Apr 01, 2008
By Fu Liwei
Epoch Times Argentina Staff
The Global Human Rights Torch Relay arrives in Argentina. (The Epoch Times)
On March 27, the global Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR) arrived in Argentina from Chile. The lighting ceremony took place in front of the Chinese Embassy calling out for an end to the severe human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese Communist Party and to spread the message that the Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China. Two days prior to this event, the Chinese Embassy posted an announcement on their doors stating the Embassy would be closed on the 27th and 28th.
The usual political and commercial pressures exerted by the Chinese Embassy on the Argentine government to stop these activities, especially concerning the persecution against Falun Gong in China, did not work this time. The City Government with their promise of logistic support officially approved the program, resulting in the Embassy’s closure for two days.
Jorge Hernandez, a spectator at the torch relay remarked that if the Communist government continues with their severe abuses of human rights, the doors of the Embassy should be shut down permanently and should re-open on the day when there will be a new China, free from the Chinese Communist Party.
The human rights torch relay in Argentina is part of a series of activities organized by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG). The event began at 10am in front of the Chinese Embassy, where the torch was lit.
A declaration for human rights was scheduled to be delivered to the Chinese Embassy after the speeches. However, because the Embassy was closed, a caravan of vehicles, led by a fire truck from the Fire Department of the San Telmo city area, drove to the President’s Palace and arrived at 17:00pm.
Police officers on motorcycles escort the Human Rights Torch through the streets. (The Epoch Times)
The caravan was led by Argentine athlete, Juan Pablo Juarez, three-time gold-medal winner of the Marathon for Athletes with Transplanted Organs, and guided by two police on motorcycles. The caravan stopped four times along the route to present the problem of human rights abuses to the people, asking them to support the voice of the Chinese people for “same world, same rights”.
Speakers included representative of Free Tibet, the president, Natividad Oslasabal, of the Association of Women who suffered from the Violence of the Shining Path, Maoist group from Peru, Rabbi Arieh Stockmann, Taiwanese, Chen Yuzhong and The Hon. David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State and co-author of report ”Bloody Harvest-Revised Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China.”
Global Human Rights Torch Relay supporters, including the Honorable David Kilgour (2R) (The Epoch Times)
David Kilgour arrived to testify in the Argentine court on the lawsuit of the Association of Falun Dafa in Argentina against the 610 Office and Luo Gan for genocide. He was invited to participate in the Human Rights Torch Relay event. On the day of his arrival, he was received by MP Fernando Iglesias who signed the declaration of his support and participation in the Global Human Rights Torch Relay.
Together with Kilgour, they gave a joint press conference in Congress on the subject of the extraction of organs from Falun Gong practitioners. The next day David Kilgour was invited by the President of the Human Rights Commission, Remo Carlotto, for a meeting. Carlotto thanked Kilgour for his visit, which helped him to further understand the horrible truth concerning the extraction of organs from live practitioners of Falun Gong.
On the 28th, a forum held at the School of Journalism on the topic of “Human Rights and Communication” marked the closing of the human rights torch relay event. The human rights torch will go to Guadalupe and will then enter the United States.
