Falun Gong Statement
Reyjavik June 13, 2002
We begin by expressing our sincere thanks and appreciation for the hospitality that the Iceland people and press have extended to us and, especially, for the support for Falun Gong practitioners to be here during this time. We are touched deeply by your support.
At this moment, there are approximately 120-130 Falun Gong practitioners from many countries here in Iceland. We hope, and sincerely request, that the remaining few dozen practitioners who have been denied boarding Icelandair planes will be allowed to travel to your country as soon as possible.
Icelandair has issued to passengers boarding its flights documents that most likely violate international and domestic laws. We have copies of them available.
Travel agents have been given a blacklist, which forbids them from selling tickets on Icelandair to Falun Gong practitioners. People who are known to practice the principles of Falun Gong -- Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance - are stuck in hotels and airports in cities and countries far from home. University professors, housewives, and students are among those who have been discriminated against.
The effect of this blacklist is international, as denial of boarding has taken place in Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Finland, France, the United States and other countries. Citizens of the EU, US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Japand, and others have been discriminated against and had their rights violated because their names are on a blacklist of Falun Gong practitioners.
Practitioners are waiting at this moment in several cities in Europe and North America, waiting to come here to this unique country. The oldest democratic nation in the world has been a consistent voice for human rights in the world. Denying entry to your nation and temporarily abridging their freedom is a matter that can be corrected quickly. We hope this happens immediately, so that we can all turn our attention to the true issue at hand.
The true issue at hand is that arriving in Iceland this evening is the president of China, who represents neither democracy, nor freedom, nor human rights. China, home of the oldest civilization in the world, is currently a dictatorship ruled by terror. The greatest number of targets of this terror during the past three years have been people who, like us, practice Falun Gong. The president of China is personally responsible for the terrorizing of over a billion people, through defamation and propaganda; he is responsible for the detention and imprisonment of more than 100,000 in prisons, slave labor camps, and mental hospitals; he is responsible for the painful and inhuman torture of untold thousands; and he is responsible for the death of more than 1000.
We are here in Iceland now to bear witness to these crimes against humanity. We do not adopt the methods and tactics of the president of China. We are here to peacefully meditate, exercise, and tell the truth about what is happening in China. During the next few days, we will tell you much more about Falun Gong and the persecution of its practitioners inside Mainland China.
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