Issued by Clearwisdom Net

 On January 18, 2006, the Ontario Human Rights Court ruled that Ottawa's Chinese Senior Association had violated the Human Rights Code by revoking a Falun Gong practitioner's membership because of her belief. On January 27, the Canadian Falun Dafa Association held a press conference at Parliament Hill to commend this ruling. The association stressed that the discrimination case exposed the severe and widespread nature of the Chinese Communist regime's systematic persecution and propaganda infiltration in foreign countries.

In a statement, the Canadian Falun Dafa Association pointed out: "The Human Rights Tribunal recognized Falun Gong as a belief, realized the seriousness of the case and protected Ms. Daiming Huang's rights. That is, believers of Falun Gong should be treated with equality, not discrimination. In fact, the tribunal confirmed that the "discriminatory acts against Ms. Huang caused huge anguish for her, and also exposed her to exclusion, contempt, mockery, a loss of standing and isolation within her own cultural community and were a particular affront to her dignity."

Lucy Zhou, spokeswoman of the association, stated: "The Discrimination Case Against Ms. Huang is not an isolated case. These discriminatory acts took place against a more severe and widespread persecution background." She said, "In the past 6 years, Chinese consulates and embassies have been executing the orders of the China's 610 Office to 'eliminate Falun Gong.' The regime has repeatedly utilized heads of pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) Chinese groups to instigate hatred toward Falun Gong in overseas Chinese communities."

Ms. Zhou gave an example to support her statement. "For example," she said, "An organization, in the name of the Ottawa Chinese Community, requested the City of Ottawa not to allow Falun Gong practitioners to conduct peaceful protests in front of the Chinese Embassy. The group was actually speaking on behalf of the Embassy. A Dance Troupe in Montreal has several members who practice Falun Gong. Fearing to offend the Chinese Consulate in Montreal, organizers of local community events barred the dance troupe. In another case, a Toronto Falun Gong practitioner was fired because her employer's business was closely tied to the Chinese Communist regime."

In addition, Chinese diplomatic officials also try to isolate Falun Gong by pressuring Canadian politicians, distributing anti-Falun Gong materials to media, government officials, schools, universities, libraries as well as Chinese community and organizations.

In 2003, Xinchun Pan, former deputy consul general of Chinese Consulate in Toronto, wrote a letter to Toronto Star and publicly slandered practitioner Joe Chipkar's belief. The case was submitted to the Supreme Count of Ontario and Chipkar won the lawsuit. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The CCP is behind numerous unlawful activities on Canadian soil which violate practitioners' human rights.

Ms. Zhou said, "The CCP not only persecutes Chinese practitioners using torture, hate-propaganda and brainwashing in China, but it also export its persecution to the international community, including Canada. The targets of the persecution are Canadian Falun Gong practitioners such as Ms. Huang."

Ms. Zhou said, "If one group was the target of the CCP, any group can become its target of attack in the future. If the persecution against Falun Gong can be extended to Canada, other Canadian groups are not safe, either. In addition, the persecution is damaging to Canadian values and Canadian society."

The statement also pointed out that the CCP's persecution also infringed on the sovereignty of Canada. Testimony by a former "610 Office" official verified that Falun Gong practitioners in Canada are being harassed, blacklisted, and monitored. In addition to exporting the persecution to Canada, the CCP has utilized a more widespread and vicious measure--media control. Through the CCP controlled Chinese media, it has been infiltrating Canada ideologically for a long time. The infiltration has enhanced the Chinese embassy and consulates' control over Canadian Chinese and other Canadians.

Regarding the CCP's control over Chinese language media in the United States, the Jamestown Foundation, a US non-governmental organization, pointed out: "All the major Chinese-language media in the USA are directly or indirectly controlled by the Chinese government. Four main tactics characterize the Chinese government's effort to influence Chinese media in America. They are: 1) direct control, 2) use of economic ties to influence independent media who have business relations with China, 3) purchasing of broadcast time and advertising space, and 4) deployment of government personnel to work in independent media.

During the press conference, Ms. Daiming Huang, 73, recounted how she was discriminated against and humiliated by the Ottawa Chinese Senior Association. She said: "Falun Gong gave me a new life. In the past 4 years, with my belief in 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance' and my determination to obtain justice, I have overcome many difficulties and eventually won the lawsuit. I firmly believe that justice will prevail over evil."

Ms. Huang also called on overseas Chinese and other groups to learn the truth about the persecution and say no to the CCP's lies.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/1/29/119687.html

• NY TIMES: AMERICAN CITIZEN RELEASED AFTER THREE YEARS IN CHINESE JAIL
• REUTERS: CHINA TO LAUNCH NEW ROUND OF SUPPRESSION
• FDI: CHINA STATE-RUN TV SUED FOR INSTIGATING TORTURE, BRAINWASHING
• STAR-LEDGER: SONG USED IN TORTURE TAKES CENTER STAGE AT RADIO CITY
• SCMP: HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER GAO ZHISHENG SURVIVES 'ASSASSINATION' BID

NY TIMES: AMERICAN CITIZEN RELEASED AFTER THREE YEARS IN CHINESE JAIL
SAN FRANCISCO (New York Times) -- A California businessman has returned to the United States after three years of imprisonment in China for his participation in Falun Gong... Charles Lee, 41 and a resident of Menlo Park, arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, welcomed by more than 100 supporters... The Chinese government first detained Mr. Lee on Jan. 22, 2003... based on accusations that he tried to sabotage the government by disrupting broadcasts with videotapes showing government persecution of Falun Gong... In prison, Mr. Lee said, he was beaten, deprived of sleep and food, and handcuffed in painful positions. He said the government tried to 'force brainwash' prisoners and subjected him to 'slave labor.'

