Falun Gong Calls for Iceland Ministry's Decision to be Immediately Rectified

Following is the statement we sent to media and government officials when 6 of us from Canada were stranded at Copenhagen airport. We clarified the truth to the Consul of the Icelandic Embassy in Copenhagen as well as the airline people. They were all quite touched by hearing the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution, so they allowed us all to board a flight to Iceland the following day.

We heard that most practitioners were allowed to enter Iceland who travelled through Copenhagen on that day or afterwards.

We also realized that we were in a "better" situation to clarify the truth when stranded at the airport, since many people wanted to hear from us. Major media interviewed us while we were stranded at the airport, including AP, BT newspaper and TV2 television in Copenhagen.

Following please find the statement we released and used to clarify the truth while stranded at the airport.

Copenhagen, Denmark (June 12, 2002)--We, six Falun Gong practitioners from Canada, were astonished to learn here at the Copenhagen airport that we have been barred from boarding any Iceland-bound aircraft, a shocking decision by Iceland's Ministry of Justice on June 11. This has obviously been caused by pressure from the Chinese president Jiang Zemin, who is expected to visit Iceland from June 13 and 16.

Simply because we are Falun Gong practitioners, our names have been added to China's "blacklist." which has been passed to the Iceland government, and in turn, to airline representatives in airports around the world, so that we are now being denied boarding any Iceland-bound flights. The decision by Iceland's Ministry of Justice not only violates the basic norm of human ethics, but also severely violates very basic human rights and risks serious damage to the image and reputation of Iceland's government.

All the people we have met at the airport are shocked by this wrongful decision and extend their support to us. "I know this decision is immoral," said an airline manager. An Iceland Embassy official said that he felt great regret for the decision.

"The persecution of Falun Gong, also escalating in China, is now being even further extended overseas. We deplore the decision from Iceland's Ministry of Justice, and we call on the Iceland government to immediately rectify the decision," said Xun Li, one of the six practitioners and a Canadian passport holder, during an interview at the airport with the media.

Falun Gong, a meditation exercise and spiritual practice following the principle of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance", has improved the health and morality for tens of millions of practitioners worldwide. Due to increasing popularity, insecure in his power, the Chinese president Jiang Zemin illegally banned Falun Gong in July 1999 in China.

The persecution of Falun Gong in China has been widely condemned by the international community, including the Canadian government. In addition, Canadian authorities have praised Falun Gong on many occasions as "a model of good order." Mr. Irwin Cotler, a renowned international human rights lawyer and Canadian Member of Parliament, said that Truth-Compassion-Tolerance is not only Falun Gong's basic teaching; it is also the best universal value for humankind.
Mr. Xun Li added, "In Canada, Falun Gong practitioners have become very well known for their peacefulness and good order. Knowing this, police are rarely even present at their appeals and gatherings. Jiang Zemin's regime's defamation of Falun Gong is shameful."

"Enduring many hardships, we have travelled thousands of miles from Canada at our own expense, just hoping to give a voice to millions of practitioners who cannot speak out in China. This is a test for us all. We have to fulfil our moral obligations, which cannot be compromised. We will not leave the airport and will continue to appeal, and we hope such unfair decision is rectified in an accelerated manner," he concluded.