NDTV and Epoch Times provides the following reports on R.E.A.L.’s press conference at the National Press Club and the attendance of Lisa Tao and her translator Pang Jin on the human rights abuses of the Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) in Communist China:
Lisa Tao Speaks at National Press Club on the Human Rights Abuses by Communist China Against Falun Gong (Falun Dafa)
“DC-based human rights activists and advocates commemorated Human Rights Day 2009 with a well-attended Human Rights News Conference sponsored by Responsible for Equality And Liberty (REAL) at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. ”
” ‘Not only do we recognize our declaration in support of such universal human rights, but also we remember those who have denied them, including the totalitarian and supremacist nations and ideologies of the world that seek to continue to deny such universal rights today.’ ”
“In his opening remarks, REAL founder Jeffrey Imm called for US ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the end of violence against women as priorities in defending human rights. He also focused on the human rights challenges presented by religious supremacism. ‘We really need a human rights dialogue on the challenges of religious extremist threats to our universal human rights.’ ”
“In his presentation on the persecution of Pakistani Christians by the Muslim majority, Dr. Nazir Bhatti, of the Pakistan Christian Congress, explained that Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws allow the killing of religious minorities to go unchecked.”
” ‘Christians [in Pakistan] are in the process of genocide…The situation of human rights is worsening and persecution of Christians is at a rise in Pakistan.’ ”
“Bhatti warned that Pakistan will continue to breed terrorism unless the United States’ government puts conditions on further aid to Pakistan that include the repeal of their blasphemy laws and an amendment to Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which declares Islam as the state religion of Pakistan.”
“Following Bhatti’s presentation, Dr. Ashraf Ramelah, President of the Voice of the Copts, remarked on the oppression of Egypt’s Christians, particularly women and young girls.”
” ‘Coptic women and girls are targeted for a specific plan of forced Islamization in Egypt…the abduction of Coptic women is not just a passing phenomenon but is part of a widespread plan aimed to clean the Middle East of Christians.’ ”
“In addition to denouncing the forced conversion of Coptic women, Ramelah also called for a repeal of Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution, which declares Islam as the state religion of Egypt.”
“Though both Bhatti and Ramelah’s remarks focused on the human rights abuses faced by religious minorities at the hand of Islam, Imm reminded the group, ‘we do not attack or condemn Islam or all Muslims, but we do challenge all human beings to recognize that we face an extremist challenge to human rights in the world today.’ ”
“The final speaker, Lisa Tao of Falun Dafa turned the conference’s focus in a different direction. Giving a heartfelt presentation in her native language, Tao described the human rights abuses she faced as a young girl at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
” ‘My father was tortured to death. I was called ‘a child of the Five Black Categories.’ My life was full of humiliation and I had to struggle for many years just to stay alive.’ ”
“Tao, who is now an American citizen, explained that she and her husband began practicing Falun Gong to help them heal from the torture they suffered in China. Tao’s translator, 25-year old Pang Jin, relayed the recent arrest, torture, and prolonged detainment of her mother and aunt for their adherence to Falun Gong. ”
” ‘My aunt was abducted on July 9, 2009 and has been detained since then. On October 18, I was informed that the Weifang City district court, after delaying for a year, sentenced my Mom, Cao Junping, to 10 years.’ ”
“Tao then shared numerous examples of human rights violations by the Chinese government against Falun Gong practitioners and thanked Americans for their support and willingness to hear her story. ”
” ‘I feel that these practitioners are just like my brothers and sisters…We hope Americans, who are kind and righteous, will give a hand to rescue our brothers and sisters and stop this brutal persecution.’ ”
“Clearly, the 2009 Human Rights Day News Conference provided a forum for the discussion of human rights stories and perspectives not often covered by mainstream media. For more detailed information about The Human Rights Day News Conference, please contact the author at The Human Rights Blog. ”
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December 10, 2009 - Washington DC - National Press Club Human Rights Day Speakers (left to right): Voice of the Copts Ashraf Ramelah, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)'s Jeffrey Imm, Falun Dafa (Falun Gong)'s Lisa Tao, Pakistan Christian Congress' Dr. Nazir Bhatti, Lisa Tao's Translator Pang Jin
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* Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), on women’s and children’s rights, the dual challenge of religious extremism and freedom, the challenges to human liberty by totalitarian ideologies, and growing challenges to racial equality by supremacists
— Jeffrey Imm Human Rights Day Remarks: Adobe Acobat format, Microsoft Word format
Lisa Tao Speaks at National Press Club on the Human Rights Abuses by Communist China Against Falun Gong (Falun Dafa)
NDTV and Epoch Times provides the following reports on R.E.A.L.’s press conference at the National Press Club and the attendance of Lisa Tao and her translator Pang Jin on the human rights abuses of the Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) in Communist China- Lisa Tao Human Rights Day Remarks: Microsoft Word format (English), Microsoft Word format (Chinese).
