(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful assembly in front of the Chinese Embassy in Bratislava on October 22, 2020, to draw attention to the persecution of Falun Gong and other human rights violations in China.

Practitioners have appealed in front of the embassy every week for 14 years. This time, however, they also recalled the bloody history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its numerous campaigns: the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the deprivation of citizens’ rights and crackdown on protests in Hong Kong, the persecution of Falun Gong, and the cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, they honored the victims of the CCP’s bloody campaigns.

While it may not be immediately apparent at first glance, Canadian lawyer David Matas, who investigated the Chinese regime’s killing of prisoners of conscience for organs, sees a clear link between people closing their eyes to human rights abuses in China and the serious situation with regard to the coronavirus in the world today.

“If China were to face international pressure for transparency and accountability of its health system in the misuse of organ transplants, we would not have this coronavirus here now,” he said. “We are suffering the consequences of closing our eyes to the abuse of organ transplants by the CCP.”

Mr. Matas also urges caution in dealing with the CCP, saying, “I think we should be wary of the Chinese government’s health care system and the way they express themselves. We cannot rely on their data or their statements.”

Practitioners observed social distancing measures in front of the Chinese Embassy. In the past two months, the event has also been supported by other demonstrators who came from their event in front of the nearby Belarusian Embassy, as well as a few young people who live nearby and know the human rights situation in China from their own travel experiences.