(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from Eastern Europe gathered in Latvia on April 25 and 26, 2014, for an experience sharing conference and a commemoration of the April 25 ^th peaceful demonstration in Beijing in 1999. Through a parade and peaceful protest on April 25, practitioners introduced Falun Gong in Riga and exposed the 15-year persecution of Falun Gong in China.

The parade through the Riga city center enjoyed support from the local citizens. Spectators loved the waist drum team and the celestial maiden dances. Many signed the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

During the experience sharing conference on April 26, practitioners from Latvia, Russia, and Estonia shared their individual experiences in cultivation practice and in clarifying the truth. They expressed their respect for and gratitude to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. Practitioners also discussed their understanding of how to further cultivate themselves according to the principles of Falun Gong and how to disseminate the facts more widely in the region.

Falun Gong practitioners in Latvia stage a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Riga on April 25, 2014.

A TV reporter in Riga interviews a Falun Gong practitioner.

Falun Gong practitioners' parade passes by the Latvian government building on April 25, 2014.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises.

After the persecution started in China in 1999, Chinese diplomats tried to deceive the Latvian public with the same propaganda and lies used in China. Practitioners have been clarifying the facts ever since, debunking the lies and demonstrating the beauty of Falun Gong cultivation practice.