Falun Gong Displays Calm Presence by Candlelight on Eve of UN Vote

GENEVA, April 17-- Tuesday evening, diplomats leaving the UN European headquarters and passersby slowed or stopped to gaze at more than 300 practitioners of Falun Gong sitting silently on a steep slope facing the UN. The peaceful, candlelit vigil took place the evening before the UN Commission on Human Rights was scheduled to vote on a "no-action" motion by China to block discussion of its much-criticized treatment of Falun Gong and other groups in China. The Falun Gong practitioners traveled from nearly 20 nations to appeal to the UN members to begin to rectify the situation by discussing the abuses inside China that have been documented by the US State Department, Amnesty International, and others. Commemorative wreaths were held for the more than 190 Falun Gong practitioners who have died from torture while in custody. The vigil lasted over three hours in the chilly evening air, but those sitting in wait for the UN action displayed the forbearance for which they are becoming known by sitting still, silent, and peacefully. Indeed, a large banner displayed the movement's fundamental principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," in English and Chinese. Other banners read, in both English and French, "STOP THE KILLING in China," and "RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS." Similar vigils were held in a number of major cities worldwide, including Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Gothenburg, Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Washington, DC. Event coordinators estimated that at least 600-700 Falun Gong practitioners gathered to bear witness to the human rights abuses inside China, the violations breech China's own constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international treaties. The volunteer coordinators in Geneva are in the process of holding a number of peaceful public demonstrations and news conferences designed to draw attention to China's treatment of some of its best people and to clarify the facts about the practice. A number of victims of persecution have told their stories to the media. Activities are expected to continue through the end of the Commission on Human Rights session on April 27.