GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS TORCH RELAY
The Olympics and Crimes against Humanity Cannot Coexist in China
The Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR) is an international campaign created to draw attention to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) worsening human rights violations both inside and outside China’ s borders

Since China was chosen as the 2008 Olympic site, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have all reported a marked increase in violent repression aimed at silencing groups and individuals the CCP has labeled as enemies: Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, Uighur Muslims, democracy activists and Falun Gong. The CCP also supports other totalitarian regimes in perpetuating slaughter upon their citizens in Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe and North Korea.

We are calling on China to improve its human rights and respect human dignity, and we urge the International Olymics committee to require that China keep its promises to follow the Olympic charter.


The Torch is Coming to Portland Maine!
Saturday April 19, 2008


12 Noon: Torch Welcoming and Public Support Walk
                Congress Square (595 Congress St.)

1:00 - 3:00 PM, Rally at City Hall Plaza (389 Congress St.)

Contact: Marcus Gale 207 251 9959 marcus@humanrightstorchUSA.org
 

ORGAN HARVESTING -Exported Internationally

Falun Gong practitioners’ organs are being harvested, often while the victims are alive, concludes an investigation by David Kilgour and David Matas. After being tissue- and blood-typed, they are held as a living donor pool in concentration camps across China. Chinese army hospitals charge $30,000 to $170,000 per operation; 41,500 organ transplant operations over a 5-year period could not be matched to verifiable donors.

Chinese officials have been traveling worldwide to market these organ transplant services to unsuspecting hospitals, doctors, and their patients.


OPPRESSION OUTSIDE CHINA'S BORDERS

The Chinese Communist Party arms and funds the Darfur government-supported Janjaweed militias, “devils on horseback”, who have forced 3.6 million Darfuris to flee their homes for crowded refugee camps where they suffer extreme deprivation, disease, and continued violent attacks.

Over half the population of Darfur is victimized by this violence. The CCP also exports Chinese slave labor to factories and mines throughout Africa and directly supports the dictatorships in Zimbabwe, Burma, and North Korea.


RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION - Increasing Cruelty and Torture

The astonishing and unretouched photo at the left was taken by a relative of the torturer on a visit to observe a typical day’s work at his prison. The CCP has increased persecution against Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims, and since 1999 has been conducting a genocide campaign against Falun Gong. The Olympic Committee was hoping that China would improve its human rights record; instead the persecution and suffering of all spiritual believers has only increased. As the Olympics near, Christian churches are being burned, Tibetan temples are being destroyed, and Uighurs are systematically being prevented from worshipping in their communities.


SLAVE LABOR - Cheap and Unsafe Goods

Millions of Chinese are illegally sent to slave labor camps to produce consumer goods. School children under the age of 16 in various manufacturing areas are forced by their teachers to work producing firecrackers, toys, and apparel. The United States imports over 4 billion dollars annually just in toys, games, and sporting goods produced by child slave labor.

Recently, dangerous and toxic goods manufactured in China have found their way into the Western marketplace. After the poisoned pet food scandal, FDA inspectors discovered an increase of imports contaminated with pesticides, carcinogens, bacteria and banned drugs. One of the chemical components of anti-freeze found in cough syrup that killed people in Panama in 2006 was also found in Chinese toothpaste imports a year later.

VOICES OF SUPPORT
Dana Rohrabacher U.S. Congressman

“Reports coming out of Chinese prisons say that Falun Gong prisoners, people who are pacifists, are being murdered for their organ parts which are then sold... It is time for the U.S. Congress to agree that as long as China is in Burma and Darfur, where they are behind the scenes playing a horrible role, that we join together and say we will not participate in an Olympics hosted by such a criminal government.”

Edward McMillan-Scott VP, European Parliament

“The Chinese Communist Party is using the Olympics to violate human
rights through a crackdown on dissidents and environmental degradation.
This goes against everything that the Olympic spirit stands for.”
Hon. David Kilgour Fmr. Canadian Secretary of State, Asia

David Matas International human rights attorney

“We believe that there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners.” (organharvestinvestigation.net)
Vaclav Havel Fmr. President, Czech Republic

“I support the participants of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay and consider their action as a hope for our world. The Chinese Communist leadership is not meeting its promise...as the Olympic host...it is necessary to...demand they keep their promise.”
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