(Clearwisdom.net) Since the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was held on March 15, human rights abuses in China have received much attention. According to Clearwisdom.net reports, confirmations and information on the torture death of 83 practitioners have come from sources in China starting with practitioner Liu Chengjun's torture death on December 26, 2003, until April 5, 2004. There was a death case reported almost every day. Twenty-six of the deaths occurred this year, within the first three months of this year.

Death Cases Expose the Severity, Breadth, and Cruelty of the Persecution

The death cases in the last three months spanned twenty provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, ranging from Canton and Fujian in the south to Heilongjiang and Jilin in the north, and included coastal cities like Shanghai, and Shandong, as well as inland provinces like Gansu and Inner Mongolia. The highest death rates were reported in Heilongjiang (16 cases), Jilin (11 cases), Shandong (9 cases), Liaoning (8 cases) and Sichuan (7 cases).

Of the practitioners killed, ages ranged from 20 (practitioner Chang Baoli from Henan) to 78, with 4% being over 50 years old. Their professions covered a full spectrum, including laborers, farmers, military officials, engineers, business owners, factory managers, National People's Congress committee members, and retirees. According to Clearwisdom.net, since practicing Falun Gong, these people showed improved health and disposition. They were recognized as honorable citizens, model workers, graduates with higher degrees, excellent teachers, etc .

Almost all of the 83 deaths reported in the last three months involved serious torture, including severe beating, electric shocks, force-feeding, Tiger Bench(1) (Jilin practitioner Xu Shuxiang underwent this torture for 48 hours), being confined in a solitary compartment(2), "killer rope," dead person's bed(3), and poison injections. Psychological torture included brainwashing, forced treatment at mental hospitals, and forced injection of nerve-damaging drugs.

On December 21, 2003, Sichuan practitioner Ms. Chen Guijun from the Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu City, was tortured to death by personnel from Chengdu City's "610 Office" and the Chengdu City Detention Center. On December 24, a policeman took her body to Wenjiang County's Crematory. An insider said, "She is pretty lucky. At least she had a family member there. Other Falun Gong practitioners' bodies sent here were directly cremated before being identified. Some were cremated here, and there are several other crematories in the area."

Believing in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance to the Last Breath

These practitioners were all killed because they refused to give up their practice or because they revealed the truth of Falun Gong to fellow Chinese citizens. According to Clearwisdom.net, in attempt to brainwash Wang Shubin, policemen at Sanshui Forced Labor Camp sent him to a hospital in Foshan City several times and injected unknown drugs into his body. They jailed him three times in a locked cell, shocked him with four electric batons simultaneously, exposed him to scorching sun at noon, deprived him of bed covers at night (the guards confiscated all clothing and blankets sent in by Wang's family), and had him get soaked on rainy days. He was abused so badly his body was deformed. He lost more than 35 kilograms [77 lbs]. He died without having his good name restored, on October 5, 2003. He was only 28 years old.

According to Clearwisdom.net, Mr. Ma Xinxing was a practitioner from Shanghai. He was once put in a mental hospital and tortured for three months. In December 2003, he was just skin and bones, bedridden, and unable to eat or drink; but when practitioners mentioned "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance," his eyes would brighten, a smile appeared, and tears would well up. He passed away on December 14, 2003.

According to Clearwisdom.net, Meng Xiao from Chengdu went to appeal in Beijing, where she was brutally beaten countless times. Police cuffed her hands across her back, shocked her with electric batons, pulled her hair to bang her head against the wall, and tied her up. During an unconstitutional trial, Meng Xiao refused to cooperate and recited in a loud voice "When the Fa is Right) (from Essentials for Further Advancement).

Chinese Authorities Use Lies to Hide the Deaths

With these death cases, the Chinese authorities often cover up and distort the facts, claiming the deaths were caused by "heart attacks." Family members who seek justice are often threatened.

On March 15, 2004, as the United Nations Human Rights Commission was meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, practitioner Wang Guofang from Heilongjiang Province was persecuted to death. Her family saw the deep handcuff marks on both her wrists and that the flesh on her chest was burned and discolored like rotten flesh. The camp section head told them that Wang had died from a heart attack and that during the "rescue process," the use of an electric baton had caused the burns on her chest. Ms. Wang's family told him that there had never been even a single case of heart disease in their family history. Besides, Ms. Wang was quite healthy before her arrest.

Around midnight of February 19, 2004, the prison police notified the family of practitioner Jiang Chunxian from Huide City, Jilin Province, that Ms. Jiang had died. The Prison Administration said she died from heart problems, although Ms. Jiang never had a history of heart disease. What the Prison Administration said falsifies her medical record. Her family discovered large bruises on her back and thighs, indicating that Ms. Jiang was tortured before she died.

Beijing practitioner Mr. Peng Guangjun was sent to Tuanhe Labor Camp for practicing Falun Gong. During a spring festival meeting in early 2004, he shouted, "Falun Dafa is great." As a result, he was sent to an "Intensive Training Unit" specifically set up to force determined practitioners to give up their practice. He was brutally beaten to death by policeman Liu Jinbiao and others. Despite the injuries on his body, Tuanhe Labor Camp officials announced that Peng died of a heart attack. Before the cremation of Mr. Peng's body, someone was able to examine his body and found that Mr. Peng's head and body were severely bruised, with bloodstains on his clothing and burns covering his face from electric shocks. Some of his bones were even fractured. When Peng's family attempted to seek justice from the authorities, the representative threatened them: "If you don't follow the government's arrangements, you will all lose your jobs and your family will never survive."

A male officer at the Chengdu Detention Center confirmed practitioner Shen Lizhi's death, saying, "the cause of his death cannot be explained to the outside." He said that inquiries regarding Shen Lizhi's death should be directed to the "610 Office" because "they know all about this."

According to Clearwisdom.net, a male who wished to remain anonymous from Linquan County confirmed Anhui practitioner Sun Xiumei's death. He said, "The officials don't mention Falun Gong on the outside, but they are intensifying the arrests."

Anti-Persecution Continues to Appear in Society

As the truth of Falun Gong is spread from Mainland China to international communities, anti-persecution movements are gaining attention. Officers from the Jiangong Police Station, Yanji City, beat 37-year-old practitioner and business owner Ms. Yang Zhongfang from Yanji City, Jilin Province, to death overnight.

Upon learning of her death, those that knew Yang Zhongfang cried. According to Clearwisdom.net report, "The Xiyuan Market was closed for a few days in respect for the practitioner. Yang Zhongfang's son and daughter held a banner that read, 'police beat my mother to death; restore my mother's reputation' as they quietly sat in front of the city hall and the Yanbian Regional Party Committee. About 50 of Yang Zhongfang's family members and friends, neighbors and other business owners from Xiyuan Market joined the protest. Although the July heat was stifling, they refused to drink and did not complain. They persisted day after day, and would not give up until the government replied. Government officials began to avoid them, arrested some protesters, and threatened to arrest whoever continued to protest.

According to Falun Information Center's January 22 report, in the fall of 2003, 13 practitioners from Dehui City, Jilin Province had been excessively detained. Their family members joined and appealed in Beijing in accordance with the law.

Some officers from a police station in Jilin went to local practitioner's homes and said, "We are not here to harass you; we are here to apologize."

Voices from International Communities

Although China joined the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, international communities have increasingly condemned China's human right abuses.

In Canada, 50,000 signatures appealing to stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China were sent to Canada's Premier Government Office in March. According to EpochTimes.com, before the commission took place this year, over 30 non-government organizations from various nations appealed China's human rights abuses and the persecution of Falun Gong.

On the eve of the commission, the draft resolution initiated by congressmen requesting President Bush to condemn China's disregard for human rights during the commission was easily passed with 402 out of 404 in favor in the House of Representatives.

According to Epoch Times reports, after the draft resolution was initiated in Congress, China responded immediately, claiming that the economical growth in China proved that China's human rights had progressed. Resolution initiator Congressman Frank R. Wolf, from Virginia commented: "Humans can't live on bread alone, they have to read what they want to read, think what they want to think, say what they wish to say, and this China lacks." Wolf stated: "Their persecution of Falun Gong and the tortures used on Falun Gong [practitioners] have only become more severe than before."

Note:

1. Tiger Bench: Practitioners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead. They are not allowed to turn their heads, close their eyes, talk to anyone or move at all. