Human rights watchdog Amnesty International is also urging Beijing to
release Yoko because she is “prisoner of conscience.”
The Roman Catholic Church and the spiritual group Falun Gong are joining
forces in Hong Kong to fight new anti-treason laws.
The recently-appointed Catholic Bishop for Hong Kong, Joseph Zen, has said
the regulations currently being drawn up threaten Falun Gong’s freedom to
practice in the territory.
She is a small, quiet woman from Australia and an internationally acclaimed
artist, whose paintbrush has caressed the face of Buddha and stroked the
hair of the goddess of mercy.
A member of the European Parliament, Mr Roger Helmer, raised a parliamentary question to the European Commission on 20 November 2002, entitled “Persecution of Falun Gong practitioners”.
The Falun Gong Information Centre in New York has received confirmation of the deaths of fifteen Falun Gong practitioners in the last month.
Audiences were shocked and dismayed by the stark contrast between the good of Dafa and the evil of the persecution. When they heard about the open letter to the Italian President being drafted by the Falun Gong practitioners, they offered round after round of applause showing their approval and support.
Many on the list are political activists and dissidents, including four
members of the China Democracy Party (CDP) and 14 members of Falun Gong, a
spiritual movement that is outlawed in China.
The Melbourne Minghui School was founded on November 17, 2002. Currently all students are young practitioners and Falun Dafa practitioners’ children with ages ranging from three to sixteen years old.
The Government believes the maltreatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China has signed, but not ratified, as well as the Convention Against Torture. Australia has repeatedly urged China to ratify the ICCPR, and with a minimum of reservations.
A group of Finnish Parliamentarians sent an appeal to the Chinese President
on Thursday calling on the country’s Government to end its suppression of
the Falun Gong movement, as well as other violations of human rights.
It is our great honour to invite you to attend “The World Needs Truth-Compassion-Tolerance” Day, which will be held on 30 November 2002 from 9:30pm to 4:00pm in Cnr. Ware St. and Spencer St. Fairfield.
The Chinese government firmly denies that Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured. Ms. Yuzhi Wang, a Falun Gong practitioner who was incarcerated in Wanjia Forced Labour Camp and was rescued from the United Arab Emirates by the Canadian government, exposed the persecution facts to this Voice of America correspondent.