"When it comes to the Chinese authority’s treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, we have, as I have mentioned on several earlier occasions, urged the Chinese government to stop its severe assault on Falun Gong practitioners’ human rights...We have also made it clear to the Chinese government that we will continue to monitor its treatment of Falun Gong practitioners and criticise the authority’s assaults on Falun Gong and other groups’ human rights."

“We have received your letter of support concerning Falun Gong, and have learned that there are more than one hundred million people practising Falun Gong around the world...."

"Pirjo’s case is only one of the many similar incidences of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Last year when Jiang visited Iceland, more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners were prohibited from entering the country because they were placed on a blacklist. In Denmark, permission for Falun Gong practitioners to attend a Cultural Festival on September 21 2002 was cancelled due to pressure from the Chinese authorities."

"Thailand's decision to revoke Mrs. Svensson's visa is regrettable. The Falun Gong Movement and its information materials are not prohibited in Thailand. According to our knowledge, Mrs. Svensson has never acted in such a way as to disturb peace in the Kingdom of Thailand nor against the Thai government. The opinion of the Thai authorities that Mrs. Svensson constitutes a risk to the country's security is therefore hard to comprehend."

"We also know that the former chinese president Jiang Zemin is responsible for the death of many Falun Gong followers. Jiang Zemin and several other Chinese leaders are now sued by courts in USA and Europe for genocide and crimes against humanity. Our Party has for several years now expressed its continuous support to the efforts of Falun Gong followers to let the truth of the persecution they endure be known. We can say they are not at all the kind of people described by the chinese propaganda ; they are good people."

"Regarding the woman who is now jailed in Thailand, we have raised the issue with the Thai authorities and demanded her release and we have been trying to help her in every possible way, because this is another example of how someone has been stuck in another country, where Swedish law cannot reach them. So we have taken both jurisprudential and political actions. So far we have not succeeded. We hope to have better results in the near future."

"[The Irish] Government takes seriously concerns about human rights in China, including those of Falun Gong members. Both the Taoiseach and I have raised this issue on a number of occasions with the Chinese Government. We will continue to raise human rights issues in our bilateral contacts."

"The Austrian Foreign Ministry is very clear about the seriousness of the situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China, and we share your concern on this matter."

"The world knows that the Chinese government hid the truth of SARS and this has severely contributed to the current worldwide disaster. This incident shows again the attitude of the Chinese regime. What the Swedish citizen Mrs. Pirjo Svensson was holding was material that told the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong in China and the human rights abuses there...I am truly concerned, not only for my countryman Mrs. Pirjo Svensson but also for the people and the government of Thailand. The longer this situation continues, the more it is unworthy of an independent and democratically ruled Kingdom."

"Thailand is supposed to be a democratic and independent country but it seems that the Thai authorities are violating both national and international laws and human rights. Two weeks ago a diplomatic note was issued by the Swedish Embassy in Thailand to the Thailand authorities, but there has been no reply as yet. I am extremely concerned about the situation of Mrs Svensson and other Falun Gong practitioners."

"Thank you for letting me know about the persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners in China. I have noted your concerns. Please trust me that I will pay full attention to this human rights issue. My support team working in the Parliament, along with myself, will provide assistance to you at any time."

A German practitioner wrote to a Mayoress, who swiftly penned a reply encouraging practitioners “To have formidable courage, firm belief and brave hearts to advance the efforts of all those people who are working tirelessly to end the repression of Falun Gong in China.”

"..the EU also underlined that the proscription mechanism, as well as the broad definition of sedition offences, remain specific areas of concern to the EU. It reiterated that the handling of the Article 23 legislation would be an important test for the “One country, two systems” principle and called on the Hong Kong authorities to go on upholding the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law.”

"..both the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I together with our EU partners, continue to raise these issues with the Chinese authorities. We view with concern the human rights situation in China, including that of Falun Gong, and our Embassy in Beijing is monitoring these issues carefully."

"Concern persists in relation to the lack of respect for human rights in China, including the freedom of expression, of religion and of association. Likewise, there is concern about the ongoing violations of the human rights of pro-democracy activists, the proponents of free trade unions and the followers of the Falun Gong..."

"For a long time, I have been following the Human Rights situation in China and the extremely harsh repression the Chinese regime is using against Falun Gong practitioners who cultivate "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance". For me, condemning "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" is telling people that they are not allowed to be good and blatantly opposes common moral standards."

"The respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms is a principle upheld by the Constitution of Romania and to which the Romanian Government is strongly committed. Against this background, Falun Gong has [been] legally registered in Romania since February this year."

"As a member of the German Parliament and as Spokesman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, my attention has been drawn to the fate of Falun Gong practitioners in China in general, and to the case of Ms. Xiong Wei in particular. I am writing to you to express my deep concern about the imprisonment of more than 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners in forced labour camps and the confirmed death toll of more than 630."

On April 8 2003, the plenary session of the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution regarding two reports on Hong Kong. The resolution contained sharp criticisms of the Hong Kong authority’s treatment of Falun Gong and, in particular, the proscription mechanism in the proposed Article-23 legislation which is widely believed to be targeting Falun Gong.

