(Clearwisdom.net) On July 3, 2007, the European Chapter of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) held a press conference at the Foreign Journalists' Club in London, announcing the start of the European Human Rights Torch Relay. One month later, the global Human Rights Torch will be lit at Athens in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Mārtiņš Rubenis from Latvia, who won the bronze medal in the men's singles luge event at the 2006 Winter Olympics, will carry the torch for Europe.

Caroline Cox, President of the CIPFG European Chapter, and a cross-bench member of the British House of Lords, said in support of the press conference, "The persecution of Falun Gong is without a doubt the most severe human rights disaster in China at present. The Chinese government's promise of improving human rights conditions, as it turned out, is merely a way to whitewash and deceive the international society. Human rights persecution is continuing, which means the Chinese Communist Party has lost its qualifications to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Crimes against humanity cannot coexist with the Olympics in China."

Caroline Cox reiterated the three demands CIPFG raised with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime on May 13 in North America: release immediately all Falun Gong practitioners incarcerated for their faith; stop the persecution of friends, supporters and defence lawyers of Falun Gong practitioners (e.g. Gao Zhisheng, Li Hong); and as to the alleged practice of organ harvesting, grant unrestricted access to independent investigators from around the world. If satisfactory responses to these requests are not received on or before August 8, 2007, CIPFG will join all supporters from around the globe to boycott a Crimes Against Humanity Olympics. At the press conference, the European Chapter of the CIPFG confirmed no response from the CCP regime so far.

Other speakers at the press conference included British diplomat Lord Avery, Vice President of the CIPFG European Chapter Mr. John Dee, Dutch poet Wilbert Stuifbergen, Dr. Charles Graves from Interfaith International in Switzerland, and representative of the British Democratic Coalition, Ms. Lucy King.

CIPFG consists of about three hundred elites from around the globe. It is divided into four chapters - Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. Through investigation into the allegations that the CCP murdered Falun Gong practitioners for their organs for profit, CIPFG aims to expose the truth about Falun Gong's persecution in China, bringing the persecution to a stop and bringing those responsible to justice for crimes against humanity.

The global Human Rights Torch Relay was initiated by the CIPFG. Through the relay of the human rights torch, CIPFG intends to expose the CCP's tyranny and crimes against humanity around the globe. The relay calls upon the international society to refuse turning the Olympic Games, a symbol of peace, into "Bloody Harvest Games."