Falun Gong has no market in Russia. For many years, the Russia police and security departments had prohibited Falun Gong activities in front of the Chinese embassy or consulates in Moscow, Petersburg or other cities. Nevertheless, Falun Gong practitioners held an illegal gathering in Moscow and eventually they were held in custody not long ago.
According to the Russia Law, the citizens of Russia have the right of assembly providing they applied to and got the consent from the relevant department. However, although Falun Gong practitioners had been applying for more than two years, the authority did not approve their application of holding activities in front of the Chinese embassy or consulates. Right before this time, Falun Gong practitioners applied twice to the Moscow authority and were refused. Therefore, Falun Gong risked danger in desperation and gathered illegally, and this is the reason they are held in custody.
In the edition of July 4 and July 7, 2006 of MingHui Net, two articles entitled "Russian policemen illegally arrested the Falun Gong practitioners protesting in front of the Chinese embassy" and "Russian Falun Gong practitioner under the pressure of persecution" introduced the specific situation of the accident of custody.
Falun Gong planned to protest and hold activities of propagandizing "harvesting organs alive" on the square in front of the Chinese embassy in Moscow on June 16, 2006. However, the application was refused by the local government. Later Falun Gong practitioners explained their reason by sending letters to relevant departments, and once again declared to the government of Moscow their plans of holding demonstration in front of the Chinese embassy from 4 to 6pm in June 30, which was still refused by the local government.
Under such kind of circumstance, at 4pm June 30, Falun Gong practitioners of Moscow still came to the declared assembly site ahead of schedule. However, a lot of policemen and police wagons waited at the park in front of Chinese embassy in Moscow. Policemen warned that they would be arrested if they gathered. However, Falun Gong practitioners continued their assembly in spite of the warning of the policemen. Therefore, their banners were confiscated and the practitioners were arrested and transported to the La MingKa police station.
Those Falun Gong practitioners were held in an iron cage by the policemen and were released one by one after finishing the recording procedure. The police declared they would bring them to the court under the accusation of "administrative irregularity" and ordered that they should be present in the local police station in July 3 and waited for the judicial arbitration.
(Mingjing Net, Sep. 13, 2006)
