Jan Šinágl angažovaný občan, nezávislý publicista

On January 27, 2012, protests in front of Chinese embassies in ten countries are announced. Activists want to come to protest against detention of a lawyer Gao Zhisheng and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The lawyer Gao was kidnapped and tortured by Chinese secret police, because of his defending tortured Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese jails.
The protests are being joined by activists in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Indonesia, Hungary, Romania, Australia, Croatia, Brazil, Mexico, Poland.

Activists deliberately announced protests on The International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity, because the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin is facing indictment for genocide and crimes against humanity in the suppression of Falun Gong. Gao revealed his investigation of torturing methods in Chinese jails in his book “A China More Just”.

In the Czech Republic, the protests will be concluded by a concert arranged in the Wallenstein Palace, the seat of the Senate, under the auspices of the Vice-President of the Czech Senate Alena Palečková. In the Main Hall of the Palace, a well known Czech violist Jitka Hosprová, singer Marta Kubišová (signer of the Charter 77) and actor Jan Potměšil (signer of the Charter 77) will perform.

“I’m afraid that even in our country – with our still vivid experience – there’s never enough reminders of the dark practices of totalitarian or dictatorial regimes. First of all, let me personally express my full support to the lawyer Gao Zhisheng, a brave defender of unjustly imprisoned and persecuted people in China,” the Vice-President of the Czech Senate Alena Palečková said.

"I think the state, which is now probably the best in the world economically, which is called an Asian tiger, in such a country we can’t tolerate gangster methods," Marta Kubišová said at the launch of the Czech translation of the Gao’s book “AChina More Just”.

"After the first words of the offer to participate in the concert, I did not hesitate a second. Regarding the events of recent weeks, when we had to say goodbye to the President Václav Havel, I consider it important and meaningful. Havel's message can live on. He was interested in the story of Gao Zhisheng and would certainly be interested in him further on. I had the opportunity to read the book of this brave lawyer and became familiar with his story. During the reading, all the weight of terror in China overwhelmed me," Jan Potměšil said for RegionOnline.cz.

The lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Falun Gong practitioners in China are facing huge pressure from the Chinese regime, which we think is right to call “crime against humanity”. “That’s why we decided to give a concert on the 27th January (the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust), when the world recollects the history and tries to prevent crimes against humanity which might happen again in time,” organizers of the concert stated.

“We would like to draw the attention of both the Czech and world communities to the fact that the history of widespread eliminating of population is repeating nowadays. The estimated number of victims killed during the persecution of Falun Gong in China is tens of thousands; hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong followers are still detained in labour camps, and are physically and mentally tortured, according to the UN rapporteurs,” organizers of the concert said.

The term “crime against humanity“ was first used in 1915 in connection with the Turkish massacre of the Armenians. In terms of international law, it was for the first time defined for the needs of the Nuremberg trial as “murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds … whether or not in violation of
the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.“

About Gao Zhisheng

Gao Zhisheng is a Chinese attorney (Christian), who became famous as an incorruptible defender of law and justice. His brave advocacy has won him the soubriquet “Conscience of China” and he received several international awards. The cases which he worked on became the “bête noir” of the Chinese regime. Gao was kidnapped and tortured in prison, and is still detained in China up to this day. His family escaped to the USA.

About Falun Gong

Falun Gong is an ancient Chinese cultivation practice for body and mind. It consists of five meditative exercises and emphasizes the moral principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Since 1999, it has been banned by the Chinese government, and Falun Gong followers are thus the largest group of political prisoners in China. Gao Zhisheng revealed
the cases of torture on Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese prisons in an open letter to the Chinese president Hu Jintao and to the House of Representatives in the USA.

Facebook:

International Protest Against Persecution of Gao Zhisheng And Falun Gong
http://www.facebook.com/events/188450904586769/

The Concert to Support Gao Zhisheng and Falun Gong
http://www.facebook.com/events/245396228862042/

Countries participating in the protest so far:
Czech Republic (Prague) Michal Kos Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript
Slovakia (Bratislava) Radoslav Herda Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript
Indonesia (Jakarta) Agung Ngurah Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript  
Hungary (Budapest) Eszter Fricskó Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript  
Romania (Bucharest) Kuki Szabolcs Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript    
Australia (Canbera) Richard Szabo Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript  
Brazil (Brasília) Alciones Rodrigues Damacena Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript
Mexico (Mexico City) Mechiko Carlos Alejandro Guzmán Fincke Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript  
Croatia (Zagreb) Kristijan Palacek Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript
Poland (Wrszava) Tomek Kowalski Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript

Contact person from concert organizers in Czech Republic
Milan Kajínek Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript