New York: Dafa Practitioners Hold Press Conference in Front of the United Nations to Initiate a Campaign to Rescue Family Members Being Persecuted in China (Photos)

On September 20, 2002, the 57th United Nations General Assembly entered the third day. During the past few days, among the noise of many protest organisations, the peaceful and serene practice of Falun Gong practitioners attracted many media reporters and government officials from various countries who were passing by. Many people stopped to take a photo and ask for information.

At noon, Falun Gong practitioners from the New York area and family members of those practitioners being persecuted in China held a press conference to launch a campaign to rescue the practitioners being persecuted. A practitioner from the New York area hosted the conference. A spokesman for the Falun Dafa Information Centre read the press release. He said that this news conference is a part of the nation-wide campaign to rescue Falun Gong practitioners who have family members in the United States. He called on the United Nations and American society to pay attention to this matter and hoped that President Bush will put forward the request of ending the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners when he meets Jiang in October.

Three Falun Gong practitioners from the greater New York area recounted the suffering of their family members being persecuted in China. Ms Zhang said that her parents, who are over 60 years old, had been detained many times for not giving up their beliefs and were forced to carry out intensive physical work for over 10 hours per day. Ms. Zhang has not seen her parents for 8 years. They don't even know that they now have a grandson. Ms. Zhang's parents' physical condition is very weak due to the abuse they've suffered in prison.

Ms. Wang from New York recounted that her husband had been imprisoned for persisting in the practice and clarifying the truth of Falun Dafa to others. The family was forced to break apart. Ms. Wang was forced to leave her two-year-old daughter in China and live overseas with her five-year-old daughter.

Ms. Wu from Upper New York talked about how her mother, a physics professor in Jilin University, was persecuted for refusing to give up the practice.

The press conference also mentioned the persecution of Chunyan Tung, an American herbalist doctor and Gang Chen, a practitioner's brother.

In conclusion, Falun Gong practitioners called on all circles to work together to end the persecution against Falun Gong and rescue the Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Several Chinese and Western news media covered the event.