Stepping up its persecution against Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin's regime recently labeled Falun Gong a "counter-revolutionary political organization and political power," and issued a stricter legal directive.

This is not only an attempt by Chinese President Jiang Zemin's regime to cover up the crimes they have committed in the brutal crackdown on Falun Gong, but also to provide "legal grounds" for their newly organized attempt to murder Falun Gong practitioners. We are particularly alarmed by this new directive because it calls for the death penalty for crimes involving violence. However, the principles of Falun Gong prohibit killing or harming others - this is the main reason the two years of appeals by Falun Gong practitioners have been non-violent and peaceful in nature. Will the Chinese regime now start finding ways to frame practitioners as a way to not only slander them but also execute them? The new action by Jiang is a severe violation of China's constitution. We are here to state once again: Falun Gong practitioners are not against the government and are not involved in politics now, nor will we be in the future. What Falun Gong practitioners are against is simply this vicious persecution.

It is well known that Falun Gong is a cultivation practice rooted deeply in Chinese culture. It has no political agenda. Falun Gong practitioners live by the universal principles of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance, which can only benefit society as a whole.

Out of self-interest and ignoring the stability of the country, Jiang's regime has adopted many cruel and vicious tactics used during the Cultural Revolution against Falun Gong, including inciting hatred among people, using large armed forces, and detaining and beating up innocent Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, at least 221 practitioners have died in police custody. Thousands and thousands of families have been torn apart.

In this month alone, eight Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death:

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6/7/01: Ms. Ling Wang from the city of Shenyang was persecuted to death at the Iron West police station.
6/5/01: Ms. Yulian Chi was murdered by police in the city of Dalian.
5/30/01: Mr. Zhigang Zuo was murdered by police in the city of Shijiazhuang.
5/17/01: Ms. Ailing Wang from the city of Zhangjiako in Hebei province was persecuted to death.
5/15/01: Ms. Feng Gao from the city of Wuchang in Heilongjiang province was persecuted to death.
5/13/01: Ms. Xiaoling Liu was persecuted to death in the Shaodong city detention center.
5/11/01: Ms. Zhang from Tianjin died suddenly in the detention center.
5/5/01: Mr. Xinnian Zhao was killed at the Ershili police station in the city of Shijiazhuang.

In China, the government controls all media. All of the facts behind the persecution have not only been covered up but also twisted by the country's propaganda machines. Today, Jiang's regime has issued this new guideline not only to implement severe punishment for Falun Gong practitioners who distribute materials revealing the persecution and the cover-up of the crimes the authorities have committed, but also to justify the further escalation of the crackdown on Falun Gong. According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, China is adding interpretation clauses to its laws to justify their persecution. Any Falun Gong practitioner who produces or disseminates more than 300 copies of materials on Falun Gong can be sentenced to 3 to 7 years. Severe cases can lead to sentences of over 7 years. Those found supplying information about the suppression to foreign media can be charged as spies.

We call upon the international community to help stop Jiang's Nazi-style brutality and this organized and premeditated murder currently occurring in China.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: . Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Adam Montanaro 917-405-4507, or Feng Yuan 917-912-3301. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/