"In the past few days, the Chinese Embassy in Romania has twice forced the closure of the traditional painting exhibition in Bucharest by Falun Gong practitioner, Australian citizen, Mrs Zhang Cuiying...I would be very grateful if you could tell me what the position of the Romanian Embassy is on ...the illegal forced closure of the art exhibition by the Chinese authorities in Bucharest."

"I am horrified to learn of the jailing of pregnant practitioners and use of their pregnancy to force a choice between their beliefs and their unborn children. The list of barbaric acts by the Chinese authorities make for chilling reading and I assure you I will do what I can in the context of the European Parliament."

"You have contacted Mr.... and myself regarding the criminal behaviour of China on the issue of human rights. Yesterday, I went with a couple of Members of Parliament to the Chinese Consulate and raised quite a few criticising questions on the issue of China’s human rights. The answers given by the Consulate were not satisfactory."

"The Commission will closely monitor further developments on this important issue, especially as regards eventual effects of future legislation in respect for human rights and civil liberties. The Commission will continue to exert pressure on the Chinese authorities for improvements regarding respect for freedom of expression, association and religion for all groups of the Chinese population including practitioners of Falun Gong."

"According to her friends' investigation, Lin Wenrong was detained by the 610 office in Wuhan City just because she practises Falun Gong. As the parliamentary President of the Green Party in Hamburg, Germany, I urgently request you to release Lin Wenrong and allow her to return to Germany to continue her studies."

According to a report from the BBC on March 19 2003, the European Union again expressed their concerns about human rights in China. It was also mentioned in the report that the way China treats Falun Gong practitioners has caused criticism from the International society.

Mr. Nigel Jones, a member of the UK Parliament (House of Commons) tabled a written parliamentary question to the UK Foreign minister regarding “the Chinese Government's attempts, under [the] Article 23 legislation to curtail the practice of Falun Gong in Hong Kong without consultation with the people of Hong Kong” and asked “whether this is in contravention of safeguards given to the people of Hong Kong when the territory was returned to China.”

"The proposed legislation concerning article 23 of the Basic Law has shocked the international community. This legislation appears to far exceed the requirements of protecting nation security at the expense of individual freedoms. ... More worrying are recent comments from the vice premier Qian Qi Chen on National television when he stated the Hong Kong must pass the article 23 legislation so that Falun Gong can be banned in the territory."

"Considering that since 1999: - according to public and well-known information provided by the Falun Dafa Information Centre, Amnesty International and other major international and national NGOs, Mr. Jiang Zemin, the leader of China, has begun the persecution of the more than 100 million people Falun Gong practitioners..."

After talking with the practitioners, the Chairman of the City Committee wrote a letter to the Mayor of Wuhan City, telling him about Lin’s arrest. He voiced his sympathy and concern for Lin who might easily be suffering from torture and ill-treatment. In his letter, he also mentioned how worried Lin’s friends are about her detention, and that he would try every possible means to help her return to Dusseldorf as soon as possible.

Pannella denounces the fact that the “crusade” launched by Jang Zemin in 1999 now affects 100 million followers of Falun Gong, and has already led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of barbaric episodes of torture and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people, as denounced by Amnesty International, the Human Rights Watch and the Falun Dafa Center of New York.

"I share your concerns over the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. I would like to inform you that the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office together with the global European Commission Delegations and the Diplomatic Missions of the European Union follow closely human rights issues around the world."

"Ireland will seek to ensure that the human rights situation in China, including that of followers of Falun Gong, is adequately addressed in any statement made by the EU at the forthcoming 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, to be held in Geneva in March/ April 2003."

In the afternoon, around one hundred Falun Dafa practitioners celebrated the 1st anniversary of “Falun Dafa Day” in front of the city hall and demonstrated the exercises. The officials from the city hall and a representative of the French Green Party also joined the celebrations.

During the recent Christmas and New Year celebrations, Spanish Falun Gong practitioners received more than 20 greeting cards and letters, from many prominent figures, including the Spanish President. Here are some extracts from the cards received.

During the recent Christmas and New Year celebrations, Spanish Falun Gong practitioners received more than 20 greeting cards and letters, from many prominent figures, including the Spanish President. Here are some extracts from the cards received.

"Please aware that the President is strongly concerned about the state of human rights in China. Therefore he keeps himself informed about the events in China on a regular basis. The human rights should be understood as universal and the violation of them condemned wherever it may occur."

"I have received your letter to the President dated 9th Dec. 2002 regarding the legislation of Article 23 in Hong Kong that has damaged basic human rights. We are very concerned about this and have studied it carefully."

"Any form of organisation that holds a critical attitude toward the government will be relentlessly suppressed. Other organisations, which comment on Tibet or Taiwan are also oppressed. We all know that Falun Gong is being cruelly persecuted in China. This indicates the seriousness of the persecution there."

"In addition, the Union has on several occasions undertaken formal demarches to express concern about report of torture and ill treatment of followers of the Falun Gong movement who have been arrested, and has urged China to review harsh sentences imposed on them...Concern about the violations of the human rights of the followers of Falun Gong was also expressed in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on Human Rights in China in March 2002."

"After hearing about and understanding the details of the plight of Falun Gong practitioners in China, I will insist on my stance and continue to respect their belief and guard their rights of expression."

"Britain's transfer of Hong Kong was agreed on the basis of continuation of traditional rights of residents to basic freedoms, and like many MPs I'm very concerned about the reports on these proposals."