To whom it may concern

The arrest and persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China has been well documented around the world and corroborated by independent organisations such as Amnesty international. Media images have shown the Chinese authorities reacting to the gathering of practitioners.

Amnesty international in a recent report says:

Tens of thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained, some of them repeatedly for short periods of time, hundreds have been sent without trial to forced labour camps or sentenced to prison terms after unfair trials, and many followers have been tortured. Some have been detained in psychiatric hospitals and forced to take drugs and at least ten people have died in police custody in suspicious.

The arrest of Falun Dafa practitioners is in contravention of basic human rights such as the freedom of belief, assembly and expression.

Here in Australia practitioners are not immune to intimidation. Several Australian practitioners have reported theft of personal property, in some cases people have been followed. Councils have also been approached and "advised" not to let Falun Dafa practitioners use their facilities.

I urge the Australian Government and the international community through the offices of the United Nations and other international fora to urge the Chinese Government to:

• Lift the ban on Falun Dafa without delay.
• To immediately release all jailed and detained Falun Gong practitioners in China.
• To thoroughly investigate all allegations of interference with the activities of Australian citizens.

Yours sincerely

Senator Vicki Bourne

Australian Democrats spokesperson on Foreign Affairs

31 October 2000