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A Non-Practitioner's Eyewitness Account of the Police Brutality on Tiananmen Square in July of 2001

November 06, 2004 |   Written by a citizen with conscience from Jilin City, Mainland China

(Clearwisdom.net) I am not a Falun Gong practitioner, but my mother and my older sister are. On July 20, 2001, I went to Tiananmen Square to look for my mother and my sister who went to appeal for Falun Gong. From July 20 to July 22, when I was looking for them, I observed a more complete picture of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Therefore I am hereby telling the people of the world of the mistreatments forced upon Falun Gong practitioners.

Scene I -- The Banner with Blood

Around 9:00 in the morning of July 20, 2001, I was anxiously looking for my mother and my sister on Tiananmen Square when I heard noises coming from the southeast corner. I realized that something was wrong, and I ran in the direction of the noises. By the time I got there, I saw police cars parked all over and the police had already surrounded about five or six Falun Gong practitioners. Several policemen in the center were hitting Falun Gong practitioners on the head with electric batons. Practitioners' blood was sprayed all over a banner, yet they still persisted to hold the banner and protect the banner with their bodies. Soon they were knocked and pushed to the ground, yet they still held the banner in their hands.

Pushing, dragging, beating and kicking, the policemen forced practitioners into the police car. Suddenly a thin and tall elderly man ran into the circle. Holding his right fist high, he shouted: "Falun Dafa is good"! Before he could finish the sentence a policemen standing behind him knocked him down with a baton, cursing: "Do you want to die! You old fool." Another policeman came over and threw the old man into the police car. There were several foreigners around me taking pictures. The policemen took their cameras away and ruined the film, saying: "Foreigners can be so bold? Get lost!"

When the police and the practitioners were all in the car, the police car took off and circled slowly around the site. I clearly saw the policemen in the car waving their batons and I heard a "ping, ping" sound coming from inside the car. It was soon quiet in the car, and the upright figures in the back seat had all been knocked down. At that time, I saw a banner with blood on it from inside the car - "Falun Dafa is Good!" These Falun Gong practitioners are great.

Scene II -- A Barefoot Female Falun Gong Practitioner

At noon on July 21, 2001 it was very hot. There were not many people on Tiananmen Square, yet half of them were plainclothes police. I sat behind a tall light standard in the middle of the square for a rest. Soon after, a middle-aged woman came by. She sat down, removed her shoes and started practicing one of the Falun Gong exercises - the meditation. Within two minutes a police car charged over to our location. Two policemen jumped out of the car and took the woman away, one dragging her by the arms. Still barefoot, the practitioner struggled, but she was thrown into the car. The policemen took her umbrella and her bag, and the police car took off.

Looking at the shoes on the ground I shivered with fear. With tears in my eyes I thought of my mother and my sister in a similar situation. I dragged myself toward the end of the square, hoping I could soon find my family members and take them home.

The above experiences are the most unforgettable. There were several dozen similar incidents, which I will not go through in detail. Everything listed here is true.