Swedish Foreign Minister in Beijing: Falun Gong Practitioners Must Have Rights

At ASEM (Asia-Europe meeting) in Beijing May 25th, 2001, Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh expressed concern for the fact that the number of executions in China has increased. Her statement made very clear how important the struggle for human rights is for the EU, Anna Lindh's spokesperson told the French news agency AFP. In her capacity as chairperson of the EU, Lindh also brought up the use of torture and restrictions regarding freedom of belief, assembly and speech. She specifically mentioned Falun Gong as an example of an organization which must have rights.