(Minghui.org) Practitioners in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, braved the winter wind and rain of the southern hemisphere and held a rally in front of the South Australian Parliament on July 19, 2024. They called on the Australian government and the international community to take action to jointly stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 25-year long persecution of Falun Gong. South Australian lawmakers and community leaders attended the rally to show their support.

Rally in front of the South Australian Parliament on July 19, 2024

Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in the evening to commemorate those practitioners who have died as a result of the CCP’s brutality.

Candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate

The CCP Officials Involved in the Persecution Should Be Sanctioned

Brian, spokesperson for the South Australian Falun Dafa Association, said at the rally that Falun Dafa is a spiritual belief and a great practice that allows practitioners to improve their minds and bodies through practicing the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Before the persecution, Falun Dafa was widely practiced by people from all walks of life in China.

Spokesperson Brian of the South Australian Falun Dafa Association addressed the rally.

Brian cited investigation and research reports on the CCP’s persecution and live organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners by internationally renowned human rights lawyer David Matas, Edward McMillian-Scott, then Vice President of the European Parliament, and Ethan Gutmann, a senior researcher on China issues and American writer, and he quoted the conclusion of the China Tribunal in the UK: “Forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and that Falun Gong practitioners have been one – and probably the main – source of organ supply.” This constitutes the crime of genocide.

He called on Australia and other countries to follow the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Falun Gong Protection Act to combat the crime of organ harvesting. The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on those involved in the above human rights violations in accordance with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, such as visa restrictions, freezing their assets, and seizing real estate, cars and other financial investments, including assets given to their families.

Finally, he said, “As a Falun Gong practitioner, I want to see the basic human rights of all people respected, that is, to be able to practice what they want anytime and anywhere without worrying about being persecuted.”

The Persecution Must Stop

Tammy Franks, Member of the Legislative Council of South Australia, addressed the rally.

Tammy Franks, Member of the Legislative Council of South Australia, attended the rally and condemned the CCP’s forced organ harvesting in her speech.

She said, “I stand here and I strongly condemn 25 years of human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners in China.” This persecution should never have started. Persecution is not something that can be condoned in any way. It must stop.

“I take this opportunity to stand with you today in what is miserable weather. But just being here today shows your fortitude and the sun will rise and will warm our hearts in the future as we all continue to support each other and stand together against these human rights abuses.

“I commend your courage not just today but for 25 years. I understand that Falun Gong is a spiritual meditation practice based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. They are fine things to be standing for. We welcome Falun Gong here in our South Australian community, but we want to see them flourish right across the world. And people live peaceful and happy lives.”

Ms. Franks said that she noticed that the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, Freedom House, the U.S. Congress, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the European Parliament had all confirmed the persecution and condemned these human rights violations, and formulated measures to punish human rights criminals. In particular, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Falun Gong Protection Act.

“This South Australian Parliament here inquired into organ harvesting and organ harvesting tourism,” she said. “The most horrific thing that you could imagine. The idea that people seeking medical treatment fuel and perpetuate human rights abuses of organ harvesting is something that I would hope all governments will take a stand on. The South Australian government and parliament have put aside our political differences to inquire into and to recommend changes.

“As a member of parliament here in South Australia, I will do all I can to ensure that South Australia is not complicit, does not condone, and does not create any environment that supports those human rights abuses.”

Ms. Franks concluded by saying that members of parliament recently invited international human rights lawyer David Matas to host a forum on organ harvesting at this South Australian Parliament, reaffirming commitment to continue to do everything we can to stand with Falun Gong, oppose the CCP’s persecution, and defend human rights for citizens around the world.

Falun Gong Practitioners’ Efforts Bring Hope

Ramila Chanisheff, President of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association (AUTWA), addressed the rally.

Ramila Chanisheff, President of AUTWA, also attended the rally that day and expressed her admiration for practitioners’ persistence despite the adverse weather conditions. She praised practitioners for their adherence to freedom of belief and their contribution to safeguarding human rights around the world, saying that Falun Gong practitioners’ long-term persistence in resisting the persecution has brought people hope, “At the beginning of the persecution, I saw Falun Gong practitioners peacefully petitioning in other parts of the world, such as in front of Chinese consulates or hotels in Europe and South Korea. Your persistence gives us hope. I believe we can persist together in defending human rights.”

Ms. Chanisheff said, “We can see that the foreign interference in Australia has commenced. It has been going on for years and it is extending and it is becoming so dangerous for the Australian government and for the Australian people because we are being watched, we are being heard, we are being monitored.

“As someone who stands up, as an Uyghur, someone who stands up against the aggression, against the government of the Chinese communist regime, this is becoming tougher and tougher. But we know that with solidarity with all those who have been prosecuted, who have been persecuted that we can make a difference. With all our voices, Australian citizens especially and the world, we know we can make a difference because China, the oppression will fall, the dictatorship will fall.”

Ms Chanisheff called on the Australian Government to take concrete action to impose criminal and economic sanctions on individuals who commit crimes and kill innocent people, whether the victims are Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans or Hong Kong people.

The CCP Kills on Demand

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Mei speaks in the rally.

In her speech, Falun Gong practitioner representative Ms. Mei cited the latest investigative report released by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), confirming that the CCP’s live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is still ongoing.

She said that the CCP’s “zero-COVID” policy has hit China’s economy hard, but the organ transplant industry has not been affected. Several hospitals have said that there are sufficient donors, and the shipping department has opened a special “green channel” to quickly transport human organs. The CCP continues to “kill on demand.”

“Testimonies from survivors and witnesses provide a chilling glimpse into the horrors endured by Falun Gong practitioners. Zhang Xiuqin’s haunting account from Harbin and accounts from witnesses like Ushio Sugawara and Lu Shuheng vividly depict scenes of torture and the inhumane extraction of organs from living individuals. These testimonies not only bear witness to individual tragedies but also reveal a systematic state-sponsored campaign of terror and genocide.”

She said, “This scourge that threatens not only the lives of Falun Gong practitioners but also the moral fabric of our global community.

“In this context, the recent passage of the Falun Gong Protection Act by the U.S. House of Representatives is a significant step forward. This legislation not only condemns the CCP’s atrocities but also calls upon governments worldwide to take decisive action, imposing sanctions and penalties on those complicit in these crimes against humanity. It sends a clear message that the international community stands united in defense of human rights and justice.”

Practitioners talked to passers-by in front of South Australia Parliament on July 19, 2024.

The rally received attention from passers-by, who stopped to ask for details and obtain information materials, and many signed a petition to call for an end of the persecution.

After the rally, practitioners sat in silence on both sides of the gate to the Chinese Consulate, holding wreaths to commemorate Chinese practitioners who lost their lives in the CCP’s persecution, and to call for an immediate end to the persecution and the release of all illegally detained practitioners.

At the candlelight vigil, Ms. Mei said, “Despite decades of persecution, Falun Gong practitioners still practice the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Their firmness and perseverance are a powerful reminder that the human spirit of faith will not be extinguished by tyranny or oppression.”

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Its teachings are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings and exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology. On July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization that has the power to override the police and judicial systems. Its sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 24 years. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher, due to the difficulty in getting information out of China. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.