MEMPHIS, Tennesee—People gathered in front of the Memphis City Hall on a late summer Saturday, September 16, 2006, to spotlight human rights violations in China, particularly the recent arrest of renowned human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.
The rally also supported the recently defected Chinese Eastern Airline pilot Yuan Sheng and celebrated the resignations of over 13 million people in China from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
The rally was organized by two U.S. based organizations formed by Chinese expatriates: Quitting the CCP Southeastern Service Center and the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice. Jiang is the former president of China who was most responsible for the suppression of Falun Gong—a meditation group rooted in ancient Chinese culture with over 100 million adherents both inside and outside China. These groups held a rally on the same theme in Atlanta on August 26, 2006.
"Our purpose is to raise the public awareness of the issue of human rights violations in China by holding a series of public rally in major cities in the Southeastern U.S.," said Mr. Wei, one of the organizers of the event in Memphis. He said it is important for Americans to be reminded that China is under the rule of Communists who have brought unpardonable disasters to humanity and yet continue to violate human rights and suppress religious groups and dissidents in China up to today.
Representatives from the Quitting the CCP Southeastern Service Center, Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, The Epoch Times and Sound of Hope Radio spoke at the rally. Mr. C. Lin who represented the Quitting the CCP Southeastern Service Center said that as of September 15, 13.5 million people from China have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party or its affiliated organizations. Lin said Chinese people have been gradually awakening to the true nature of the CCP.
"It is outrageous to hear that things like organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners have been taking place in China today," said Albert who worked in a hotel nearby. He learned about live organ harvesting for profit from imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in communist China from media reports. Today, he came across the rally and volunteered to make a speech. He said he loved Chinese culture and once learned how to practice Tai Chi.
The case of attorney Gao Zhisheng was highlighted in the rally. Gao was recently arrested by the Chinese regime because of his daring, outspoken opinions and the appeals he made for Falun Gong and socially disadvantaged groups. An international effort is being made to rescue Attorney Gao.
Rally participants also spoke of the defection of Chinese pilot Yuan Sheng. Yuan was a senior China Eastern Airline captain who recently sought political asylum in the U.S. for fear of persecution due to his activities in China spreading The Nine Commentaries and inviting Chinese people to quit the CCP.
Poster boards were placed along the road for passersby to see. The boards documented a series of landmark events in the history of CCP, including Land Reform, the Cultural Revolution, Anti-rightist Movement, the Great Leap Forward, the Tiananmen Massacre the persecution of Falun Gong, and the atrocities that the CCP has committed during these events throughout its half century of rule.
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