(Minghui.org) As the soft spring evening gently crept in, Falun Dafa practitioners in Las Vegas gathered in Desert Breeze Park on April 23, 2021 to hold a two-hour candlelight vigil. They commemorated the April 25 peaceful appeal of more than 10,000 practitioners in Beijing, China in 1999. They also mourned fellow practitioners who lost their lives due to persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that has gone on for 22 years.

Practitioners in Las Vegas held a candlelight vigil on April 23, 2021 to mark the April 25 Appeal in China.

Practitioners displayed posters bearing messages such as, “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Stop CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting,” and “Commemorate April 25 Peaceful Appeal,” at one area of the park.

After a practitioner representative spoke, practitioners did the sitting meditation to peaceful music. Many people were drawn by the atmosphere of serenity and peace, and asked for information about Falun Dafa. Some signed a petition to support the practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution.

Mr. Ma takes part in the candlelight vigil.

Mr. Ma recalled what happened on April 25, 22 years ago. “On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners appealed at the National Appeals Office in Beijing. They requested that the practitioners who were illegally arrested in Tianjin be released, and sought confirmation of their lawful right to practice their belief.” He said that the practitioners’ peaceful and calm appeal displayed the moral integrity and courage of practitioners to uphold justice and conscience. "They impressed the world’s people.”

Mr. Ma said, “The CCP launched a nationwide persecution campaign in July that year, and a large number of practitioners have been arrested, detained, and tortured over the past 22 years.”

“Falun Dafa practitioners have persevered in raising awareness of the persecution and making efforts to end the persecution. They also help Chinese people to sever their ties with the CCP to avoid being implicated when the CCP is punished for the crimes it has committed. As of today, more than 370 million Chinese people have announced their withdrawals from the CCP and its youth organizations.”

Mr. Ma said, “The CCP deliberately covered up the coronavirus outbreak in China. Now, more than 3.1 million people have died worldwide. Many people are beginning to see that the CCP is the deadliest virus, and must be destroyed.”

Christiana, a Vietnamese practitioner attended the candlelight vigil

Christiana, a Vietnamese practitioner said, “Falun Dafa changed my life for the better. The CCP persecutes practitioners and goes against Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It also corrupts society's morality and conscience. The CCP state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting mainly targets detained Falun Dafa practitioners. By covering up the outbreak of the pandemic the CCP has seriously impacted lives of the world’s people.”

She pointed out, “Since the CCP is not concerned about the wellbeing of Chinese people, why would it care about the wellbeing of the people around the world? People should stay away from the CCP to stay safe!” She said she hopes that people can do their part to help stop the persecution.