A small demonstration was held on Independence Mall to update efforts locally and abroad aimed at stopping the persecution in China of adherents to a [cultivation practice] (1) called "Falun Gong."
The small group was on Independence Mall holding signs -- many of them with pictures of their relatives, who they say have been imprisoned and tortured in China for practicing Falun Gong, an ancient practice of exercise and meditation that was outlawed by the Chinese government in 1999.
Yvette Scarlett is a local Falun Gong practitioner:
"We want people to know that persecution of people because of their beliefs is happening in this world. And people should have the basic human rights to believe what they want to believe."
A number of local practitioners are headed to Geneva, Switzerland this weekend to testify before the UN commissioner on human rights.
Source: http://kyw.com/radio/
[KYW is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.]
(1) We replaced "philosophy" with "cultivation practice." Falun Gong practitioners cultivate their minds and hearts according to the principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance and practice five easy-to-learn exercises to purify their bodies.