A German Family’s Statement

By Stefanie Koerper

February 14, 2002

The persecution in China is aimed at many millions of peaceful human beings. These human beings have only one goal – to turn toward the good, to ennoble their bodies and spirits and wish to integrate into their daily lives the virtues of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

Until approximately 1997, the Chinese government officially still supported Falun Gong, because even the authorities had realized that they could save the state coffers millions of dollars of reimbursements for health expenditures by allowing people to practice Falun Gong. Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, had received numerous awards in several Chinese cities declaring him the “Most Beloved Qigong Master.”

Some personages in the Chinese government had decided in 1999 to ban Falun Gong, probably because due to the large numbers of people [practicing this system].

On July 20, 1999, during a clandestine operation, hundreds of Falun Gong contact persons were arrested; their homes were invaded, searched and plundered. Two days later the Chinese government officially prohibited [the practice of] Falun Gong and declared it “State Enemy No. One.” Millions of [Falun Dafa] books, audio-and video-cassettes were confiscated and destroyed. Tens of thousand of Falun Gong practitioners were arrested.

To justify their actions, the Chinese government began a hate campaign against Falun Gong. Trumped-up stories began to be circulated and blatant lies were spread, something that was repeated even abroad. All communications with the outside world were interrupted, e-mails were intercepted and monitored, telephone lines were tapped and even foreign reporters were threatened and have been arrested if they attempted or had contact with Falun Gong practitioners. Children whose parents practiced Falun Gong were refused a further education; university students lost their matriculation and workers were dismissed from their jobs.

Two and a half years have passed during which time countless peaceful human beings have become victims of torture or succumbed to murder. The numbers are shocking:

* 100,000 arrests

* 20,000 or more people languish in Re-Education through Forced Labour camps

* Thousands linger in psychiatric/mental hospitals

* Over 350 fellow human beings died gruesome deaths while in police custody.
(According to information from a high-ranking Chinese government official,
the real number is close to 1,600.

Despite these inhumane persecutions, not a single case has come to light where even one Falun Gong practitioner has hit back and cursed back, not even against those who perpetrate these tortures against the practitioners. This kind of conduct demonstrates clearly that these [Falun Gong] people do not merely speak of benevolence and forbearance, but indeed manifest these virtues. Falun Gong has become a worldwide symbol and a beacon of hope; a symbol of absence of force; a symbol for peaceful resistance and for the preservation of human rights.

When the world at large, no matter for what reason, no longer closes her eyes and keeps silent [in the face of these occurrences] when a small group of powerful, ruling individuals is able to misuse the media and police apparatus to such an extent, for the purpose of inciting billions of people against Falun Gong, when human rights are trampled, and when the world at large allows this to continue, then a dark part of human history, well known to us Germans, will repeat itself. One cannot afford to and must not look the other way.

All throughout history there are always people, such as the Falun Gong practitioners in China, who have realized that true peace can never be gained through force. Peace begins in one’s own heart. One has to live it and become it. Peace is only possible if upright and courageous people act with compassion and kindness and are willing to suffer for these higher principles. People such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus are excellent examples of this.

My father, my older sister and I, together with many other Falun Gong practitioners, flew to Beijing to peacefully protest against the brutal Chinese persecution of Falun Gong at Tiananmen Square.

Our protest action is, without exception, aimed at those who carry the responsibility for this persecution. We seek no quarrel against Chinese government entities and particularly not against the Chinese citizenry. It is also not our intent to provoke and create conflicts with the police authorities. It is further my wish to show those police officers who have been blinded by the propaganda to explain through my good-hearted conduct that Falun Gong practitioners are truly good people, that Falun Gong is highly esteemed in the West and that it is a shame that these good people are hunted and persecuted.

I want to once again shake the world awake and to portray once more the seriousness of this situation to all politicians and the world citizenry. People in China who are doing the same thing I do – performing the {Falun Dafa] exercises and studying the teachings – are being punished for that with torture or death. We went there [to Tiananmen Square] to give these people courage. We want to speak out for and support those who have been deprived of all rights for holding to a belief system, and have been deprived of all human rights and all rights of freedom of expression. This is our contribution to the idea of peace.

(Original text in German)