Finnish People: We Bless You!

On August 15, 2009, Falun Gong practitioner Jin Zhaoyu held a signature collecting activity in Pello, northern Finland for her petition to rescue her mother. The event exposed the ten-year long persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), called for the attention of the Finnish public, and hoped to aid in the rescue of her mother, Chen Zhenping and all other illegally imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Zhaoyu set up a petition desk opposite to the busy S-Market. She held a rescue display board with her mother's photo in hand. Her actions attracted many passersby, and vehicles slowed down to see what was happening.

Last July, Zhaoyu came to Finland to visit her husband. On the second day of her arrival, the CCP launched a rabid, large-scale capture of Falun Gong practitioners in China before the Beijing Olympic Games. Zhaoyu's home was raided. Her mother was arrested and then secretly sentenced to eight-year prison term. She is now imprisoned in the notorious Xinxiang City Women's Prison in Henan Province and has been deprived of visitation rights. She was recently secretly moved to another division of the prison. Her current situation is unknown but her persecution has worsened.

It is known that the Xinxiang City Women's Prison in Henan Province is one of the largest prison manufacturers for export products. Many prisoners pass out from exhaustion every day from being forced to do slave labour for long hours. Even the women over 60 years old are enslaved. It often happens that some criminal prisoners commit suicide by swallowing sewing needles. The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners not only includes slave work for extended hours, they are also forced to "transform" under the use of violence by the guards. The means of persecution are brutal, and includes being locked in a narrow cell, being starved, being deprived of sleep, being force-fed liquid food through the nose, being tortured and criminally assaulted by the death-sentence prisoners encouraged by prison guards. Currently about 200 Falun Gong practitioners are illegally imprisoned in this prison.

Jin Zhaoheng, Zhaoyu's 19 year-old sister has been unable to avoid this doom. She has been being hunted by the police and the CCP's Gestapo-like 610 Office. She was forced to drop out of her studies and has become destitute and homeless.

Recently the Lapin Kansa, a primary newspaper in northern Finland, has reported news of the persecution of Jin Zhaoyu's family and the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners by the CCP. These reports have shocked the kind-hearted Finnish people. Many have come to sign in support of Zhaoyu's effort of resisting the persecution and rescuing her mother.

Ms Aira, living in Pello, shivered in indignation at the CCP's violence after reading the truth-clarification materials. She kept saying, "It (the CCP) is awful, awful!" After a while, she called her friends to come to sign the petition. As they left they said, "We bless you."

Suvi, a mother of two children, came to Zhaoyu with her cute kids. After learning about the true facts, she told Zhaoyu that she, as a mother herself, understood well the feeling of being forced apart from her family. She condemned the inhumanity of the CCP and signed the petition. Zhaoyu gave her a hand-made paper lotus flower. Suvi said happily, "So beautiful. I will keep it well. I bless you and wish you success in rescuing your mother."