This weekend, the plight of the Falun Gong comes to Denver in the form of the Human Rights Torch Relay which was conceived as a global grassroots approach to create awareness. More than just a general protest to holding the Olympics in China, the Torch Relay provides “a forum for athletes, human rights organizations, Chinese democracy groups, Tibetan rights activists and other concerned individuals to rally under the banner: The Olympics and Crimes Against Humanity Cannot Coexist in China,” according to relay organizers.
Denver was chosen as one of 150 cities in 35 countries for the honor of having the torch in its city. The HRTR event will be held at City Park on April 5 and includes a 5K walk/run, music, speeches by peace advocates and includes the opportunity for Denverites to sign the HRTR petition, which urges China to rethink its position on human rights.
There are a lot of things that I thought I’d never see in my lifetime. Holding the Olympics in China is one of them. Yes, Nixon did go to China, setting the policy for how the United States would co-exist with this major communist country. One might even say that this is the change that established China as the manufacturer to the world.
But after Tiananmen Square, many of us saw that the advent of change in regard to personal freedom in China was premature and many of us later thought, “how could the IOC (International Olympic Committee) vote in favor of holding the Olympics in a country that seems to exhibit the antithesis of what the Olympics are all about?”
China may have shed its “Evil Empire” title now that it has become a burgeoning industrial country. We have been told that the government’s policies have changed by allowing its populace to gain wealth and education.
And that might be true. But behind the scenes, something evil lurks as evidenced in recent headlines that report the way in which the Chinese government has chosen to deal with Buddhist priests in Tibet, while telling the world that this is the fault of the Dali Lama, one of the most peaceful men on the planet. And did anyone notice that very small news clip regarding China’s policy on how many children a Chinese couple can legally have? One must ask,”Just how “free” are the Chinese?”
This question becomes more relevant upon deeper examination of Chinese policies. For example, there is the alleged treatment of practitioners of Falun Gong by the Chinese government. Reports indicate that tens of thousands of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience have had their organs forcibly extracted and sold. This policy was part of a Chinese governmental directive initiated in June 2005, by China’s deputy public security minister Liu Jing, who was given the job of eradicating Falun Gong in advance of the 2008 Olympics.
In June 2007, the CIPFG (the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China) forwarded a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao requesting an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong along with a request to investigate the matter. As expected, the representatives who signed the letter from Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe did not receive a reply.
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Beverly A. Saidel (Bsaidel@live.com) is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Denver
