(Minghui.org) To mark the 25th anniversary of Falun Dafa practitioners’ protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution, Dafa practitioners from Switzerland and France held a large rally in front of the Palais Wilson in Geneva on July 11, 2024. The rally spotlighted the CCP’s cruel and inhuman persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) and called for the persecution to end. A total of 42 legislators and other elected officials publicly expressed their support. Some spoke in person, while others sent letters to express their support for practitioners’ efforts to expose and protest the persecution. The Palais Wilson is also home to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Over the past 25 years, more than 180 elected representatives in Switzerland have expressed their support for Falun Dafa and Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Federal Legislators Express Their Support 

Upper row, from left to right: Mauro Poggia, member of the Council of States, Swiss Federal Assembly; Carlo Sommaruga, member of the Council of States; Nicolas Walder, member of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly; Daniel Sormann, member of the National Council. Lisa Mazzone, former member of the Council of States and president of the Swiss Green Party; and Christian Dandrès, member of the National Council.Lower row, left to right: Raphaël Mahaim, member of the National Council; Vincent Maître, member of the National Council; Yvan Pahud, member of the National Council and deputy mayor of Sainte-Croix in canton Vaud; Jean-Pierre Grin, former member of the National Council and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Paolo Bernasconi, former member of the Federal Committee of Experts.

Mauro Poggia, member of the Council of States of the Swiss Federal Assembly, said, “Over the past 25 years, many relatives and friends [of Falun Dafa practitioners] have died in a senseless persecution. Here, Geneva is the capital of human rights and the depository of the Geneva Convention, so of course we should stand up and call for action. We are paying attention, and we keep asking the [Chinese Communist Party] government to return freedom to people who have not done anything harmful. We hope that one day we can meet here and say together: ‘The persecution is finally over, and justice has been served.’”

Mauro Poggia, member of the Council of States, Swiss Federal Assembly, addresses the rally. 

Carlo Sommaruga, member of the Council of States of the Swiss Federal Assembly, said, “On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the persecution of the Falun Gong movement in China, I would like to express my solidarity and support for this movement that advocates values of tolerance and kindness, which are values that are fundamental in any society, whether Chinese society or Swiss society.

“Moreover, these are values that we advocate in Switzerland, in the political world, in the social world. However, what is happening in China, the crackdown on the Falun Gong community, culminating in murder, creates very big problems.”

Nicolas Walder, member of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly, stated in his letter, “Human rights also imply freedom of religion, freedom of movement, freedom to oppose politically as well. And then the freedom to live one’s own culture in its cultural diversity. The religious freedom that the Falun Gong community demands is completely normal.

“As a representative of Geneva in the Swiss Parliament, it is important to me to defend these values which should today be international and which should be accepted and applied by all States, in particular the Member States of the UN Security Council.

“Given the situation in Beijing, it’s up to us in the West to convey this message and to remind people that today there are people like Falun Gong members who simply want to live their beliefs, live their life path and live the way they want without in any way harming the lives of other people and who are forbidden from doing so or worse, who are persecuted. And this is totally unacceptable in 2024.”

Vincent Maître, a member of the National Council, said at the rally, “I am participating in this commemoration to express my support for Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China. They have been subjected to extremely cruel persecution for nearly 25 years, especially the shocking practice of forced organ harvesting from living people. The struggle for basic freedoms and rights in China must continue to receive broad support from the international community, and Switzerland should also play its due role in this struggle.”

Raphaël Mahaim, member of the National Council, stated in his letter, “Banning ideas and beliefs simply because they are different is a hallmark of the most authoritarian regimes and should not exist. The persecution suffered by Falun Gong is outrageous and must be denounced by all possible means.”

