7/13/01

Falun Dafa Information Center in New York released a statement to reiterate that Falun Gong "is a traditional, spiritual practice of mind and body, Falun Gong does not hold any position on political, social, or economical issues, and this includes selecting the site for the Olympic Games."

"History has shown us that the Jiang Zemin regime has taken advantage of every major international event to silence all dissenting voices, and Falun Gong practitioners will most likely continue to bear the brunt of such political campaigns." "Many people, ..., have already died in the weeks leading up to the vote as Beijing began to rid itself of so-called 'undesirables.'"

"In just the past week, we have had two reports of mass killings of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese labor camps. We do not want to see more."

"Our concern has been and continues to be the welfare of the Falun Gong practitioners in China who are being brutally persecuted for their faith. We are sending out an urgent SOS to the international community to help secure their safe release from labor camps and prisons all across China. The ban on Falun Gong that began almost two years ago on July 20, 1999 must be lifted before more innocent lives are lost."