Media Advisory: Widow Calls Against Persecution as Chinese President Visits Latvia

June 11, Riga, Latvia – Her life was torn apart as the Chinese communist regime started a large-scale persecution against a meditation practice called Falun Gong: in 4 months her husband was tortured to death, her sister-in-law was sent to a labour camp for 2 years and her father-in-law died of the sad news, leaving her to raise a 14-month baby on her own.

Zhizhen Dai, with her 2-year old daughter, will speak in English at a press conference in Riga on Tuesday as the Chinese president Jiang Zemin paying a state visit of Latvia. She flew over 25 hours from Australia to Europe to appeal for all kind-hearted people in the world to help stop the ‘senseless and inhuman persecution, torture and killing’.

China observers say Jiang is responsible for the 3-year persecution of Falun Gong which has resulted over 1,000 deaths and over 100,000 people sent to prisons, labour camps and mental hospitals. A massive propaganda campaign is also taking place by state-controlled media.

Almost all human rights groups and western countries, including the European Parliament, have spoken out against the persecution.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a peaceful meditation and exercise practice based on the universal principle of ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance’. The practice focuses on upgrading individual’s moral standard and improving health. Falun Gong practitioners lead normal lives and have normal jobs in society. They do no harm to society and are not engaged in any illegal activities. The practice is voluntary, and all activities are open to the public.

Because of the ongoing brutal persecution in China, Falun Gong practitioners inside and outside of China, have tried very hard to raise awareness of the urgent situation in China to all governments, media and people around the world.

For this reason, practitioners from different countries around the world have travelled to Riga as the Chinese president visits Latvia. They come from Germany, Sweden, UK, Holland, Poland, Canada. U.S. and Australia, etc.

In Riga, local practitioners provide free instructions of the meditative exercises at a park. Falun Gong is freely practiced in over 50 other countries.

Press Conference
2pm, Tuesday June 11, 2002
Reval Hotel Latvija, Room Sigma, 2nd floor
Elizabetes iela 55
Riga, Latvia

Contact: Waltraud 0049-173-3135-532
Andrejus 00371-7-323218