(Clearwisdom.net) On the afternoon of January 14, 2003, western Falun Gong practitioners from Atlanta went to Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta to hold a candlelight vigil and commemorate the more than 550 Falun Gong practitioners who have been tortured to death in China. They demanded an immediate end to the killing of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Atlanta channel-2 TV station came to conduct an on-site interview and reported on the activity in the 11 pm news later that evening.

Western practitioner, Robert said, "We come here mainly because the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong is still going on. We call on the international society to help stop the persecution. We have filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. We hope the public will become informed about the on-going persecution in China and we will continue our peaceful appeal till the suppression ends."

Among the attendees of the candlelight vigil, were senior persons and young children, as well as practitioners who had personally been subjected to the persecution when they were in China. In 1995, Mr. Lu, who is currently 33 years old, studied accounting at Georgia State University. Later he suffered from hepatitis B and had to discontinue his study. After he started practicing Falun Gong, he miraculously regained his health. After he returned to China, Mr. Lu worked as a vice section chief at the Shenzhen National revenue. In 2000, under the pressure of the Chinese authorities' suppression of Falun Gong, Mr. Lu was forced to resign his job. In November 2001, Mr. Lu's bride, Ms. Xuefei Zhou was arrested by police officers because she explained the facts of the persecution to the public. She was sentenced to three years in a forced labor camp. Mr. Lu said, "My wife Xuefei has been imprisoned for more than one year. In China, my wife is only one of hundreds of thousands people who are currently suffering from the persecution. We hope that people throughout the world will help these innocent and kind people. The Chicago Federal court has already accepted and heard the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin being charged with genocide. This lawsuit reflected our hundreds of thousands of practitioners' wishes."

Another Chinese practitioner, Ms. Xiaohui Zhou said, "Jiang regime's suppression of Falun Gong has lasted for more than three years. Falun Gong practitioners are tortured and even beaten to death every day. This crime of genocide should be punished by law. We come here to awaken people throughout the world to join us in opposing the persecution."