A rally to raise awareness of Chinese Communist Party oppression of tens of millions who practice Falun Gong will take place today outside the Dáil, at the Convention Centre in Dublin, from 1-2 pm today (14 July).
The rally organisers are appealing to the Irish Government to apply human-rights sanctions against the Chinese Communist Party.
Supporters Senator Róisín Garvey will address the rally on the Chinese Communist Party’s crimes against humanity, such as killing for organ harvesting, while Senator David Norris, Senator Malcolm Byrne, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, and Councillor Deirdre Forde will give support statements.
Ancient practice
Falun Gong is an ancient moral practice of mind, body, and spirit based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, which empowers individuals to embrace what is virtuous, and improves their wellbeing holistically, the organisers say.
In 1999, there were 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China (according to government statistics). Because of its popularity and traditional faith, former communist leader Jiang Zemin ordered the practice to be “eradicated”, with the result that Falun Gong became the largest and most severely persecuted group in China by the Chinese Communist Party.
Millions have been detained or imprisoned. Over 100,000 have been tortured or abused, and thousands have been killed because of their faith. The exact numbers are kept hidden from the world.
Crimes against humanity
An independent tribunal in London – chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC– found that “crimes of humanity” against Falun Gong “have been proved beyond reasonable doubt,” listing acts such as murder, torture, rape, enforced disappearance, and organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners, which have been perpetrated on a widespread, state-sponsored, and systematic level in China.
In 2016, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 343: “expressing concern regarding persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting” from Falun Gong practitioners in “large numbers.”
In July 2016, the European Parliament passed the Written Declaration - 0048/2016: “There have been persistent credible reports on systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the People’s Republic of China, primarily from practitioners of Falun Gong peaceful meditation and exercises, but also from Uighurs, Tibetans and Christians.”
'Alarmed'
And on 14 June, 12 UN Special Rapporteurs said in a news release that they were “extremely alarmed” by what they considered to be credible allegations of forced organ harvesting at the hands of the Chinese Communist regime, targeting religious and ethnic minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners.
The rally will also hear from former Trinity College student, Ming Zhao who went back to China and was kidnapped by plain-clothes police and thrown into labour camps, without any trial, in May 2000.
Ming eventually returned to Ireland and finished his computer-science studies. He is now an Irish citizen.