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For nearly four years, the Chinese authorities have been denying tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners these "unalienable rights," torturing them to death, detaining them arbitrarily, and taking every measure imaginable to deny them an ancient practice that has restored their health, calmed their minds, and filled their hearts with compassion. (sources)
As the Jiang Zemin's regime spends billions of dollars to spread its fabrications and propaganda, concealing the torture and abuse of Falun Gong practitioners just as they did the spread of SARS, Charles Li felt that he could not remain silent. He was compelled to reveal the truth of Falun Gong to the Chinese people so that they would no longer be accomplices to the crimes against humanity that their leaders are committing.
In its persecution of Falun Gong, the Jiang Regime has used various torture methods, brainwashing and blackmail force practitioners to give up their beliefs. However, Falun Gong practitioners have never responded to this violence with any violence, always using peaceful means to defend their freedom of belief and to counter the government's oppression.
The Chinese government has never acted lawfully in its treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, creating laws and applying them retroactively to justify the persecution, forbidding lawyers to defend practitioners in court?and denying practitioners the rights accorded to them in the PRC's own constitution. Jiang Zemin's regime has used the law at "the tyrant's will" to violate the rights of millions of individuals. Falun Gong practitioners do not oppose the government in China, but want only to practice their faith in peace.
Charles Li is currently being detained and tortured for his desire to reveal the facts of the persecution to the Chinese people. As a practitioner of Falun Gong, which espouses the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, for him, as for Jefferson, "Truth is the first object." (Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Maese, 1809).
Unlike Jefferson, Charles Li is being mentally and physically abused, just for his belief in this principle. This is evident from the fact that since his arrest he has been forced to watch anti-Falun Gong films, has had his book Zhuan Falun confiscated, and will spend this "Independence" Day in a cell with four inmates who beat him each time he tries to practice the Falun Gong exercises.
It took a great amount of courage, compassion, and principle to do what Charles did. So what might Thomas Jefferson say about this? We can imagine what he might say:
"A Chinese penitentiary is the very last place this
American belongs.
It is our duty to bring him home."
Our fellow American is still being held in a Chinese jail -- waiting for the United States to live up to the example set by its forefathers -- waiting for justice to bring him home.
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EDITORIAL - JuL. 04, 2003
Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
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 748
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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER-
Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, Erping Zhang
646-533-6147, or Feng Yuan 917-941-1097. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com,
Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/