Canada: Press Conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Prior to Hu Jintao's Visit Calls for Stopping the Persecution of Falun Gong

On June 16th, 2010, one week before Hu Jintao, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), visits Canada, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Canadian Parliament building in Ottawa calling on the Canadian Prime Minister, government, and Parliament to urge Hu to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. They also demanded the release of all Falun Gong practitioners being unlawfully imprisoned, including relatives of twelve Canadian residents.

Mr. Bill Siksay, chairman of Friends of Falun Gong, and Member of Parliament, speaks at the press conference

Falun Gong practitioners hold press conference on Parliament Hill calling on Canadian Prime Minister, government, and Parliament to urge Hu to stop the persecution of Falun Gong

Falun Gong practitioners hold exhibition and re-enactment of torture methods used by the CCP to expose the persecution

At noon on June 16th, a group of Falun Gong practitioners who suffered persecution at the hands of the CCP in China narrated their stories during the press conference. Falun Gong practitioners from eastern Canada had a group practice on the lawn in front of the parliament building in the rain. Another group of practitioners conducted an exhibition and re-enactment of the torture methods used by the CCP to expose the persecution.

Mr. Bill Siksay, chairman of Friends of Falun Gong and Member of Parliament, gave a speech at the press conference. He called on the Canadian Prime Minister to put forward the Falun Gong issue during his meeting with the Chinese leader, especially regarding the relatives of twelve Canadians being imprisoned in China.

The Canadian Falun Dafa Association stated in its statement, "It has been over ten years since the CCP regime initiated the systemic persecution of Falun Gong. The CCP uses imprisonment, torture, hate propaganda, brainwashing, information blockage, murder, and even live organ harvesting to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. So far the number of documented deaths due to the persecution is more than 3000. Several million families have been broken part."

Ms. Zhao Yuping from Tianjin was imprisoned twice for practising Falun Gong. On March 8th, 2005, Ms. Zhao and other practitioners were arrested while preparing informational materials introducing Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's persecution. Ms. Zhao and two other practitioners were sent to Tianjin Banqiao Women's Forced Labour Camp and imprisoned there for nearly two years. During the imprisonment, Ms. Zhao was forced to work 13-14 hours every day making decorative flowers and watch parts, among other things. The living conditions were extremely poor. Ms. Zhao said emotionally, "I am truly experiencing the freedom of belief in Canada."

In its statement, the Canadian Falun Dafa Association stated, "The CCP regime attempts to force western countries to keep silent on these miserable cases, using economic incentives. We remind our government to be alert for the CCP's tricks and to not fall into the CCP's traps of so-called closed-door dialogue and keeping silent regarding human rights issues. Our government should openly express Canadians' concern over the CCP's infringement of human rights, especially the persecution of Falun Gong."

Practitioner He Lizhi, an engineer in Canada, was sentenced to a three and a half-year term of imprisonment for writing to his friend exposing the persecution of Falun Gong when he was in China.