AFP: Falun Gong Takes Its Case to European Summit

NICE, Dec 9, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Leaflets from Falun Gong, the worldwide spiritual movement reviled by China, have unexpectedly popped up at the European summit in Nice, thanks to a sympathetic Italian politician.

"Falun Gong: The Real Story," in 16-page French- and English-language versions, were seen Friday neatly stacked alongside EU documents at the photocopy counter in the summit press center.

Wang Hong, one of seven Falun Gong activists who came to Nice on Thursday hoping to draw attention to the sect's plight in China, credited Italian MP Umberto Giovine for getting the leaflets into the press center.

"Falun Gong's persecution in China is an important news subject," Wang told AFP by telephone. "It doesn't just concern the Chinese. It concerns Europeans as well.

" In Hong Kong on Thursday a human rights group said two more Falun Gong practitioners had died in Chinese police custody, bringing to at least 74 the number of sect members reported to have died in such circumstances.

Despite tight security around the summit venue, Wang and her Falun Gong colleagues managed to pull off a small demonstration Thursday near the summit venue, where she said Giovine came to join them. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse) http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=228473§ion=default