United States: Falun Gong Practitioners Hold a Candlelight Vigil in Los Angeles in Memory of Those Suffering in the Persecution

In memory of the 11th anniversary of the April 25th peaceful appeal, Falun Gong practitioners in Los Angeles held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate on the night of April 25th, 2010. A practitioner who was present at the event recalled what happened and asked for help to stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Falun Gong practitioners commemorate the 11th anniversary of the April 25th appeal

Falun Gong practitioners call for an end to the persecution in China

On April 25th, 1999, practitioners gathered in front of the central government building in Zhongnanhai and asked to again be allowed to practise Falun Gong unmolested. They wanted the officials to release the arrested practitioners and to allow publication of Falun Dafa books. Officials misrepresented the appeal as an attempt to lay siege to the central government, and Jiang Zemin, the former leader, used it as an excuse to launch the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999. In the past 11 years, Falun Gong practitioners in China have been subjected to illegal imprisonment, forced labour, mental and physical abuse, and nerve-damaging drugs. Over 3,369 have died, and many had their organs removed while they were still alive.

Professor Wu Yingnian of UCLA said that the practitioners have taken rational and peaceful approaches to protect their basic right of freedom of belief. Many have realised the truth about the persecution and chosen to stand up for the practice. According to Wu, the US Congress recently passed Resolution 605 asking the Chinese government to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong. Courts in Spain and Argentina have indicted Jiang and his accomplices of the crime of torturing practitioners.

Wu Xuegang was at Zhongnanhai during the incident. He believed that the appeal was a milestone for Falun Gong, after which it became known internationally. He was still moved by how peaceful and compassionate practitioners were at the time. He expressed his hope that the persecution would end soon.

Ye Ke, the person in charge of the candlelight vigil, said that practitioners have been working hard to protect the Chinese people's human rights. He hoped that people who were still in the CCP system would stand up against the regime and help stop the persecution.