FDI: Falun Gong Woman Dies from Force-Feeding Torture

NEW YORK (FDI) -- Ms. Guiying Meng, 39, from Manzhouli City, Inner Mongolia died on January 24, 2003 from injuries sustained during force-feeding torture.

In June 2002, Guiying was kidnapped by police from the Manzhouli City Police Department and illegally detained in a city detention center for more than seven months, during which time her family was not allowed to visit her.

During her detention, Guiying was beaten and abused by police in an attempt to force her to give up the practice of Falun Gong. In many areas throughout China, local police are reportedly given quotas for the number of Falun Gong practitioners they must "transform."

To protest the beatings, Guiying initiated a hunger strike.

A few days into her hunger strike, police officers force-fed her. According to sources familiar with Guiying's case, the feeding tube ruptured her lung, causing a number of injuries and a severe infection.

Recognizing the severity of Guiying's condition, police officers released Guiying to her family on January 20, 2003.

Guiying's family immediately took her to the Manzhouli City Hospital. A physician with the hospital, however, reportedly told family members that there was "no hope of saving her."

In the early morning hours of January 24, 2003, three days after arriving at the hospital, Guiying passed away.

Force Feeding: A Common Torture Technique

Many detention centers and labor camps in China force-feed Falun Gong practitioners. More often used as a torture technique than a way of forcing nutrients into the detainee, the force-feeding procedure is often carried out by untrained police or common prisoners.

During the procedure, the detainee's mouth is pried open using metal pliers or a crow bar, often tearing the lips and mouth and breaking teeth. A tube is then stuffed into the mouth and down the throat, or if the detainee's mouth cannot be pried open, the tube is stuffed into the nose and down the throat.

Once the tube is inserted into the stomach, a concentrated corm-meal solution or highly concentrated salt-water solution is pumped into the detainee. Many reports indicate that alternative substances, such as dirty water or sewage are also pumped into the stomach of the detainee to intensify the torture.

Dozens of Falun Gong practitioners have died from this procedure.

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NEWS - Mar. 6, 2003

Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net

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Background

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Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 588 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600, while expert sources estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER

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