(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners premiered the movie Sandstorm with support from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. The premiere was held in the Euro Bulgarian Cultural Center on December 17, 2006. Approximately ninety people filled the seats in the cinema hall and a few people who wished to see the movie were left outside because the hall was overcrowded. After the premiere some of the spectators signed the petition against the persecution of Falun Gong in China and wrote down their impressions of the film.

Before the premiere, a representative for Bulgarian practitioners explained to the audience what Falun Gong is, when and why the persecution started, and what this meant for the practitioners and their families. Invited by practitioners to come to the activity, the Chairman of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (a branch of the international human rights organization) Mr. Kanev shared some facts from the report of his Canadian counterpart the international human rights lawyer Mr. David Matas, Chairman of the Canadian Helsinki Committee. This report proved the allegations that the Chinese Communist party removed the organs from detained Falun Gong practitioners in labor camps and prisons when they were still alive. Mr. Kanev spoke about the violation of human rights, about the totalitarian Communist regime in China, which has caused great suffering to millions of Chinese citizens, and explained that precisely because of the intolerance of the regime and because of the evil this regime has done against humanity, it has to be stopped with the help of human rights organizations like the Helsinki Committee, politicians and public activists. Mr. Kanev appealed to the Bulgarian community to condemn the persecution of Falun Gong and help it to be stopped.

Some of those who came couldn’t bear the scenes showing violence against practitioners and left before the end of the film, while the ones who stayed were all greatly shocked. Most of them never thought that such brutalities might happen during peace time in China, where some people kill other people just because they believe in the principles of Truthfulness, Benevolence and Tolerance. Some of the participants signed a petition against the persecution and wrote down their impression from the movie in a special guest book. Inspired by the film and having realized the compassion of Falun Gong, a man who came to the premiere with his wife played on his violin to show his gratitude to the practitioners and his joy at encountering Falun Dafa.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200701/37544.html