Epoch Times Israel Announces a Week-long Relay Hunger Strike at the Israeli Chinese Embassy

Israeli Epoch Times staff have organized a week-long relay hunger strike to protest the increasing violence used against human rights supporters and Falun Gong practitioners in China and around the world.

As agents of the Chinese communist regime increase their use of violence and brutality both within China and throughout the world, concerned citizens, following the example of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, have been staging relay hunger strikes to support human rights in China.

After the severe beating of Epoch Times IT Chief Yuan Li in his home in Atlanta, the theft of ticket receipts from the Epoch Times -supported NTDTV New Year Gala in France, and the harassment, arrest, and torture of friends and family of Gao Zhisheng in China, Epoch Times staff in Israel decided to organize a week-long relay hunger strike to show their support for human rights in China and around the world, as well as a public rally to raise awareness of the steadily deteriorating human rights situation inside China, and the increasing spread of violence by Chinese agents in the free world. The public is invited to join the hunger strike and the rally.

Following is the official Israeli Epoch Times press release announcing the relay hunger strike:

A relay hunger strike will take place in front of the embassy of the Chinese communist regime in Israel from February 26 to March 4, 2006, to protest the increasing violence against human rights activists and Falun Gong practitioners in China and the free world.

During the last few weeks, disturbing incidents have been occurring around the globe: Dr. Li Yuan, Epoch Times chief technical officer, was savagely beaten by armed thugs hired by the Chinese communist authorities in own his home in a quite neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on February 8.

On February 9, the home of NTDTV's Chinese New Year Gala staff member Ms. Chen, in Paris, France, was broken into and all ticket receipts from the NTDTV New Year Gala were stolen. Ms. Chen believes that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies are responsible.

Gao Zhisheng, a renowned human rights lawyer in China, survived an assassination attempt on his life, his law firm was closed, and he and his family have been put under 24-hour surveillance, because Gao wrote a series of open letters to the CCP government citing the cruel facts of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. People visiting Gao's office for legal business have been detained and beaten.

Human rights activist Yang Maodong (better known by his pen name Guo Feixiong) was assaulted soon after leaving a police station in Guangzhou, China.

Following those incidents, attorney Gao Zhisheng declared a relay hunger strike that has evoked a series of world wide relay hunger strikes to support this cause and protest the violence of the CCP.

During this week, from February 26 to March 4, 2006 a relay hunger strike organized by the Israeli editions of the international media outlet, The Epoch Times , will take place in front of the embassy of the Chinese communist regime, at 222 Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.

The public is invited to participate and show support.

A large public rally will begin on Thursday, March 6, 2006, at five p.m. All media are invited.

To show your support, please contact israel@epochtimes.com