French-Speaking States Legislators and Politicians Publicly Support Falun Gong Practitioners Protesting the Persecution

Upper row, left to right: Cédric Jeanneret, member of the Grand Council of Geneva; Thomas Wenger, member of the Grand Council of Geneva and president of the Geneva Socialist Party; Philippe de Rougemont, member of the Grand Council of Geneva; Masha Alimi, member of the Grand Council of Geneva; Alfonso Gomez, former mayor of Geneva and current municipal advisor; Amanda Ojalvo, advisor to the Geneva City Council; Hubert Dafflon, member of the Grand Council of Fribourg; Christel Berset, member of the Grand Council of Fribourg; and Nicolas Girard, member of the Parliament of Jura.Lower row, left to right: Nicolas Maître, member of the Parliament of Jura; Pierre Zwahlen, member of the Grand Council of Vaud; Hadrien Buclin, member of the Grand Council of Vaud; Isabelle Freymond, member of the Grand Council of Vaud; Robert Burri, member of the Grand Council of Valais; Maxime Moix, deputy of the Grand Council of Valais; Tessa Prati, member of the Grand Council of Ticino; Matteo Quadranti, member of the Grand Council of Ticino; and Lucas Pugin, mayor of Reignier-Ésery in the Greater Geneva region of France.

The Swiss Falun Dafa Association has received support from many legislators in six cantons – Geneva, Vaud, Valais, Fribourg, Jura and Neuchâtel, as well as the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. The mayor of Reignier-Ésery in the Greater Geneva region of France also sent a message of support. These messages from cantonal legislature members also include support from executive and legislative members of several municipalities.

Philippe de Rougemont, member of the Grand Council of Geneva, said, “Protecting the lives of the country’s inhabitants is the first task of a government, before all others. The Chinese government discredits itself in the eyes of all by harvesting organs from people in prison and putting people in internment camps on the basis of their simple adherence to a philosophy or religion. The suffering inflicted on these people and their loved ones also affects us in Switzerland. We stand in solidarity with them and hope that the population there will be able to make the government respect the rights of people, regardless of their religion or philosophy.”

Nicolas Maître, member of the Parliament of Jura, said, “Enough is enough! How much longer will Western governments refuse to face reality, like ostriches by burying their heads in the sand? How much longer will they turn a blind eye to the persecution of Falun Gong members and other minorities, including Uighurs and Tibetans. Isn’t there enough evidence to firmly and unconditionally condemn the leaders of the People’s Republic of China for all these atrocities? It’s been going on for a half a century! It’s time for us to take responsibility and unreservedly denounce the cruel and inhuman repression of minorities in China. Let’s all stand in solidarity with the people in their suffering!”

Swiss Cantonal Council Members Strongly Condemn the Persecution of Falun Gong

Upper row, left to right: Mary-Claude Fallet, President of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Sarah Pearson Perret, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Rose Assamoi Lièvre, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Brigitte Leitenberg, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; and Corinne Schaffner, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel.Lower row, left to right: Richard Gigon, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Didier Germain, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Blaise Fivaz, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Arnaud Durini, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Blaise Courvoisier, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel; Daniel Berger, member of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel.

“A quarter century of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is abominable and unacceptable!” said Mary-Claude Fallet, President of the Grand Council of Neuchâtel. “For this 25th anniversary commemoration, I particularly wish to offer my most precious support to the victims and families who have lost a loved one in a terrible way.”

Daniel Berger, member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Neuchâtel, stated in his letter, “I wholeheartedly support Falun Gong practitioners’ campaign against the 25-year persecution in China. I sincerely hope that this peaceful appeal in Switzerland and around the world will be a great success, so that the Chinese authorities will understand that Falun Gong is well known around the world and its core values: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are universal values that should not be destroyed.

“I stand with you in strongly condemning the crimes and atrocities committed by the Chinese government against all minorities. We must firmly defend freedom of religion and freedom of conscience – these are rights that are not only protected by the Swiss Constitution, but should also be respected in China and around the world.”

He concluded, “On the occasion of mourning the Falun Gong practitioners who died from persecution, I want to express my firm support and hope to the families who have lost their family members. We must defend freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, and the human values advocated by Falun Gong, such as truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. These values are practiced in more than 100 countries around the world. These are the cornerstones of human rights and symbolize human dignity! I strongly condemn the human rights violations of the Chinese government. Twenty-five years of massacres, torture and suffering in China are unbearable! We must immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other ethnic minorities in China! We have the responsibility to continue to expose these crimes!”