(Clearwisdom.net)

On June 18, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners from the Czech Republic and Slovakia gathered in Staromestkse Square in Prague. On this occasion we were pleased to welcome Ms. Xiong Wei from Germany, who came to support our activities and tell the Czech media and people her story of being persecuted in China. Ms. Xiong Wei was detained and tortured simply for informing people of the facts about Falun Gong and its severe persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.

"Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" art exhibit	Here people could find out what Falun Gong is and watch the exercises
Passers-by learn about the persecution	Re-enacting brutal force feeding

Xiong Wei, when visiting China in 2002, was arrested by the Chinese police for spreading information about Falun Gong and its persecution, and was subsequently detained for two years in a forced labor camp in Beijing. The German Government, NGOs and thousands of people who signed petitions, were all part of an effort that finally led to her release to freedom in 2004. The Czech television crews spent two hours shooting an interview featuring Xiong Wei in different places around Prague, which will be broadcast on a television program next week on the main channel.

A press conference was held at 1:00 p.m., giving Falun Gong practitioners a chance to introduce the practice and the ongoing persecution to the media. The media who attended included the Czech National TV, Prague News, and others. Many onlookers who knew little about China were shocked. The persecution has lasted for six years, resulting in thousands of deaths and millions of practitioners being sent to forced labor camps and detention centers. When Xiong Wei started to talk about her personal experience in the labor camp, tears welled up in the audience's eyes. Her story touched the hearts of the audience and showed them the courage and compassion of Falun Gong practitioners. She mentioned that when she was imprisoned, she received over 40,000 postcards and letters from people who longed for her freedom. She commented, "Every one of those letters and postcards provided me with the power to overcome the hardships. Thank you all."

Between a wall of display boards describing the wicked torture methods used by the Chinese regime, and the art exhibition entitled "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," was a live re-enactment of the torture methods used in China. People could see up-close and personal what it is like to be interrogated and beaten in a Chinese prison. There was a re-enacting of a heavy beating, torture with a red-hot iron and cigarettes, force-feeding, and confinement within a small cell, among others. The victims of the torture were trying to explain to their torturers that Falun Gong is good. The simulated torture was so real-to-life that it caught people's attention from far away, who then came to have a closer look at what was going on.

Practitioners who were informing the audience about what was going on thus had an easier job telling people the facts, as everyone there had come over on their own accord to find out. Some people passing by said they already knew about the persecution. At one point an older man stopped me before I even gave him a flyer, commenting, "I know! We have Falun Gong in Chicago." Even though he was not a practitioner, he pressed his hands together in front of his chest in the "heshi" position and very sincerely said, "I wish you the best of luck!"

The centre of Prague is crowded with tourists from all over the world, so they all got a chance to learn the facts. An elderly couple from England arrived during the middle of the press conference and read some of the display boards describing the torture methods. One practitioner came to ask the couple if they wanted to know what it was all about. The couple said "yes." The practitioner then told them that Ms. Xiong Wei was describing her experiences in China and told them, "See that Chinese lady in the middle? She spent two years in a Chinese prison." The couple expressed their concerns, saying, "Oh, that is terrible." Then they carefully listened to what was said at the press conference. When it was over, they clapped their hands to show their respect for Xiong Wei. Finally, they both signed the petition to condemn the repression.

One girl from Singapore was amazed by what we were doing. She spent over twenty minutes looking at the display boards and the live performance, telling us that she knew only a little about Falun Gong. She said that Singapore follows China's directions in some ways because of its economic control over them, so it was hard for people over there to organize such activities. We told her about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and how many people have quit the CCP after reading this book. The book allowed people to realize the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party. She was then very happy to take a copy to read for herself. Before she left, she also took some VCDs entitled, "The True Story of Falun Gong," which she planned to give to her Chinese friends.

Many Chinese people also came to have a closer look. Some were a little cautious and only took photos of the activities; some took copies of the Nine Commentaries; and there were also some who expressed an interest in practicing Falun Gong.

Throughout the day, practitioners carefully informed people about the facts. Many people realized the evilness of the persecution through this activity and showed their support by signing the petition calling for an end to the persecution. By the end of the day, several hundred names were added.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200506/27326.html