January 22, 2009: Falun Gong News Bulletin

Monitoring the Falun Gong Human Rights Crisis in China

London Telegraph: Seven key dates for China in 2009
Freedom House: “Escalated persecution of minorities” in China in 2008
Epoch Times: Fifteen Chinese Lawyers Demand an Open Retrial of Falun Gong Practitioners
Times of India: Channel your energy with this Chinese therapy
Winnipeg Sun: Rights advocate Matas named to Order of Canada

London Telegraph: Seven key dates for China in 2009
“April 25: 10th anniversary of the Falun Gong protests, when10,000 members of the spiritual movement gathered outside Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Communist Party, in a silent protest against beatings and arrests that had been doled out to some members in Tianjin… the Communist Party banned Falun Gong in July and began a campaign against [it], arresting thousands of members. According to Manfred Nowak, the UN special rapporteur on torture, Falun Gong members make up half the population of China’s prison camps.”

To read more: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/malcolmmoore/blog/2009/01/02/seven_key_dates_for_china_in_2009
For a timeline on the persecution of Falun Gong: http://www.faluninfo.net/topic/4/

Freedom House: “Escalated persecution of minorities” in China in 2008
January 13, 2008: “[D]uring the year, there was an evident backtracking when it came to core institutions and freedoms… Of particular note was a nationwide escalated persecution of minorities. From Tibetans to Uighurs to Falun Gong adherents to “house church” Christians, thousands of believers found themselves facing an intensified campaign of arbitrary detention, labor camp sentences and, in some cases, death in custody.”

Epoch Times: Fifteen Chinese Lawyers Demand an Open Retrial of Falun Gong Practitioners
January 17, 2009: “Fifteen lawyers have stepped forward to defend Falun Gong practitioners after the Chengdu People’s Intermediate Court sentenced 11 people, including Falun Gong practitioners and their family members, to prison terms of from 3 to 17 years in October 2008. The 15 lawyers are asking the court to find the 11 defendants not guilty….

Lawyer Mou Jiyuan said, ‘The case deserves a second trial, mainly because of uncertain facts and insufficient evidence, which led to the sentencing and a misjudgment. We have therefore joined forces and reported the case to the local Procuratorate asking for an investigation.’”

To read more: http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10499
For more information on Beijing lawyer Mou Jiyuan, see: http://en.zhaojuncn.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/InfoContent.html?InfoPublish_InfoID=c373e9177c6f80518ffbe5fb839355d1

Times of India: Channel your energy with this Chinese therapy
December 30, 2008: “Practised in 80 countries, Falun Gong was first brought to Mumbai in 2000 by a group of foreign practitioners who held a nine-day seminar in Bandra, says Suren Rao, follower and ad film-maker. Falun Dafa India was registered as an association only in 2004….

Rao, who exudes the beatitude one usually finds in godmen, found his calling in Falun Gong after trying his hand at various spiritual techniques. … the number of serious practitioners in Mumbai is limited to a handful. In Bangalore, on the other hand, over 50 schools have taught their students the practice.”

Winnipeg Sun: Rights advocate Matas named to Order of Canada
December 31, 2008: “Local human rights lawyer David Matas is among the 60 newest members of the Order of Canada…The longtime advocate — currently senior legal counsel to B’nai Brith Canada and a former president of the Canadian Council of Refugees — was recognized for his contributions to human rights legislation as well as to immigration and refugee law…Recently, he co-authored a report investigating claims the Chinese government has been harvesting organs from imprisoned practitioners of Falun Gong. The report concluded the allegations were true.”