programme urged the general public to show interest and take an active stance on this issue and gave examples on how to do that: For example, you can join a human rights organisation or start a purchase boycott against China.
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Footnote:
Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong, a staff member of Luxun fine arts college in Shenyang city, was killed after being disfigured and suffering enormous torture. During the illegal incarceration, Gao Rongrong lost her hearing in one ear, her face was disfigured from seven hours of electric baton shock torture, her bodily organs were atrophying and she became just skin and bone. Her life was in grave danger. Gao's case has received broad attention within the international community. Her case was also the first case study in the "2004 United Nations Human Rights Report on China's Persecution of Falun Gong". She was once successfully rescued by other Falun Gong practitioners. The photo of her disfigured face strongly exposed the persecution of Falun Gong by the Jiang regime and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After the exposure, the CCP not only did not repent or stop, but instead became angry and carried on a more hidden and despicable persecution. The 610 Office head Luo Gan personally took charge of the continued persecution plan against Gao Rongrong. One member of the Judiciary said, "Luo Gan gave the order. He said that this matter [Ms. Gao's torture case being exposed] had too much international impact. We must handle it carefully now indicating that further persecution would be carried out secretly." Gao Rongrong was unfortunately re-arrested in March 2005 and then persecuted to death in police custody.
Originally published in Swedish at http://se.clearharmony.net/articles/200507/15134.html
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