(Clearwisdom.net) The global Human Rights Torch Relay arrived in Turkey on March 1, 2008 and the ceremony of the relay was held at famous Ataturk Parki in central Mersin. The Human Rights Torch Relay was initiated by CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China) on August 9, 2007.

Mr. Hakan Kocman, Member of the CIPFG, presided over the ceremony and read a statement of protest. The statement exposed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s crimes of persecuting Falun Gong, human rights abuses and violations of the Olympic spirit. The statement also called on the Turkish government and people to pay attention to human rights situation in China and to boycott the Olympics hosted by the CCP, who willfully trampled human rights, and to bring the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and other groups to an end.

The Turkish Human Rights Torch Relay ambassador is Kursat Kagnici, former member of Turkish national sport team. He was a medalist for many times in Turkish national sports games.

He told reporters that, 'The Olympics is of superlative sanctity for every athlete, we should not let anything tarnish this holy and pure event, so I want to call on all the athletes with sense of justice in this world not to take part in Beijing Olympics and not to give CCP any chance to bring stain to the holy name of the Olympics.

President of Turkish Falun Dafa Association Mr. Ozan Bugdayci said, Falun Gong practitioners were under CCP's genocide just because of their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.

Mr. Mehmet, a reporter from a well-known local media, said media had the responsibilities to let more people know the horrible issue of CCP's practice of organ harvesting on live Falun Gong practitioners. The CCP's crimes against Falun Gong practitioners had touched the baseline of morality and everyone's conscience was under test in front of this issue.

A university student taking part in the ceremony said, he was against the persecution of Falun Gong, and he supported Human Rights Torch Relay and hoped that through this relay the human rights situation in China could be improved.

Local citizens taking part in the event were very supportive. They condemned the organ harvesting atrocities and many a petition to support the Human Rights Torch and urge the CCP to stop persecuting Falun Gong.

Local media, such as Cihan Haber Ajansi, NTV and Sun TV all had reports to cover this event.