On Friday October 20, Falun Gong practitioners from across the world held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) General Consulate in San Francisco, to commemorate those practitioners tortured to death by the CCP and call on people to help stop the CCP's seven-year-long persecution. Falun Gong practitioners hope that Chinese people will come to know the grace of Dafa and renounce the CCP.

Falun Gong practitioners protest the persecution

Urgent call to stop the CCP atrocities

Ms. Zheng continued, "We live in a democratic country. If we do not speak out for our fellow practitioners, more practitioners would lose their precious life under the brutal persecution. So far it is documented that three thousands practitioners were tortured to death. The actual number could be much higher."

She emphasized, "Since the exposure of the CCP atrocities of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners, people have come to know about the CCP's extreme brutality in the persecution. But some people are still indifferent. I hope that everyone can read the independent investigation report by the Canadian team and make his own judgment. The website is http://organharvestinvestigation.net/"

Ms. Huang from Taiwan said, "We attend the candlelight vigil to commemorate those practitioners tortured to death by the CCP, to call on people's conscience and help stop the persecution."

Ms. Tang from Houston said, "We've come to the Chinese Consulate to tell the CCP to stop the persecution. Practitioners hold banners with words demanding that the CCP stop their atrocities. Many passersby can see our event. We hope for more people to know about the persecution, especially the atrocities of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. We hope that everyone across the world will know about the issue and help stop this unprecedented evil in human history."

With Falun Gong practitioners constantly exposing the persecution to people in various places and the German media recently reporting on the issue, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) violations of human rights, and especially the hidden facts of trading human organs, people have started to pay more attention to the issue of "human rights in China."

On a weekend in October 2006, Falun Gong practitioners from Nordrhein-Westfalen once again disclosed the CCP’s atrocities of persecuting Falun Gong to people on the busiest streets in Cologne. When collecting signatures, people signed in droves without any hesitation when hearing that it was to protest against the CCP harvesting and trading Falun Gong practitioners’ organs. A phrase heard often throughout the day when passersby saw the petition was "Das werde ich auf jeden fall tun" (This is what I must do)".

Reenactment of the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners

Many people sign petition to protest the CCP’s atrocities

Explaining the facts of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong

The gentleman (right) said to the practitioner, "The world needs people like you."

Many people said that they have seen the related reports on TV and the Internet and it’s hard to believe that this kind of evil is still happening in the world today. Also, some people wondered if these signatures would have any effect. Today people are all concerned with money; will the German government set herself against China for human rights? The practitioners exchanged their understandings of this question with them: We do not want to pressure the German government or the Prime Minister when giving them these people’s signatures; instead, we want to convey the people’s concern about the Chinese human rights issue and their heartfelt wishes to oppose the CCP’s evil persecution. This will be strong support for the German government and the Prime Minister, allowing them to stand on the side of conscience and morality regarding this issue.

The goal is reached gradually and the effect of each little step cannot be ignored, and so is the human rights issue. With one more person understanding the truth, there will be one more force against the evil. Every signature comes from a human heart and there’s no boundary when it comes to human rights. To act against the persecution requires many people’s hearts and effort.

There were many touching stories that happened that day:

A young woman and her husband came to the exhibition board to sign the petition, and the woman broke into tears. A man thanked the practitioners after understanding the persecution happening in China. He said, "I'm glad that there are still good people like you nowadays. The world needs people like you."

A couple of Chinese overseas students passed by the practitioners’ exhibition board, and the boy stood and watched on the street from not far away. When the practitioner gave him some Chinese material, he nodded and received it. When mentioning the CCP's persecution against Falun Gong and the tide of withdrawing from the CCP, he said that he had seen the BBC’s report of China harvesting and trading in human organs. He said that he would think seriously about the issue.

An elderly German woman who had just started to learn Falun Gong four months ago also traveled here from a nearby city. She prepared a file to collect signatures by herself and happily distributed fliers on the street.

A four-day Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance Art Exhibition was held in Ceyrat, a city located in the neighborhood of Clerment-Ferrand in central France. The exhibition was mounted and organized by the city government of Ceyrat.

