On May 10th, 2007, ten human rights organisations, including Human Rights Without Borders, International Human Rights Association, the Uygur World Congress and the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG), held a joint press conference at the headquarters of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, to expose the CCP's human rights violations, and urge the EU to take effective action regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in China. The Vice-President of the European parliament, Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, attended the conference and made a speech.
Mr. Yang, a representative of Falun Gong, indicated that the persecution of Falun Gong is happening every day. As of the end of April this year, it's been confirmed that over 3000 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death. In April 2007 alone, 21 Falun Gong practitioners were killed. The means of the torture adopted by the CCP are extremely terrible, and even include the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners Cao Dong and Niu Jinping were arrested just because they had met with Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, the vice president of the European parliament, in Beijing last year, and revealed truthfully the bitter experiences suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. Cao Dong has been sentenced to a labour camp for four years, and Niu Jinping is under long-term surveillance. His wife, Zhang Lianying, was tortured nearly to death in a labour camp in Beijing.
Falun Gong practitioners appreciate the ongoing support and efforts made by the EU, and ask the EU to take effective action regarding the CCP's human rights abuses, and safeguard Falun Gong practitioners' human rights.
Mr McMillan-Scott talked about the deterioration of human rights in China, and talked about his fact-finding tour of Beijing last year. He interviewed two Falun Gong practitioners, Cao Dong and Niu Jinping, who were once imprisoned. He also had a telephone conversation with the renowned human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, after he returned from his travels.
Mr Niu's wife, Zhang Lianying is still imprisoned and suffering torture. Cao Dong has been sentenced to a labour camp for another four years and is also being tortured. Cao Dong told Mr McMillan-Scott that Falun Gong practitioners are especially mistreated by prison guards and other criminals. His best friend disappeared suddenly one night from the jail, and afterwards he saw his friend's corpse with the organs removed. There were holes visible on the corpse.
Mr McMillan-Scott pointed out that, after the interview, all the other people involved were arrested except for him and his assistant. Cao Dong was sentenced to a labor camp because of the meeting with him; Niu Jigping's wife was tortured and now is in a hospital and in the danger of losing her life. Gao Zhisheng was also arrested, sentenced, and now is under a strict surveillance. He has been informed recently that Gao Zhisheng also suffered the torture. These three cases are very typical. Regarding this, he has, many times, requested the Chinese embassy to respond to his enquiry and release them, and has also urged the UN and EU to take appropriate actions.
He believes that the EU should re-examine its human rights dialogue with China and stop the fruitless event because the CCP is only dealing with it with words rather than actions. Other countries are already considering the same thing. The international community should urge the CCP to allow appointed UN special commissioners to enter China and conduct investigations at labour camps and prisons. Whether or not Beijing can host the Olympic Games should be judged based on the results of the investigation. If such an investigation cannot be carried out, the international community should consider cancelling the Beijing Olympic Games.
Mr Schols, the representative from the International Human Rights Association, said that although the EU hoped the CCP would become a just political power through the dialogue, we have already seen that the human rights conditions in China have been terrible in recent years. An independent investigation report, published by two Canadians, David Kilgour and David Matas, last year, exposed the CCP's crimes of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners on a large scale; they also gave a presentation on the investigation report in the European parliament.
In recent years, the human rights dialogues between China and EU as well as other countries have been fruitless. The CCP disrespects life and morality. It is a criminal organisation, and to discuss human rights with it behind closed doors won't produce any results. The United States and Canada have already realised this problem and are considering condemning the CCP's human rights abuses openly.
Mr Schols pointed out that the vice president of the European parliament, Mr McMillan-Scott, and the German premier Ms Merkel have frankly spoken out and condemned the CCP's human rights violations. Now it is the time for EU to condemn the CCP's human rights violations publicly.
Mr Hoe Wen, a representative from CIPFG, mentioned that, based on the latest report of Amnesty International, there is no evidence indicating any improvement of human rights in China. On the contrary, the suppression of human rights and freedom of speech are increasing steadily. The Beijing Olympic Games have been used by the CCP to further suppress the Chinese people.
The CCP's genocide against Falun Gong is the biggest human rights disaster. If it does not stop, any superficial decorations are simply to deceive the international community. In China, the Olympic Games and the crimes against humanity should not coexist. CIPFG asks for the EU to urge the CCP regime to release all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, and allow independent international investigators to conduct a thorough investigation at all the labour camps, prisons, and other facilities used for detaining Falun Gong practitioners.
In his speech, Mr Willy Fautre, a director of Human Rights Without Borders, condemned the CCP's indecent behaviour of suppressing human rights advocates and the attempting to interfere with the conference on the human rights in China held at the European parliament. He mentioned that on two occasions when Human Rights Without Borders and MEPs (Members of European Parliament) held joint conferences at the European parliament, the Chinese embassy made unceasing harassing telephone calls to the MEPs attempting to persuade them to cancel the conferences. He also enumerated some aspects related to China in some resolutions passed by the European parliament last year, such as the abolishment of death penalty. The CCP promised to respect and safeguard human rights but actually has been suppressing freedom of speech and media.
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