Edmonton Journal: City man describes ordeal after Beijing roundup of Falun Gong

Tom Ozimek and Li Ping practise Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in Edmonton's Ezio Farone Park last October.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2002

An Edmonton practitioner of Falun Gong is glad to be safely back at his temporary home in Warsaw, Poland, after being rounded up with about 60 other foreigners at Tiananmen Square in Beijing last week and jailed for their beliefs.

Thomasz Ozimek, 27, says he was beaten and thrown into a cell before being put on an airplane and sent back to Poland for protesting the China's sanctions against the spiritual group [...].

"It was definitely a harrowing experience," he said from Warsaw, where he is teaching English.

"It had the character of a kidnapping more than an arrest. The thought crossed my mind that the authorities could have just as easily have killed one of us. Certainly, there was an element of fear that I tried not to think about."

His ordeal began Wednesday night, the day before he and about 100 other practitioners of Falun Gong from around the world were to hold a protest in Tiananmen Square against the Chinese government's persecution of the faith's followers.

He said he learned from other practitioners that Chinese police were rounding up foreigners, so he fled from his hotel room and spent the night in hiding. When he made it to Tiananmen Square the next day, police stopped him, searched his bag and threw him in a van and took him to the police station.

"They dragged me inside, twisted my arm, hit me a few times and took away my things," he said.

"I sat on the floor with my legs crossed, trying to calm myself down, as they dragged other people in and slapped and stomped on them."

He and about 60 others were put on a bus and taken to a hotel used as a detention centre. They were held in a room without food and water for 18 hours while they were interrogated.

"We demanded to see consular officials but they refused," he said. "Never at any point were any of us ever formally charged with anything. I know there were Westerners arrested in the square who were just tourists."

He said he was driven to the airport and loaded on a plane for Moscow. Chinese officials kept his return airline ticket to Warsaw, jacket, books, CD player and even his shoes.

"I was essentially deported," he said. "I arrived at the Moscow airport barefoot and with no airline ticket from Moscow to Warsaw. Airport authorities took pity on me and helped me on my way after a cold night on a cement floor at the airport."

He was among six Canadians rounded up by the Chinese police. He arrived back in Warsaw on Saturday.

A practitioner of Falun Gong for the past two and half years, he said he relied on the belief's meditation techniques to get him through the ordeal.

"I had to keep a cool head. I just tried to stay relaxed and follow the principles of Falun Gong, which are Truth, Compassion, [Forbearance] and not bearing any grievance against the police officers and not to react in an aggressive manner."

He has launched an official protest with Chinese authorities. He has been living in Warsaw since September and plans to stay there until June. He was born in Poland and came to Canada with his family when he was seven.

His mother, Grace Schlesinger of Edmonton, said she was relieved when he called her to say he had been released from custody and is back in Warsaw.

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