Falun Gong Practitioners Mark 11 Years of Persecution in China

July 20th was an important date for the millions of Falun Gong practioners worldwide. It marked the 11th anniversary of a brutal persecution that's ongoing in China. On July 20, 1999, the Communist Party launched a campaign to suppress the Falun Gong spiritual practice, sending thousands—possible millions—of people to labor camps. Over the weekend, Falun Gong practitioners from many parts of Europe gathered to commemorate the date.

Brussels, Belgium: Practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement came from all over Europe to gather here on Saturday. They're seeking to raise public awareness of the Chinese Communist Party's ongoing persecution against Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa.

[Wu Wenxin, Falun Dafa Association of Europe]:
"11 years ago, on July 20, the Chinese regime launched a comprehensive suppression of Falun Gong practitioners—a very cruel, very inhumane suppression and persecution. We are here today because after 11 years, many Falun Gong practitioners are still being persecuted by the Chinese regime. We want to remind the people here: Do not forget that right now, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are still detained in prisons, and many of them are also detained in labor camps, because of their beliefs."

Falun Gong was first taught to the public in China in 1992. It involves meditation and qigong exercises like these. And it emphasizes spiritual self-improvement through following Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance.

By 1998, official estimates put the number of practitioners in China at 70 to 100 million. But the Chinese Communist Party, afraid that they couldn't control such a big group, soon launched a brutal crackdown, sending thousands to labor camps to be tortured. According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, thousands have been persecuted to death.

A representative from Amnesty International came to the event in Brussels to speak about one of the most brutal aspects of the Communist Party's persecution: that's called organ harvesting.

[Dominique De Mees, Amnesty International China Coordinator]:
"From 2006 to 2009, we have an estimated 41,000 cases where organs were harvested from bodies of Falun Gong practitioners."

She's referring to research presented by Canadian Human rights lawyer David Matas and Former Canadian Parliament Member David Kilgour. They offer evidence that Chinese state-run hospitals are systematically killing Falun Gong practitioners in order to sell their organs.

[Dominique De Mees, Amnesty International China Coordinator]:
"I hope that if people know about these kind of problems they will become a bit more critical about the situation in China. Because if we only see the nice things like the World Expo in Shanghai, then people won't be able to understand why there's this kind of criticism against China. We have to inform them over and over again."

Falun Gong practitioners at the event in Brussels used the opportunity to tell passersby about the persecution.

[Passerby]:
"I feel it's very necessary to understand how these people live and what their purpose in life is. I wish them lots of courage and good luck, and I hope they can finally have a peaceful life [in China]."

NTD News, Brussels.

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[akirafactor]

@mrzack888 Organ Harvesting in China

[mrzack888]

i wouldn't call it a brutal crack down when China is fearful of America's tactics to over throw governments through using coups starting with organized underground rebellion groups.