NEW YORK, November 1, 2001 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - Chinese consular officials pressured local officials in Kiev, Ukraine to stop a peaceful, legal demonstration held in front of the Chinese Embassy. This event is one in a long string of reports of Chinese officials pressuring overseas officials and organizations to assist them in the persecution of Falun Gong outside China.

In early September, Igor Izevlin, a Ukrainian Falun Gong practitioner, received a permit from the City Council in Kiev for the demonstration. On the morning of the 11th he delivered a letter explaining the purpose of the protest to the Embassy guard, then began his demonstration in the designated area outside of Embassy property. He was alone, and had two simple posters displaying information about Falun Gong and facts from Amnesty International about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Later in the day, according to witnesses, several Ukraine police officers approached Izevlin, and asked him to leave. Izevlin showed them his permit, and stated that his demonstration was perfectly legal and he intended to stay. The officers were then joined by several unnamed Ukraine government officials, who tried to convince Izevlin to move his protest to in front of the Parliament. He declined, saying that his discontent was not with the Parliament, but with the Chinese government, and he had a legal right to stage a personal protest according to Ukraine law.

Towards evening, several more Falun Gong practitioners arrived to show their support for the demonstration, and several passers-by stopped to show their support as well. The entire process was quiet and peaceful, but right after dark, a larger group of Ukraine police arrived, confiscated the posters, and forced the practitioners to abandon the site.

Witnesses quoted one of the Ukraine officials as saying, "You need to consider our difficulties. The Chinese Embassy has put constant pressure on us."

An Emerging Pattern

According to many news sources, the Chinese government's campaign to eradicate Falun Gong is now being actively promoted overseas, with China using its political and financial muscle to pile apply pressure. According to Newsday.com, in New York City, Chinese government officials have appeared at seminars in Manhattan to denounce Falun Gong, "edging on local Chinese immigrants to oppose the movement. In one session, the consul-general told his audience that immigrants who have not become U.S. citizens were expected to obey Chinese laws, which ban Falun Gong." The Newsday article also exposes powerful organizations in Chinatown, which had expressed no concern about Falun Gong before the government crackdown that started in July 1999, beginning to hold activities against the group, their charges echoing the Chinese government's propaganda and accusations.

Chinese consular officials make no secret of their attempts to thwart the growing popularity of Falun Gong overseas. They make it general practice to visit or contact Western government officials who have publicly supported the group's peaceful activities, sending them Chinese Communist Party propaganda materials. According to AP reports, Stan Bogosian, the former mayor of Saratoga, CA, said that a few days after he signed a proclamation late last year declaring a week in honor of Falun Gong, two officials from the Chinese consulate urged him to rescind it. When he refused, Bogosian said, the Chinese asked him to remain neutral on the issue and asked about his stance on Taiwan. Angered, Bogosian called a news conference to denounce the Chinese government for "highly irregular" actions. "The Chinese government should not be interfering in the political process," Bogosian told AP.

According to AP, at least a dozen other mayors from cities in California, Illinois, Washington, Maryland and Michigan have reported similar pressure from Chinese officials, who "often pointedly mention the importance of U.S.-Chinese trade."

Consular Frustration Degrades Into Violence: "If you sue us, we will kill you."

Recently, several reports from the US, Canada and Australia have revealed a new, even more disturbing trend. According to multiple eyewitness testimony, on several occasions, Chinese consulate and embassy employees have physically assaulted Falun Gong practitioners legally demonstrating outside their buildings.

As recently as October 5, a staff member of the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, Australia, claiming to be a diplomat, struck a woman demonstrator across the face and verbally abused a group of Falun Gong practitioners. According to witnesses, the man emerged from the Chinese Embassy and began verbally assaulting a group of demonstrators across the street. Sources say he insisted they leave, and was quoted as saying, "Don't tell me that you are Australian citizens. Don't tell me this is Australian soil. What difference does Australia make?" When another demonstrator took out a camera and began taking photographs of the man, he lunged at her, twisting her arm and pushing aside another woman standing in his way. The woman with the camera quickly handed the camera to someone else. At that point, the embassy staff member raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. As the demonstrators were calling the police, several more people came out of the Embassy and pulled the diplomat back into the building.

And in September, a young Falun Gong male was chased down and beaten outside the Chinese consulate in Chicago by three men who emerged from a black Mercedes SUV. Bill Fan, a Falun Gong practitioner, had been holding a hunger strike in front of the consulate and was taking pictures of the men who had been shouting obscenities at other demonstrators from within their vehicle. According to multiple eye-witnesses, upon seeing the camera, the men jumped out of the car and chased down Fan, slamming him face first against a fence, and began beating the back of his head and body with their fists. One man took Fan's camera and smashed it on the pavement. The men ran away when they realized one of the witnesses was calling the police. As they ran away, they shouted at Fan: "If you sue us, we'll kill you"

Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson, Adam Montanaro, commented on the alarming number of harassment cases instigated by Chinese consular officials from around the world: "This is outrageous. Not only are these actions by Chinese officials completely inappropriate, but in almost every case they are actually breaking the laws of the host country."

á