Australia: Grand March Awakens People’s Sense of Justice and Conscience (Photos)

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners from Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide and Canberra held a grand march in Sydney on September 28, 2013 to promote the teaching of Falun Dafa and to help tourists and residents know about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China. The massive procession drew attention from many passersby and was warmly received.

There were three themes of the procession: to demonstrate the beauty and popularity of Falun Dafa in the world, to expose the unprecedented brutal persecution in China, and to urge the Chinese people who see the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and quit it and its affiliated organizations.

The march started from Hyde Park and went through Chinatown. Numerous banners and posters expressed the hearts of the practitioners saying “Faun Dafa is good,” “The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” “Stop the persecution of Falun Gong,” “No more organ harvesting from living practitioners,” and “Quit the Chinese Communist Party to stay safe.”

The Falun Dafa Divine Land Marching Band led the way. The band’s majestic music attracted passersby from far away. A giant model of the book Zhuan Falun shone in the sunlight. Many practitioners demonstrated the five peaceful exercises of Falun Dafa. Several spectators on both sides of the street took pictures of the procession and shop owners came out to get a better look.

Sydney resident Les Shone used to get fliers from practitioners when he visited Chinatown. He knew about the illegal organ harvesting. “I would like to offer help to stop the CCP’s relentless persecution of Falun Gong. It’s not enough that I signed the petition. I firmly object such brutality against humanity,” Les said.

Les Shone

Euillaume Leguay came to Sydney from France two weeks ago. He said, “Falun Dafa’s teaching is good. It teaches kindness and how to be a good person. Suppressing so many good people is evil and stupid.”

Josie and Mary enjoyed the parade. Josie said, “It’s magnificent and touching. Their performance is exciting and unforgettable. I really support Falun Dafa.”

Chinese version available

Category: Rallies & Protests

Mr. Shu Ming from Nanchang City Illegally Tried and Imprisoned (Photos)

October 05, 2013 | By a Minghui correspondent in Jiangxi Province, China

(Minghui.org) At 9:30 a.m. on July 25, 2013, the Xihu District Court in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, illegally tried Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Shu Ming. The lawyers hired by Mr. Shu’s family members presented a well-developed and justified defense. However, after the trial was postponed by the judge, Mr. Shu was secretly jailed in Nanchang Prison.

Heavy police presence around courthouse during Mr. Shu Ming’s trial

The court staff checked and made copies of the ID cards of each person who entered the court. They video-recorded everyone who entered the court, and forbade Falun Gong practitioners from coming in. Several video cameras were installed around the court gate. Police officers both in uniform and plainclothes were everywhere inside and outside the court building, some of them recording with video cameras.

Early on the morning of July 25, Mr. Shu’s wife, his 90-year-old father and 88-year-old mother waited at the court gate.

Mr. Shu Ming’s parents

Arrested Again after Repeated Persecution

Mr. Shu Ming, 52 years old, used to work at the Nanchang City Shipping Board. Because he refused to give up his belief in Falun Gong, the JiangXi Province 610 Office and the Xihu Police Station in Nanchang City subjected him to ongoing persecution. He was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned. In 2008, the Xihu Police Station in Nanchang City listed Mr. Shu as wanted online again, and he had to leave home and lead a homeless life for over five years.

In January 2013, Yu Hongping, head of the Xihu Police Station and Liu Ye, head of the Chaoyang Farm Police Station, went to Mr. Shu’s home and lied to his parents: “Ask Shu Ming to come back; we have taken him off the online wanted list and rescinded the order against him. He needs to come back to do his second-generation ID card.” Mr. Shu’s parents were nearly 90 and they greatly missed their son, so they believed the authorities and called Shu Ming back home.

However, less than one week after Mr. Shu came home, he was illegally arrested by officers from the Jiangxi Province 610 Office, the Xihu Police Station and the Chaoyang Farm Police Station. The arrest took place around 10:00 a.m. on February 4, 2013.

On February 5, Mr. Shu’s family members went to the Xihu Police Station to request his release. While his family were there, Mr. Shu was secretly taken out through the back door and sent to the Nanchang City No. 2 Detention Center. Mr. Shu’s family members asked the head of the police station, “Didn’t you say you had canceled the online wanted order against Shu Ming? ” The police head said, “Yes, but we didn’t say we would never arrest him again!”

In the court, the prosecutor showed the so-called “evidence” of criminal activity taken from Mr. Shu Ming’s home: over 100 Falun Dafa truth-clarification videos and cash bills with Falun Dafa information written on them. Another accusation against him was that somebody confessed that he had provided a CD recordable drive to a Falun Gong informational materials production site and taught others to use it.

