UK: Speech of European Friends of Falun Gong at London Press Conference

We are gathered here today in front of the Chinese embassy on the eve of a very important day in the modern history of Hong Kong. 16 Falun Gong practitioners, among them several from Europe, have been held in custody there since last March pending their trial for obstruction during a peaceful appeal against China’s persecution of Falun Gong. Indeed they were only in Hong Kong because they had been refused entry into China because of that very policy of persecution.

Tomorrow they will learn whether they will be released or whether they will be jailed for doing no more than all of us are doing right here now.

We in the west take our freedoms for granted; freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of belief. It appears that the decision of this trial could be crucial to the future of practitioners in Hong Kong, as, if the decision is taken to jail the 16 practitioners on trial, it would mean that the Hong Kong authorities have been severely pressurised into cracking down on Falun Gong by the central Chinese government.

We must remember that it is only 5 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain. A major part of the handover agreement was that China should allow Hong Kong to remain as it was for the next 50 years, that it should be allowed to conduct its own judicial system in the way that it had done before. However we have seen evidence already that China is having an overbearing and negative influence on Hong Kong’s affairs.

During the recent celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of the handover, 100 or so Falun Gong practitioners were refused entry to Hong Kong for fear that they would disrupt the occasion.

The trial of the 16 practitioners has already lasted weeks longer than originally expected, raising fears that undue pressure is being brought to bear on the Hong Kong judiciary to reach a guilty verdict. Falun Gong is already being suppressed in Hong Kong; all this emanates from the pressure from Beijing. This must not be allowed to continue.

We appeal to the Hong Kong authorities not to be bullied into a decision by China. For the good of humanity, in the name of freedom of belief and natural justice, these 16 practitioners must be freed tomorrow. They must be allowed to practise Falun Gong when and where they wish, and the rest of the people of Hong Kong must be free to join them if they so desire.

Hong Kong must not be allowed to go down the same path of persecution which has so blighted life in China over the last three years. Hong Kong must stand up to Jiang Zemin and his murderous treachery. Hong Kong, you must release these 16 innocent practitioners in the name of ‘Truth, Compassion and Forbearance’.