(Minghui.org) Practitioners held an event on Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava on July 19, 2026, to introduce Falun Dafa and expose the 27-year persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Nitra, a city northeast of Bratislava, announced that Chrenová Bridge would be illuminated in blue on July 20 in support of international efforts to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. In its announcement, the city noted that international organizations—including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations—have for many years documented arbitrary detention, torture, and other human rights violations committed by the CCP against Falun Dafa practitioners in China.

Screenshot of the City of Nitra’s announcement on social media about illuminating the bridge. (Screenshot courtesy City of Nitra)

Practitioners demonstrated the exercises, talked with passersby, and collected signatures on petitions urging an end the CCP’s brutality. They held a candlelight vigil to mourn practitioners who lost their lives in the persecution.

František Mikloško, a member of the Slovak National Council, and Peter Osuský, a former longtime Member of Parliament, came to the candlelight vigil. A letter from Slovak Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Miriam Lexmann was read aloud.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises on July 19 in Bratislava. (Minghui.org)

At the candlelight vigil, practitioners hold portraits of those who died due to the persecution. (Minghui.org)

People sign petitions to end the persecution. (Minghui.org)

Member of Slovak National Council: “It Is Our Duty to Defend Those Who Cannot Defend Themselves”

František Mikloško, a member of the Slovak National Council, said in his speech that economic interests should not be allowed to override the protection of human rights.

František Mikloško addresses the event. (Minghui.org)

Mikloško also reflected on his own experiences while living under communist rule in former Czechoslovakia and emphasized the important role international solidarity played in supporting dissidents during that time. “It is our duty to defend those who cannot defend themselves because they are being persecuted,” he said.

Former MP: “A Duty to Stand on the Side of Good”

Peter Osuský, a former Member of Parliament, said he attends this event every year to support Falun Dafa, because he considers it a gathering of people who stand on the side of goodness. He said, “It should be the commitment and duty of decent people to stand on the side of good and never retreat in the face of evil.”

Peter Osuský speaks at the rally. (Minghui.org)

Osuský recalled his longstanding advocacy for human rights in China, including his support for Shen Yun Performing Arts in Slovakia in the past. He also criticized democratic countries for frequently placing commercial interests above the defense of fundamental values.

“I hope that democracies will pay greater attention not only to China’s gross domestic product and Chinese electric vehicles, but also to whom they are doing business with,” he said.

Osuský expressed support for everyone who remains steadfast in their beliefs despite persecution: “Better times will not come if the world continues to turn its face away from the decency that Falun Dafa represents.”

MEP: “Even the Harshest Repression Cannot Suppress Humanity’s Desire for Freedom Forever”

At the gathering, a host read a letter from Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann, who expressed solidarity with Falun Dafa practitioners and other victims of religious persecution in China.

“Together with my colleagues in the European Parliament, we have repeatedly emphasized that freedom of religion and belief is a universal human right,” she wrote. “We have also expressed our deep concern over reports of systematic, state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China, including Falun Gong practitioners. Such practices constitute a grave violation of human dignity and fundamental human rights and must be independently investigated and brought to an immediate end.

“In Slovakia, we have our own experience of living under a totalitarian regime. We know from experience that even the harshest repression cannot suppress humanity’s desire for freedom, truth, and dignity forever.

“To those of you who are facing persecution today: Do not lose hope. History has shown us that truth and love ultimately prevail over lies and hatred.”

Falun Dafa Association Spokesperson: Today We Raise Our Voices for the Innocent

Marek Tatarko, President of the Slovak Falun Dafa Association, opened the event by explaining that, although Falun Dafa is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, the practice has been the target of a nationwide persecution campaign launched by the CCP in 1999.

He said that the CCP’s repression has now extended beyond China’s borders into democratic countries via the regime’s cultural events, foreign institutions, and efforts to influence media.

Tatarko encouraged people to pay attention to the ongoing human rights abuses and not remain indifferent to the persecution: “It is an honor for me to be here today and raise my voice for these good people, who have done nothing wrong but practice their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.”