The Malta Experience Helps Us to Understand How Severely Falun Gong Is Persecuted in China

What happenedáon 23rd July 2001, in Malta, an island southwest of the Italian island of Sicily and a democratic country of about 300,000 inhabitants,áis another example of how Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin exercises his will to suppress human rights. It was clear to all how our peaceful appeals were severely restricted.

Jiang was on a three-day state visit to Malta, where he had a tightly scheduled program. One of his first symbolic activities was to lay downáa wreatháat the War Memorial in Floriana, a place near the capital city Valletta, at 4:30 pm on 23rd July 2001.

When we six Falun Gong practitioners (two from Austria, one from Sweden, two from the UK andáone fromáthe US) arrived at the War Memorial in Floriana at about 4:20 pm we asked the police if we could have our peaceful appeal in front of the car park behind the barricade across from the War Memorial. The police agreed to this and stated: "As long as you are peaceful you can be here."

As we unfolded our three banners and one picture board we could see that some Chinese officials were coming towards us. Once they realized that we were Falun Gong practitioners, one Chinese official spoke with the Maltese police about us while other officials began to make phone calls. After just three minutes, the Maltese police changed their minds and ordered us to leave. This in itself is breaking the law, and it is an act that is completely against human rights as we were denied our freedom of expression.

We were escorted all the way from the War Memorial in Floriana to Freedom Square in Valletta (about 100-200 meters) byáabout tenáMaltese police officers. When we arrived at Freedom Square we began to hold a banner behind the barricade next to the pedestrians so that Jiang could see our banner. However, we were pushed 10 meters further back into the car park. We could not understand why the public was allowed to be at the barricade but not us. At this position behind the parked cars there was no chance of Jiang noticing us or our banners. And even though we were already so far away, still some policemen were blocking the view to us.

We regret that the Maltese police had to break their own laws in order to prevent our peaceful appeal from taking place. I think it is quite obvious that the Maltese government restricted our appeal due to pressure from the Chinese officials in order to please Jiang. Later on, one of us practitioners spoke to a Maltese police officer who confirmed this fact: "Our state invited President Jiang, and heáreallyáhonoured us with hisávisit. Now we have to do everything to please him, no matter what."

After finishing our appeal we left the spot to get something to eat. We were just walking where all the other pedestrians were allowed to walk, but we were accompanied by plainclothes Maltese officers all the time. To our surprise, Jiang was coming back up the road through Valletta. Thus, more police officers in uniform joined us and we were again quickly escorted away into a small back street. We were kept away from the road that Jiang was travelling down until he had left Valletta so that he would not see us.

If something like this can happen in Malta, then one can imagine how severely Falun Gong is being persecuted in China.