FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Erping Zhang 917-679-6944, Feng Yuan 917-912-3301. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
  • BEIJING PREPS FOR OLYMPIC BID: PAINT THE GRASS GREEN & 'CRUSH FALUN GONG'
  • E.U. PRESSURING P.R.C. TO RATIFY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COVENANTS
  • OTHER GROUPS PROTESTING CORRUPT PRC POLICIES, BUT NOT SO PEACEFULLY

FROM THE EDITORS

China's massive and wide-sweeping violations of human rights against its own citizens continue to escalate and cannot be ignored. Governments and human rights organizations around the world must take steps to end the ban on Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) in China. While Falun Gong practitioners do not take a stand regarding the IOC's decision for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing's current persecution of Falun Gong violates the spirit of humanity, peace, and human dignity that the Olympic Games promotes. Thus, we call on the Olympic Committee to address these grave human rights abuses. China's own leadership has stated their intent to 'crush Falun Gong' as part of the preparations for the 2008 Olympics. The culture and rich traditions of China, out of which Falun Gong has emerged, are age-old treasures that should be cherished and made available to the world. A peaceful China that upholds the rule of law and governs its people with virtue would be a natural and deserving host for any international event.

BEIJING SPRUCES UP FOR IOC INSPECTORS, BUT ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE

Washington Post, February 21, 2001: For China, a country that has long yearned for the world's respect, hosting the Olympics is as much about national pride as it is about athletics. A successful Olympic bid would also be a chance for the ruling Communist Party to boost its legitimacy?But the same human rights concerns that helped sink Beijing's first bid are threatening its second. China continues to reject demands that it release jailed dissidents, for instance, and even Liu cautions that democracy will be different in China from what it is in the West. Human rights advocates say the country does not deserve to host the Olympics. Some have criticized the "custody and repatriation" system that China uses to clear streets of beggars and the homeless. Others point to reports alleging that torture is on the rise and have urged the Olympic committee to press China to release political prisoners and jailed religious figures. An additional concern is China's crackdown on the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has resulted in thousands of arrests and more than 120 reported deaths.

EU TO PRESS CHINA ON FALUN GONG AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

STOCKHOLM (AFX-ASIA) 2/22- The European Union will press China to respect the rights of followers of Falungong and other religious and political movements in two days of EU-China talks that began here yesterday, Swedish officials said. Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Bertil Jobeus told Agence France-Presse the Falungong issue will come up in the meetings which are to focus on human rights, freedom of expression and religion, the death penalty and torture. [The top] priorities included the need to press China to show "respect for the fundamental rights of all prisoners, including those arrested for membership of the political opposition, unofficial religious movements and other movements, such as the Falungong." At the talks, "the Chinese and EU delegations are expected to discuss China's cooperation with the United Nations, in particular regarding China's ratification of human rights conventions," Jobeus said. ...The EU delegation is headed by ambassador Thomas Hammarberg of Sweden, which currently holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency, while the Chinese side is represented by Li Baodong, a foreign ministry official in charge of human rights.

HUGE GRASSROOTS PROTESTS AGAINST CORRUPT POLICIES NOW BEING REVEALED

Hong Kong iMail, (2/23/01) .... groups of rural peasants and urban workers who are becoming conscious of their rights are confronting opportunistic and abusive bureaucrats. Most of the protests are in response to corruption, elitism and hypocrisy. It appears that Beijing's political and legal institutions are incapable of avoiding these conflicts. Much worse is that there is little success in managing or resolving them short of using force. Perhaps the most egregious sins are those of corrupt local party cadres who have been fleecing peasants by assessing excessive fees or levying taxes in a capricious manner. Last August, 20,000 angry peasants near Fengcheng city in Jiangxi province rampaged for five days and attacked government offices in protest over high and arbitrary taxation. Apparently the riots followed the discovery of a pamphlet that contained guidelines for maximum taxation levels that had been exceeded by a wide margin.

SHINE THE LIGHT ON CHINA: PSYCHIATRIC ABUSES STIR ALARM

New York Times, Letters to the Editor (2/22/01) Re ''China's Crackdown on Sect Stirs Alarm Over Psychiatric Abuse'' (front page, Feb. 18): There is one sure way to determine whether allegations that China is incarcerating dissidents and members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in psychiatric hospitals run by the police are true: grant international medical and human rights groups access to the institutions. They can examine detainees and review records, then make an independent determination of the validity of the claims. If Chinese officials and psychiatrists believe that the accusations are exaggerated, they should have nothing to hide.

- Leonard S. Rubenstein, Executive Director, Physicians for Human Rights Washington, Feb. 18, 2001

ANALYSIS OF CCTV'S FOOTAGE OF SELF-IMMOLATION REVEALS MORE DOUBTS

An analysis of CCTV's (Chinese state-run TV) video footage of the self-immolations in Tiananmen Square two weeks ago reveals more doubts about the authenticity and accuracy of the report. To view this footage, please visit http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/falungong2.shtml. [Please note: If the video skips, jumps or does not play smoothly, we recommend you right-click on the link, "Watch Falun Gong's deconstruction" and choose "Save Target As." By saving the segment to your local computer, you can watch it without interruption].

NEWS FROM INSIDE CHINA

[Xinji City, Hebei Province] Vice Mayor of Xinji City Orders Police to "Be Tougher" on Practitioners On December 27 and 28, 2000 at least 35 practitioners were detained illegally in the Xinji City Detention Center. In the counties affiliated with Xinji City, more than 130 practitioners were illegally detained. Liu Jiliang, the vice Mayor of Xinji City in charge of the Politics and Law Department, told police and procurators in a meeting, "We should be tougher on Falun Gong practitioners and use all means to accomplish that." Li Shuangzao, the director of the Public Security Department said, "We have actually been violating the law this whole time when dealing with the practitioners." Liu Jiliang said, "No problem. The orders for executing the law exclude Falun Gong." ... After the Falun Dafa practitioners refused [to retract their practice of Falun Gong], the "authorities" became furious and beat them. Yang Hongli, a guard at the detention center, shouted: "Beat them. I will be responsible for beating them to death." Another policeman named Zhen shouted: "Strip off their clothes! We don't care that they're women." Shi Jianmin from Jianshe Street Police Station took advantage of the situation and extorted money from practitioners. From January 27 to 30, he made the families of practitioners hand over 3,000 Yuan each in return for a "statement of release" to let practitioners go. [Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province] Policemen Break Into Female Dormitory in the Middle of the Night At one o'clock in the morning on January 18, 2001, seven policemen broke into a women's workplace dormitory, claiming they were there to check IDs. Actually they were to search for Dafa materials that they suspected were there. Many female employees did not have a chance to dress when the policemen broke in and were shaking and frightened by the sudden intrusion. The policemen used abusive language and denigrated the women. They searched every bed, but they found nothing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Erping Zhang 917-679-6944, Feng Yuan 917-912-3301. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/