REUTERS: CHINA TO LAUNCH NEW ROUND OF SUPPRESSION
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China is preparing to 'strike hard' against rising public unrest, a senior police official said according to state media on Thursday, highlighting the government's fears for stability even as the economy booms. An unnamed top official of China's Ministry of Public Security told a Wednesday meeting that China faced a long period of dangerous social discontent...In recent years, legal reformers have criticised such campaigns as contrary to China's official embrace of rule of law and human rights. But on Thursday, a meeting of law and order officials announced a new campaign against the 'sabotage activities of cult organisations', Xinhua said in a separate report. China calls the Falun Gong, a spiritual sect banned in 1999, a 'cult' that threatens the government.

FDI: CHINA STATE-RUN TV SUED FOR INSTIGATING TORTURE, BRAINWASHING
NEW YORK (FDI) -- human rights-related organizations in the U.S. have filed a civil complaint against China Central Television (CCTV) for programming that aids and abets illegal arrest, prolonged detention, torture, and brainwashing of Falun Gong practitioners... the complaint is an action for compensatory and punitive damages against CCTV for its 'intentional production, broadcast and dissemination of propaganda and other material geared specifically to incite, aid and abet, authorize, order or instigate the illegal arrest, prolonged arbitrary detention and severe mental and physical torture and brainwashing of plaintiffs and persons similarly situated in China,' says plaintiff attorney Dr. Terri Marsh... 'Its tactics are virtually identical to those used in Nazi Germany, in Rwanda, during the massacre of the Tutsi by the Hutu, and in Yugoslavia under Slobodan Milosevic,' Marsh explains. 'In all of these massacres, not only is the message always the same ('Destroy them or they will destroy you'), but the name of the mass crime that follows is genocide or ethnic cleansing, and now we're seeing something similar propagated against Falun Gong in China.'

STAR-LEDGER: SONG USED IN TORTURE TAKES CENTER STAGE AT RADIO CITY
NEW JERSEY (Star-Ledger) -- Gong Lee, a survivor of China's forced labor camps, calls it 'the torture song,' an anthem he said his captors sang as they brutalized him and other followers of the Falun Gong... Now that a version of the show [featuring the song], produced by CCTV, will appear Monday at Radio City Music Hall, Falun Gong adherents... have been protesting, claiming the show's title and its inclusion of the song is a painful reminder of their persecution - and a form of propaganda... 'The song to me is a nightmare. It's linked to the worst day of my life,' said Lee... 'When you sing that song, it means you're in line with the Communist regime.' ... Every day this week, between 25 and 100 followers from New York and New Jersey have been staging news conferences and protests outside Radio City Music Hall and the Chinese Consulate... [Lee] was sent to a camp for 18 months... he was shocked with electricity, deprived of sleep and forced to lie underneath a wooden board while guards jumped on his back, he said. Fearing for his life, he gave in to guards' demands that he join them in singing the 'The Same Song' used by guards to signify that a prisoner had renounced their faith...

SCMP: HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER GAO ZHISHENG SURVIVES 'ASSASSINATION' BID
HONG KONG (SCMP) -- Prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng says he was targeted in an assassination attempt on Tuesday night when a car suddenly braked in front of his vehicle while travelling at high speed on a Beijing road. Mr Gao said he braked hard during the incident... and managed to stop about 1cm from the other car, whose number plate was obscured by a piece of paper. Unable to read the plate, Mr Gao got out and walked to the front of the car to read its front plate. He said the car accelerated and drove directly towards him, forcing him to lose balance and topple into a flower bed on the side of the road, striking his right hand. As it drove away, the paper flapped free and revealed Beijing number plate EB8233, he said, adding that a second, military vehicle present during the incident then drove off.

 On January 27, volunteers of Friends of Falun Gong and the local chapter of Amnesty International (AI) jointly held an Information display and seminar on the persecution of Falun Gong on the campus of Seton Hall University. Many faculty, staff and students learned the facts about Falun Gong and tried the exercises during the one-day event.

Falun Gong information display

A member of Amnesty International distributes Falun Gong materials

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Falun Gong information display was held at the entrance to a cafeteria, a busy location. Many students and faculty/staff members learned about how the Chinese Communist regime had been brutally persecuting Falun Gong. A TV was set up as well to play truth-clarifying clips which attracted many passersby. Several hundred fliers were distributed and many people read the fliers while having lunch in the cafeteria. After reading the materials, a lot of people expressed their gratitude for the information and expressed their support for Falun Gong.

From 7 to 9 p.m., interested students attended the Falun Gong seminar held at a faculty lounge room. Alan Adler, director of Friends of Falun Gong, gave a keynote speech. The attendees discussed what Falun Gong is, the situation of the persecution and efforts to end the atrocities. When the seminar concluded, students expressed their interest in learning the Falun Gong exercises, so several practitioners taught them the first four standing exercises of Falun Gong.

The student chapter of AI organized this event and helped distribute fliers and explain the facts of the persecution. This event was the second joint venture between AI and Friends of Falun Gong. Volunteers of AI are planning for another similar event to be held at the end of Spring.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/1/29/119695.html