Letter from European Friends of Falun Gong to UK Prime Minister

We are writing to you again to appeal for your help for the Falun Gong practitioners in China who are suffering the most brutal persecution at the hands of their own government. So far at least 430 practitioners have been tortured to death while in custody, many more are unaccounted for, while thousands languish in prisons, labour camps and mental hospitals with little or no hope of reprieve.

We know that the British government has tackled China over its appalling human rights record during successive UK-China Human Rights Dialogues, and these efforts are very much appreciated by Falun Gong practitioners worldwide. Sadly the Chinese government has shown no sign of backing down in the severity of its persecution of Falun Gong. Only a few months ago, President Jiang Zemin took the extraordinary step of ordering the shooting on sight of practitioners in certain areas merely for distributing Falun Gong leaflets or for carrying anything about Falun Gong.

The situation really has become critical and the future looks extremely bleak for many of those currently being tortured in custody.

Although representations have been made to China on this issue from many sources throughout the world, the overwhelming feeling is still one of despair that the Chinese authorities will ever relent and allow their people their constitutional right to freedom of belief and expression by lifting the ban on Falun Gong.

One particular event which is unfolding at the moment is the trial for obstruction of 16 practitioners in Hong Kong following their arrest during a peaceful appeal there last March. It is highly significant that the Hong Kong authorities appear to be unable to break the stranglehold exerted on them by Beijing, and a decision to release these practitioners by the Hong Kong authorities would show Beijing that they cannot simply ride roughshod over Hong Kong’s desire to conduct its own affairs in a fair and constitutional manner.

When the UK returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, China promised that there would be no changes in the way it was governed for 50 years – one country with two systems – but it is now only 5 years later and already China has gone back on its word. In a recent report produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Jack Straw stated that it is vital that the basic rights and freedoms afforded to the people of Hong Kong through the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law continue to be upheld. The report also stated that there had been a number of controversial incidents relating to Falun Gong, incidents which were widely regarded as examples of Hong Kong’s disregard for human rights when under pressure from China. One such incident was the banning of 100 overseas Falun Gong practitioners from entering Hong Kong during the recent celebrations of the 5th anniversary of the handover. The report also pointed out that the British government believes that freedom of assembly and freedom of speech must not be compromised if Hong Kong is to retain its image as a free and open society.

It would be very much appreciated by all Falun Gong practitioners worldwide if you could help in this urgent case, by calling upon the Hong Kong authorities to release the 16 practitioners, and not to be swayed in their actions by the considerable weight of pressure from the central Chinese government.

We are appealing to you to make a personal intervention to the Chinese President on an issue which is no longer simply a parochial one but which in the last year has become a world issue, since China on several occasions arrested and detained groups of foreign Falun Gong practitioners, including 5 British citizens, who had gone to Beijing to appeal peacefully to the Chinese government to end the persecution. Many of them returned home bearing the physical scars of the mistreatment they received while in custody.

I know you are extremely busy, but would it also be possible for us to arrange a meeting with you to discuss how to proceed on the issue? I am sure that discussions on a personal level would result in some positive new ideas on how to bring about a change of heart on the part of the Chinese government towards Falun Gong, and to end what has become the worst case of human rights abuse in the world today.

We look forward to hearing from you favourably soon.

Yours sincerely