Lawyers Present a Defense of Innocence

Two lawyers hired by Mr. Shu’s family presented a not-guilty defense from the perspective of the law and of conscience. The lawyers stated, “This is a frivolous conviction and therefore it’s illegal to accuse the defendant solely based on a few pieces of paper, a so-called confession, with no witness or evidence of wrongdoing.” The lawyers also explained in great detail Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and held that belief in Falun Gong is beneficial instead of harmful to society; therefore practicing it should not be deemed a “crime.” The lawyers also stressed again that the accusation against the defendant had no legal basis. The prosecutor tried to silence the lawyers many times. The lawyers protested the prosecutor’s rude behavior. One of them asked, “Who authorized you to interrupt us?” The prosecutor was embarrassed and became speechless.

At the end of their defense, the lawyers said loudly, “One violates no laws by practicing Falun Gong!” The judge was startled and immediately silenced the lawyers, and announced a court suspension and postponement of the trial.

Immediately after the trial, the court secretly jailed Shu Ming at Nanchang Prison, without informing his family or his lawyers.

Nanchang Prison in Jiangxi Province: +86-791-83710340 Prison head: Huang Yunping (黄云萍) political head Hong Huimin (洪惠民): +86-791-3710572 (Office), +86-791-83710357 (Home), +86-15879176042

Chinese version available

Category: Accounts of Persecution

Ms. Zhang Yisu Being Held at a Brainwashing Center

October 05, 2013 | By a Minghui correspondent in Beijing, China

(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Yisu and other Falun Gong practitioners are being held in the Shisanling Minghuang Resort Brainwashing Center in Beijing.

Ms. Zhang was taken to the Shisanling Minghuang Resort Brainwashing Center by Wang Qin of the Andingmen Neighbor Committee and another person. They also arranged for two staff members from the Andinmen Office to stay in her room to supervise her.

There are many hotels in the Shisanling Minghuang Resort. The brainwashing center was on the second floor of one of the hotel buildings on the hill. The second floor was cordoned off with iron fences and the corridors guarded by plainclothes officers from the Beijing Security Company. The windows and the doors in the rooms were all locked and could not be opened. Practitioners were held in rooms that were totally isolated, and they were forced to study Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child), and to write reports of their thoughts and lessons they learned.

Medical personnel from the Beijing City No. 6 Hospital were assigned to the station at the brainwashing center. They took the practitioners’ blood pressure in the morning and afternoon, every day. The Beijing City No. 6 Hospital was facing bankruptcy and has been participating in the persecution of practitioners in the past few years. It often sent personnel to the brainwashing center and Dongcheng Police Department to force-feed practitioners.

According to insiders, a practitioner named Shanshan was held there for a long time, and had lately gone on a hunger strike. There are presently many practitioners being held there. We hope that people with more information will provide what they know.

Relevant information: Shisanling Minghuang Resort Brainwashing Center in Beijing: +86-10-60782290, +86-10-60782250 Beijing City No. 6 Hospital: +86-10-64035566-3284 Andinemen Street Office, Dongcheng District, Beijing: +86-10-64012115, +86-10-64013609 Dongcheng District Andingmen Neighborhood Committee: +86-10-64067076

Chinese version available

Category: Brainwashing

St. Catharines, Canada: Falun Dafa Group Leads the Niagara Wine Festival Parade

(Minghui.org) The 62^nd Niagara Wine Festival was held on September 28 in St. Catharines, Canada. This annual event is listed as one of the top 100 events in the North America. The event organizers asked the Toronto Falun Dafa group, with its popular Divine Land Marching Band and waist drum team, to lead the parade.

The Falun Dafa group leads the parade.

Over 100 thousand people attended the parade, which was also televised. As one of the largest parades in the North America, it attracted many tourists from the U.S. and China as well.

A group of Chinese students took videos of the parade. A young Chinese man shouted, “Falun Dafa is great!” and the rest chimed in. The young man said, “You know, you cannot see this in China. We are very excited to see Falun Gong here in such a great parade. We are lucky, because we just got here a month ago.” The students said they would take advantage of being outside China and learn the facts behind the communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong.

At the end of the parade, three Chinese students had high praise for the practitioners’ performance and asked many questions about Falun Gong. They realized that the Communist Party’s propaganda attacking Falun Gong had deceived them. One of them said, “The Communist Party is really good at lying.” Practitioners told them more about the persecution and the organ harvesting atrocities. The students agreed to renounce their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party and thanked the practitioners for their help.

According to one of the parade organizers, a gentleman named Mike, 74 groups participated in the parade this year. Commenting on the Falun Gong entry, he said, “The band was so powerful, and the waist drum team was so lively. I hope they will come every year.”

Mike, one of the parade organizers, expressed appreciation for the Falun Dafa group’s contribution to the celebration.

After the parade, Evan Lince, a police officer on duty during the event, approached the practitioners. He praised the group, saying that their performance was outstanding. He also asked the practitioners to come again next time.

When he learned that Falun Gong has been persecuted in China for the past 14 years, he was alarmed. “Are you kidding? That’s unbelievable! How can a peaceful group like you be persecuted?” he asked and took a Falun Gong flyer. He said he would read more about the persecution and see if there was anything he could do to help stop it.

Chinese version available

Category: Other Community Events