Forced-feeding is commonly employed as a means of torture, and has resulted in more than 70 confirmed deaths. ()

U.S. citizen Dr. Charles Li is on the 7th day of a hunger strike protesting his illegal detention in a Chinese prison. Reports indicate he has been beaten and force-fed in custody.

SAN FRANCISCO (FDI) According to sources in the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, an American being held in a Chinese prison, now on his seventh day of hunger strike, was beaten and force-fed while in custody.

Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen and practitioner of Falun Gong, has been on hunger strike since May 27, and was force-fed since May 31 in a hospital inside the Nanjing Prison.

More than 10% of all deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese custody have resulted from force feeding.

Mr. Stuart Patt, a spokesperson for the Consular Affair Bureau of the U.S. State Department, said in an interview with the Epoch Times Chinese-language newspaper: ?sup>oIf Charles Li is injured because of his hunger strike, we will hold the relevant Chinese officials responsible.?

Upon hearing about Dr. Li's situation, a U.S. consulate official drove from Shanghai to the Nanjing Prison to see Dr. Li, but prison officials would not allow the visit.

Dr. Charles Li was imprisoned in China after being ushered through a ?sup>oshow trial in April for allegedly "preparing" to tap into Chinese state-run T.V. and broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in China. (news)

According to recent United Nations Human Rights Commission annual reports, many Falun Gong practitioners have been killed as a result of force feeding while on hunger strikes in Chinese prisons and labor camps. The Falun Dafa Information Center has confirmed 720 cases of Falun Gong practitioners' deaths from torture and abuse in Chinese police custody. 74 of those died from force-feeding while on hunger strike. (news)

Related Stories:

• American Held 44 Days in Isolated Detention Inside China (3/7/03)
• Rescue Charles Li campaign background info
• Forced Feeding as an Instrument of Torture in China

Contact: Dr. Sherry Zhang: 415-845-5295

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NEWS - Jun. 03, 2003
Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=7428

Background

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 720 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.