Friday, 21st September 2001
When I found out that fellow practitioners had already been on hunger strike for over a month in a detention centre in China, and when I learned that fellow practitioners from all over the world had been carrying out "SOS" walking campaigns in support of the hunger strike, I was shocked. Fellow practitioners in China have been enduring torture for more than two years in order to appeal to the kind-hearted people around the world. However, in Ukraine and Russia many people still do not know what Falun Dafa is, and they are still deceived by the evil propaganda. I believed that they deserved to know the truth.
Going on a hunger strike was purely from my own will. Before that I wrote a statement to the government and met a solicitor. According to the law, individual protests do not require formal permits. Therefore my solicitor helped me to register my hunger strike plan with the city council.
At 10am on 11th September I arrived at the Chinese Embassy. I told the guard that I had already registered my protest with the government. I also asked him to hand a letter to the Chinese authorities, in which I requested an end to the brutal persecution. In the beginning their reactions were quite calm.
I erected two large posters saying "Falun Dafa --Zhen Shan Ren" [Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance] and "260 Falun Gong practitioners have already been killed in Chinese police custody." I also displayed materials showing the truth of the persecution, my own hunger strike statement and a resolution from Amnesty International.
A few moments later a Ukrainian policeman guarding the Embassy requested that I leave immediately. I told him that the land I was standing on belonged to Ukraine, not the Chinese Embassy, and that I was doing something perfectly legal. He then asked me to show him the registration of my hunger strike.
People started to gather around me and some even recorded the scene. Soon, two high-ranking officials came to speak to me. They said that my request had been heard by the higher Chinese authorities, and that I could now leave. I replied that I wanted to continue my hunger strike. They then suggested that I protest in front of the Parliament. I told them that I had no complaints with our president or with our parliament, and I only wished that they would condemn China's persecution. Their answer was that according to delegation documents between China and Ukraine, such a protest in front of the Embassy required the permission of the Foreign Office.
A newspaper journalist came to interview me. Quite a few Chinese people also took information about Falun Gong. There were also academics and some politicians, and they all wished me good luck. Some even wished to know more about Falun Gong.
Towards evening, fellow practitioners brought along another poster to support me. When night fell, a group of policemen came, took away all of our boards and forced us to leave. They even said, "You should think of our difficulties, since the Chinese Embassy keeps pressing us." I then told them the truth about Falun Gong, and my wish that the Ukrainian people would not be deceived by the Chinese government. They then appeared to be really embarrassed and claimed that they were ordered to do this by their supervisors.
Reported by a Ukrainian practitioner
Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/1417.html
Category: Other Community Events