A mass appeal, thirteen years of persecution and numerous lawsuits
are all culminating in the current political struggle within China’s
Communist Party. That was the message from a press conference by the
Washington, DC Falun Dafa Association on Monday. It marks the 13th
anniversary of the April 25th Appeal in 1999, which saw 10,000 Chinese
citizens peacefully appeal in Beijing for their freedom of belief. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional spiritual practice
that teaches the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and
Tolerance.”
It grew hugely popular since first being taught to the public in
1992, but certain leaders within the Communist Party began fearing it
could compete with its ideological viewpoints. In April 1999, a group of
practitioners in Tianjin were beaten and arrested by police when they
raised concerns over a magazine article that slandered Falun Gong. This
led to the mass appeal on April 25. The appeal was significant for
several reasons. It was the largest citizen appeal in China since the
1989 Tiananmen Square protest. The entire process was peaceful, but
became a pretext for a 13-year long persecution. And, according to Jared
Pearman, representative of the Falun Dafa Information Center, it ties
into the current political struggle within the Communist Party.
[Jared Pearman, Representative of the Falun Dafa Information Center]:
“Also, making today really important is that the people who used
that appeal at Zhongnanhai really catalyzed the persecution against
Falun Gong to twist the truth and create an architect this persecution
that we see ongoing in China today are the same people that are at the
center of this political scandal that we see in Beijing.”
Those individuals are Jiang Zemin, and his protégées, Zhou
Yongkang, Bo Xilai, among others. Jiang launched the persecution
against Falun Gong. He and other perpetrators, including Bo Xilai, have
been sued overseas for torture and crimes against humanity. According to
a US Embassy cable released by Wikileaks, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
called for the demotion of Bo Xilai from a prominent state-level
position because of these lawsuits. Bo Xilai has now been removed from
all his official positions, and China’s security czar Zhou Yongkang may
be next.
[Jared Pearman, Representative of the Falun Dafa Information Center]:
“All of these people were the core group of Chinese Communist Party
leaders who orchestrated the persecution against Falun Gong. Today we
can see that they’re the same people at the center for so much other
corruption as well.”
Terri Marsh, the human rights attorney who sued Bo Xilai and Jiang Zemin, expects more events to unfold.
[Terri Marsh, Human Rights Attorney]:
“The entire team, the entire criminal enterprise is on the way out,
in my opinion, and we will be bringing these people to justice in the
United States, Hague and in China.”Around the world, Falun Gong
practitioners are marking the April 25th appeal with continued calls for
the end of the persecution.
More at NTD News, Washington D.C.
