Czech Republic: Forum Opposing Communism

On May 1st, 2007, thousands of people attended a forum at Letna Park, Prague, Czech Republic, in a protest against communism. The forum, entitled “Against Communist, Against Fascism, Against Totalitarianism,” was organised by the Confederation of the Czech Political Prisoners. At the forum, over ten statesmen and victims of communism individually made statements concerning the damage caused by communist dictatorships to humans. Ming Zhao, a Falun Gong practitioner, and David Kilgour, a former member of the Canadian Parliament, were invited to deliver a speech at the forum, condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong.

Ming Zhao (left) from Ireland described at the forum his personal experiences in China’s labour camps where he had been subjected to brutal torture because of practicing Falun Gong	Inside the venue at the forum held at Letna Park, Prague, people viewed an exhibition of paintings. The exhibition was organised by Falun Gong practitioners in their efforts to expose the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek attended the forum and made a speech. He stated, “I pledge that we can develop a government free of communism as long as there is support from everyone.” It was necessary he went on to stress that we should let our children understand the brutal violence of communism. This way, they would not relive catastrophes of communism in the future and would practice everlasting democracy.

In their speeches the speakers not only summarised the painful lessons people had learned from previous communist dictatorships but also condemned the atrocities of the existent communist regimes.

Ming Zhao from Ireland described his personal experiences in China’s labour camps where he had been subjected to brutal torture because of practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Zhao said, “In labour camps various torture methods were employed to torture me, such as deprivation of sleep, beating, forced squatting for several hours and also electric shocks. These torture methods are still being used in China.”

“The international community is so wrongly impressed with China’s economic development that they forget one point. That is, China’s human rights situations haven’t been improved at all, nor is there greater social freedom. It is still a communist regime there, without freedom of speech, without freedom of assembly, without freedom of association and without freedom of the press,” continued Ming Zhao.

Former member of the Canadian Parliament David Kilgour said, “Look at what that government (the CCP) is doing to its own people, including independent journalists, human rights activists, democrats, religious communities, Uyghurs, Tibetans and many others. Two of us Canadians have concluded to our dismay in our recent report [www.organharvestinvestigaton.net] that the government of China is even killing Falun Gong prisoners of conscience without any form of judicial process and selling their vital organs for high prices to transplant tourists from abroad.”

Kilgour added, “It is this government that will host the Olympic Games in August 2008 in Beijing. It is the same city, as we just heard from Ming Zhao now of Dublin, in which during 2001 the administration was torturing Falun Gong practitioners like him.”

During lunch break David Kilgour had a talk with Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg. Mr. Kilgour introduced to the Czech Minister the CCP’s atrocity of organ harvesting, in his hand being the Czech version of “Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China.”
A member of the Swedish Parliament Goran Lindblad, who had drafted the resolution for the European Commission, entitled “A need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes,” also made statements at the forum.

Activities of this forum lasted a whole day, including a concert and a painting exhibition concerning communist dictatorships. According to the organiser, there were about 10,000 to 15,000 people who participated in the activities during the day.