Global Relay Hunger Strike Starts with 3000 People Participating from Shandong Province

On March 6, 9:00 am Beijing time, led by attorney Gao Zhisheng, 24-hour relay hunger strikes began all over the world to support Chinese citizens' rights to oppose persecution. The relay hunger strikers demanded that the Chinese communist regime unconditionally and immediately release Hu Jia, Qi Zhiyong, Yan Zhengxu, Wen Haibo, Ouyang Xiaorong, Ma Wendu, and others who are human rights advocates that have been secretly arrested by the authorities; to unconditionally and immediately release all dissidents; and to immediately and unconditionally lift the ban that is stopping attorneys Gao Zhisheng, Zhen Enchong, Yang Zaixin and Guo Guoting from practicing law.

The Global Relay Hunger Strike included people from 4 continents—North America, Asia, Oceania, and Europe. Participating countries and regions include Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, France, German, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Saipan, etc. 　　 Political analysts believe this is the largest mass hunger strike after the student hunger strike during the Tiananmen Democratic Movement 17 years ago in Beijing.

Gao Zhisheng, 3000 People from Shandong Province Joined the Hunger Strike

According to the relay hunger strike initiator, Beijing attorney Gao Zhisheng, today on March 6, people from 25 provinces in China came to register to join this mass hunger strike, with 3,000 people from Shandong province alone, which he said was really encouraging.

Attorney Gao said, "Since the beginning of 2006, the communist regime has completely abandoned legal restriction in arresting innocent Chinese citizens." The surveillance and persecution of attorney Gao has also escalated. Attorney Gao has been besieged by the communist regime for 103 days. The telephone and fax in his home and office have been cut off; his internet service has also been cut off; and all visitors attempting to visit him were kidnapped, interrogated and threatened by the police.

Several days ago, plainclothes police intentionally tried to hit attorney Gao with a car twice, and on March 4 they also publicly stole attorney Gao's mobile phone and pre-paid SIM card, and he was detained in Xiaoguan police station for two hours. At least 3 persons, including a lawyer from Jinan city, Shandong province, were arrested when they went to the police station to request the release of attorney Gao.

74 People In Hong Kong, including Five Legislative Council Members, Took Part in the Hunger Strike

In Hong Kong, a total of 74 people, including five legislative Council Members: Ho Chun-Yan, Lee Cheuk Yan, Leung Kwok-hung, Lau Wai-Hing, and Kwok Ka-ki, participated in the Global Relay Hunger Strike to support the rights in the mainland against persecution.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (the Alliance) recently received a promise from Li Pengfei, a Member of the Hong Kong District People's Congress, who agreed to write a letter to the National Appeal Office regarding the crackdown on villagers who were legally appealing in Taishi village in Guangdong province and Dongzhou village, Shanwei, Guangdong province. The Alliance said that they had also delivered related documents and a letter of request to Chinese top leader Hu Jintao. 　　

Nearly 400 People in Sydney Participated in the Global Relay Hunger Strike

"Chinese Hunger Strike Human Rights Movement Oceania Reinforcement Group" in Australia and New Zealand participated in the Global Relay Hunger Strike Movement at 9:00 am Beijing standard time on March 6.

According to one of the organizers of the "Oceania Relay Hunger Strike" professor Yuan Hongbing, said that people from Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, and New Zealand's Auckland participated in the group. According to incomplete statistics, in Sydney alone, nearly 400 people are carrying out relay hunger strikes on site, at home, or at the work place. Statistics for other areas are being compiled.

Yuan said that attorney Gao Zhisheng and people participating in the human rights relay hunger strike in China are in extreme danger, that they are risking their lives to fight against the cruel despotic political power. In this kind of situation, everyone with a conscience should express their support for them.

The former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin, who renounced the Chinese communist regime last year, said that the significance of the relay hunger strike today lies in getting more people to step out and awaken democracy. This is the most influential, most widely spread democratic human rights movement since the Tiananmen event. People with conscience should all step out, save your conscience, and withdraw from the Communist Party.

Los Angeles and New York Joined the Global Relay Hunger Strike

In Los Angeles, over 30 democratic activists gathered to start the 24-hour relay hunger strike on March 5, 2006. Participants included poet Jiang Pinchao, the "China Affairs" website Chief Editor Wu Fan, the Chinese Labor Party Secretary General Liu Yinquan, and political economics critic Caoan Jushi, among others.

Chinese from the New York metropolitan area gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters on March 6 to carry out the relay hunger strike and appeal to all countries jointly to stop the Chinese communist regime's inhumane and destructive behavior.

People in big cities like Chicago, San Diego, etc. also participated in the Global Relay Hunger Strike.

Four Large Cities in Canada Participated in the Global Relay Hunger Strike

In Canada, Chinese people in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal joined the Global Relay Hunger Strike protesting the Chinese communist regime's tyranny.

The relay hunger strike in Toronto started from 8:00 pm on March 5 to 8:00 pm on March 6. Some participants gathered in front of the Chinese consulate in Toronto at 11:00 am on March 6, they wore blue ribbons and sat on the ground in front of the hunger strike banner, some distributed materials to the passersby, followed by experience sharing.

One of the organizers of the relay hunger strike, Toronto freelance writer Ms. Shengxue, indicated that: each of us as an individual may not be noticeable, but each of us is an indispensable part of this great historical event.

Chinese human rights attorney Guo Guoting, currently a Canadian resident, is now carrying on a 48-hour hunger strike. He said that this is probably the largest scale hunger strike activity in the human history. Each one of us is a part of this history, every one of us is writing history.

France and Germany Joined the Relay Hunger Strike

73 people in France took part in the Global Relay Hunger Strike, participants began a 24-hour hunger strike at individual locations, and some participants carried out hunger strikes in front of the Chinese embassy in Paris starting from 3:00 am Paris time on March 6 to 3:00 am on March 7.

A relay hunger strike in Germany was held from 11:30 to 16:30 on March 6 at the Marienplatz square in Munich to support the Global Relay Hunger Strike in support of attorney Gao Zhisheng and to condemn the evil Chinese communist regime, and to appeal for societies around the world to expose and report on the current Chinese human rights situation.

Several Hundred People in Russia, Ukraine and Israel Participated in the Relay Hunger Strike

On March 6 several hundred people in Russia, Ukraine, and Israel also took part in the Global Relay Hunger Strike requesting the release of the human rights advocates who were abducted illegally by the secret police and the release of all religious persons suffering persecution. Activities have been held in Taiwan's Kaoshiung and Pingtung, Malaysia, Japan, etc. to join and support the global 24-hour relay hunger strike against violence in China.

Gao Zhisheng: What is Our Victory?

Recognizing the significance of the Global Relay Human Rights hunger strike movement, organizer attorney Gao Zhisheng pointed out in his article "What is Our Victory?" that "it is that enormous numbers of Chinese people are stepping out bravely to expose the barbaric tyranny of the Chinese communist regime, it is awakening people's understanding of the true nature of communism, therefore this progression is our victory."