UK MEP of EU Foreign Affairs Committee writes to Chinese Ambassador Expressing Concern at the Arrest of Westerners

UK Member of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, Gary Titley MEP, has writen to Chinese Ambassador to the EU to express concern at arrests on Tiananmen Square:

Mr Mingjiang
Head of Chinese Mission to the European Communities
Av.de Tervuren 443-445
1150

20 November 2001

Dear Mr Mingjiang,

I am writing to you concerning today's arrest of thirty three western Falun Gong practitioners at Tiananmen Square. It would seem from the reports that we have received in the European Parliament, that the demonstrators were peacefully stating that "Falun Dafa is good", when Chinese authorities swiftly transferred them to the local police station.

This situation is particularly worrying since to protest at Tiananmen square is one of the sole and principal ways in which the voices Chinese practitioners of Falun Dafa can be heard. It is important that human rights - such as freedom of belief and freedom of speech - are upheld in China. It would also appear that the arrest of these peaceful demonstrators constitutes a violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which China is a signatory.

I hope that you will take some of these concerns into account and I look forward to hearing any comments that you might have.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Titley
MEP for North West Region of England