R.E.A.L.’s Imm first spoke at the protest challenging the PRC to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), reading it aloud and holding up signswith the UDHR in Chinese. He noted the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including its drafting by P. C. Chang of the Republic of China, and the adoption by the Republic of China on December 10, 1948. Imm stated “the words in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are not just the words of the West, these are the words of Chinese government leaders.”
Imm recognized the subsequent October 1, 1949 proclamation of the Communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “a black day for Chinese freedom.” He read from Mao Zedong’s October 1, 1949 proclamation that “the people in the country have been liberated,” and Imm stated that “in fact, October 1, 1949 was the beginning of the Communist imprisonment of the Chinese people’s human rights, and we stand here at the PRC embassy today in solidarity with those who continue to seek freedom in China today.”
R.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm recognizes October 1 as "A Black Day for Chinese Freedom"
Imm focused on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” stating that our conscience is a fundamental part of our human identity. Imm challenged the PRC to recognize that just as the PRC cannot keep the birds from flying in the sky, so also the PRC cannot shackle, chain, enslave, imprison, or kill the conscience of the Chinese people, or the conscience of humanity. Our conscience, Imm stated, was what differentiates us from other beings – and nothing any government or organization can do can silence the human conscience. Imm challenged Western governments and Western people to recognize that our “mutual interests begin with universal human rights,” and that no matter how much “easier it would be to ignore our conscience on Communist China, it is not a choice that humanity can afford.” Imm stated that “we must heed the call of our conscience regarding our 1 billion brothers and sisters in humanity whose human rights are denied under Communist China’s oppression. Our conscience must never be for sale, barter, or exchange. Our conscience is what allows us to have a human society of dignity, freedom, and human rights.”
Imm further noted Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reading that “everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.” He stated that in the PRC, those seeking democratic reforms have continued to be oppressed, jailed, and killed for the past 20 years in the PRC. But Imm stated, this Article 21 was part of the same human rights declaration that Chinese government leaders agreed to and helped draft in December 1948. Such democratic freedoms, Imm argued, are “not a Western idea, but a fundamental part of the universal human rights shared by all people.” Moreover, Imm pointed to even the PRC’s former premier Zhao Ziyang’s support for democracy as shown by the recently published “secret journal” of Zhao Ziyang entitled “Prisoner of the State.”
Imm stated that many nations have made mistakes in their history on such human rights, including the United States. But for all of its mistakes, Imm continued, the United States has sought to recognize such universal human rights as truths that its people find inalienable, not disregard universal human rights as inconvenient international standards as the PRC government continues to do today.
Imm stated “Our protest today is to send a message to our brothers and sisters in humanity in China. You are not alone. We stand with you in your struggles for freedom. Have courage! We will continue to pressure our government and urge our people to make your human rights our first priority in dealing with China, not our last priority. We will continue to demand that the PRC recognize and support universal human rights for all Chinese people. We send our support and our prayers for you today, standing here in solidarity with your struggle for freedom. Free China Now!”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty also urged their fellow Americans to contact their government representatives to demand that such basic human rights are key aspects of our negotiations and relations with PRC in the future.
World Rights' Timothy Cooper at PRC Embassy Protest
Timothy Cooper stated “If there is one fundamental right we should enjoy, it is the right to self-determination, that is the will of people must be freely expressed in the government of the country. For the Chinese people, they have never known the right to self-determination. They have never known the right to free expression of their own political interests. As such, the growth of China as a democracy, as a palace of human rights, has been thwarted and the people suffer. ”
World Rights' Timothy Cooper Speaks at PRC Embassy Protest in Washington DC
Timothy Cooper continued: “Who are these people? The Falun Gong, the Christians, the Catholics, the Tibetans, the Uighurs, the Chinese Democrats, all of these people suffer because they are denied a fundamental human right. So we are here today to call on China, even in the midst of its rising economic power, to ascend to another level – to ascend to a place where the will of the people is fundamentally respected and regarded as the principal source of power and governance of the nation. These people must be free, free to express their own political will, create their own political destiny and fortune. So we stand in solidarity with them, we call for the end of human rights abuses in China, we call for the respect of rule of law in China, and we call on the Chinese government in particular, to step away from its past, and embrace a new future, a future that has about it the wholesale reflection of the wants and needs of the people of China – as embodied in their voices and by their consent. It is no easy thing to stand against a government as powerful and as all-pervasive as the Chinese government is. With our voices added to countless thousands of voices both inside China and outside China, we hope to see the day when democracy rules, self-determination rules inside China.”
Lisa Tao of the Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) also was a part of the protest at the Washington DC embassy. Lisa and other Falun Gong supporters held banners in the park gates across the street from the PRC embassy where the protesters were allowed to gather.
Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) Protests at PRC Embassy in Washington DC Falun Dafa Activists Arrange Protest Signs Across from PRC Embassy
Lisa spoke of the PRC abuses against the Chinese people, the oppression of the Falun Gong and others, and pointed to PRC’s despicable practice of organ trafficking of prisoners. Lisa stated that she and other protesters have been coming to the PRC embassy every day. She will not call the PRC as “China,” saying “China is my home… the PRC is not China.” Lisa and her fellow activists vigilantly post banners challenging the Communist PRC government and its denial of human freedoms and freedom of religion.
Falun Dafa's Lisa Tao and R.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm Discuss the Oppression of the Chinese People by the PRC Government
During the protest, a long-pending rainstorm finally came. The Falun Dafa activists and R.E.A.L. protesters continued their protest in the rain, patiently and vigilantly. They sought to mark their solidarity on this day, September 30 in Washington DC, October 1 in Beijing, by standing together with the Chinese people fighting for freedom – no matter what challenges will come.
As R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm concluded in his message to the Chinese people, “Have Courage! Know that you are not alone! We stand with you in solidarity!”
Falun Dafa Protesters Continue in the Rain at the DC PRC EmbassyR.E.A.L. Continues Protest in Rain Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) Protests at DC PRC Embassy
Sign with Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Chinese - Preamble and Articles 1-3
(NOTE: News reporter Vladimir Kara-Murza, Washington Bureau Chief for Overseas Media Production (Russian Television), interviewed R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm regarding today’s protest at the Washington DC PRC embassy. If a weblink to that interview becomes available, we will update this posting with that interview.)
“A providential coincidence of modern Chinese history may have aligned the strategic interests of two profoundly important but different groups of persecuted Chinese nationals who have suffered the same unhappy fate. Ten years of unrelenting state-sponsored repression against two sets of innocent nationals — one political, the other nonpolitical — may have, ironically, set the stage to potentially advance the well-being of both in the common cause of ending unchecked human rights oppression in China.”
“These two independent groups — linked only by national identity and vitality of purpose as well as their common faith in a more benign future for China — include courageous exiled leaders and mainland supporters of the China Democratic Party (CDP), together with the well-organized and intelligent members of the Falun Gong, which boasts more members worldwide than the entire Chinese Communist Party.”
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“Chinese Dissidents Should Heed the Good Advice Coming from Tim Cooper – More Ideas on Unity for Chinese Dissidents”
By John Kusumi, Director emeritus, the China Support Network
“In a recent article, friend of freedom Timothy Cooper (Executive Director of World Rights, also experienced with the Free China Movement and the China Democracy Party), advocates that Falun Gong and the China Democracy Party (CDP) should move closer together, with CDP to hold an election and Falun Gong practitioners to vote for its leadership.”
The SFT has protests scheduled at the NYC’s UN from 10 AM to 2 PM on Wednesday, September 23 (see below) and from 8 to 10 AM at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Some photos from the Tuesday NYC protest:
Tuesday September 22 Protest NYC - Calling for China's President Hu Jintao to Stop Persecution of Falun GongTuesday September 22 Protest NYC - Calling for China's President Hu Jintao to Free Tibet
This week, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is all about protesting the arrival of China’s President Hu Jintao in New York City. Their schedule of protests is as follows:
Monday, September 21st
PROTEST: Hu Jintao’s arrival in NYC
When: 5-8pm
Where: Waldorf Astoria Hotel where Hu Jintao will be staying (50th St & Park Ave)
Tuesday, September 22nd
FREE TIBET RALLY & POLITICAL THEATRE
When: 9am-4pm
Where: Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, United Nations (47th Street and 1st Ave)
Why: Hu Jintao to attend UN Climate Summit with President Obama and other world leaders
Note: At 5pm the protest will continue at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (50th St & Park Ave)
Wednesday, September 23rd
OPENING OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
When: 10am-2pm
Where: Protest at United Nations – Dag Hammerskold Plaza (47th Street and 1st Ave)
Why: Hu Jintao will be addressing the UN General Assembly
At 2pm we have been invited to join the Iranians/Burmese and other groups for a Human Rights Protest (same location)
On September 23rd from 8-10am there will also be a protest at the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel.
Communist China: Lawyer Tortured for Defending Falun Gong Clients — “Yet another human rights lawyer in China has been arrested because he has chosen to defend Falun Gong practitioners’ right to freedom of belief.
— “Attorney Wang Yonghang, who is from northeast China’s harbour city Dalian, has taken the defense for several Falun Gong practitioners. He insists on upholding his profession’s code of ethics, and has refused to yield to the regime’s unofficial policy, which has mandated that there be ‘no legal defense of innocence for Falun Gong [adherents].'”
