Several Reports Concerning Iceland

The Voice of America reported on June 14 that during Chinese President Jiang's visit to Iceland, the Icelandic people held large-scale demonstrations over three days to protest the Chinese government's trampling of human rights and the Icelandic government's reactions, prohibiting Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland during his visit. According to a well-known human rights attorney in Iceland, Adel Stanson, passengers who were barred from entering Iceland were still discussing whether to file a lawsuit against the Icelandic airline in Icelandic courts regarding the airline's refusal to carry them.

A Swedish news agency reported on June 13 that a Falun Gong practitioner heading for Iceland was forced to stay in Stockholm because of Chinese President's visit of Iceland. There were two Swedish Falun Gong practitioners currently in Iceland and they expressed their surprise that the government of a democratic country like Iceland would obey the Chinese President's orders to violate the freedoms of assembly and speech.

On June 14, several human rights organizations in New York gathered in front of the Icelandic mission to UN in Manhattan in the rain. They protested the Icelandic government's use of a blacklist to deny the entry of FalunGong practitioners who held the normally appropriate documentation and tickets. A representative from the Falun Dafa Information Centre was invited to give a speech.