Several TV and radio stations, including the Clerment-Ferrand branch of TV Channel 3, France Bleu and RCF (Radios Chrétiennes en France) provided on-site news coverage about the event. La Montagne, the most popular newspaper in Auvergne Province, Ceyrat Infos, a local newspaper in Ceyrat, and Info, a free newspaper with a circulation volume as high as 200,000 across Auvergne, all carried announcements about the art exhibition before the grand opening.

Mrs. Mary-Teresia Monet, director of the Espace Culture et Congres Henri Biscarrat, where the art exhibition was held, was a graduate of an art institute. After she visited the art exhibition, she said, "These paintings are extraordinarily powerful in artistic expression." She was particularly touched by the painting entitled, "Tribulations in the Midland." She added, "Everyone knows the Chinese communist regime is an autocratic one. What I understand from these paintings and the testimony of this practitioner makes me feel troubled. We should not forgive the persecution inflicted upon any form of belief or cultivation practice. We have no right to infringe on others. Regardless of men, women or children, their bodies should not be infringed on. As a mother and grandmother, I cannot help but think of my own children and other children after seeing this persecution. History always repeats itself. I just wonder whether one day people will truly understand that we need to think carefully about this kind of persecution, whether it occurs today or in the future."

During the four days of the exhibition, people who saw the artworks were deeply moved by the paintings’ power of artistic expression and the stories depicted. Many visitors indicated that they would tell others about what they learned and through various means, they would try to help stop the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners.

Among the visitors to the exhibition were teachers from universities, high schools and elementary schools. The teachers said they would convey to their students the facts of the persecution as exposed by the paintings. Viewers who came from other cities expressed that they would recommend their city governments to host the exhibition. Some athletes said they would take the initiative to collect signatures to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Several people left heart-felt remarks in the guest book: "You have awakened our conscience. Thank you very much for telling us all of this." "The paintings are so beautiful. Only non-violent peacefulness such as what we see in this exhibition can prevail over tyranny."

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200610/36042.html

Written Question E-3453/06 by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE), Simon Coveney (PPE-DE) and Edward McMillan-Scoot (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China

On July 6th, 2006, David Matas and David Kilgour, both Canadian lawyers, published their ‘Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China’ following an independent investigation they carried out into the very disturbing stories leaking out of China that allegedly state institutions in the People’s Republic of China have been harvesting human organs from innocent unconsenting live Falun Gong Practitioners and killing the practitioners in the process by extra-judicial executions during the organ removal process. This is allegedly followed by rapid cremation of the mutilated bodies to destroy all evidence of the crime, and it is also alleged that this is occurring in large numbers and in a deliberate and systematic way.

Organ harvesting targeted at an unwilling particular group of individuals is a horrendous crime violating all international legal norms, and the Chinese Government has rigorously denied such allegations. Is the Commission aware of these serious allegations, has it read the report cited and will it ask the Commission Delegation in China to investigate matters further and report back if there is any truth behind this?

Answer E-3453/06EN given by Mrs. Ferrero-Waldner on behalf of the Commission (15.09.2006)

The Commission is fully aware of the allegations of trafficking of organs of prisoners sentenced to death in certain Chinese camps. It has not found, at present, any concrete evidence in support of these allegations and will investigate further. Should these allegations be confirmed, The Commission would urgently raise the issue with its Chinese counterpart in the most appropriate manner.

In the meantime, the EU has more strongly focused on the Chinese government’s general practice of harvesting organs for use in medical transplant procedures and has assessed the issue against the backdrop of the new Chinese regulation on human organ transplants issued by the Ministry of Health, which became effective on the 1st of July 2006. In the EU’s opinion, this legislation does not adequately address the issue of donor consent, particularly for those who have died in custody or have been executed.

The EU has made and will continue to make its concerns known to the Chinese government both through the bilateral dialog on human rights and wider political channels. It will closely follow this matter with a view to assuring that any donation of organs is subject to the formal consent of the donor.