Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you to bring your attention to the latest development of the "Falun Gong" Crisis in China.

Since July 22,1999, the Chinese government has banned "Falun Gong", a Chinese cultivation system founded by Mr. Li Hongzhi with millions of practitioners in China and all over the world. It has utilized the state-run media to fabricate evidence and has held a nationwide campaign to discredit and distort Falun Gong and its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi. Meanwhile, thousands of practitioners who went to government agencies to make clarifications peacefully were illegally detained. Some of them were tortured in prison. On July, 29, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice issued a directive to all attorneys' offices stating that no one can sign contracts with or provide legal services to Falun Gong practitioners without the Bureau's pre-approval. This means that the practitioners cannot have fair and just treatment if they face prosecution by the government, and the government can do whatever it wants to punish innocent people. According to the report from Amnesty International on Oct. 22,1999, Zhao Jinhua, a 42-year-old practitioner from Shandong Province, was reportedly beaten to death while in police custody. An autopsy report revealed that her death was caused by beatings with blunt instruments. Since October26, hundreds of practitioners have again been illegally detained by the police.

I am appealing to you to help stop the Chinese government's abusive conduct against common legal practices and its severe violation of basic human rights as well as its own constitution.

As a democratic country and a good example of peaceful transformation from an unjust society to a just one, South Africa has the experience and responsibility to show her strong will to defend the principles of human rights. I truly hope that you, as a president elected democratically by the South African people, will make an official statement to urge the Chinese government to stop abusing the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners and help to establish a direct dialogue between Mr. Li Hongzhi and the Chinese government to resolve this crisis in a peaceful manner.

A Falun Dafa Practitioner in South Africa