Today marks the 11th anniversary of a brutal persecution that's ongoing in China. On July 20, 1999, the Communist Party launched a campaign to suppress the Falun Gong spiritual practice, sending thousands—possible millions—of people to labor camps. Over the weekend, Falun Gong practitioners from many parts of Europe gathered to commemorate the date.

Brussels, Belgium: Practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement came from all over Europe to gather here on Saturday. They're seeking to raise public awareness of the Chinese Communist Party's ongoing persecution against Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa.

[Wu Wenxin, Falun Dafa Association of Europe]:
“11 years ago, on July 20, the Chinese regime launched a comprehensive suppression of Falun Gong practitioners—a very cruel, very inhumane suppression and persecution. We are here today because after 11 years, many Falun Gong practitioners are still being persecuted by the Chinese regime. We want to remind the people here: Do not forget that right now, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are still detained in prisons, and many of them are also detained in labor camps, because of their beliefs."

A representative from Amnesty International came to the event in Brussels to speak about one of the most brutal aspects of the Communist Party's persecution: that's called organ harvesting.

[Dominique De Mees, Amnesty International China Coordinator]:
“From 2006 to 2009, we have an estimated 41,000 cases where organs were harvested from bodies of Falun Gong practitioners.”

She's referring to research presented by Canadian Human rights lawyer David Matas and Former Canadian Parliament Member David Kilgour. They offer evidence that Chinese state-run hospitals are systematically killing Falun Gong practitioners in order to sell their organs.

NTD News, Brussels.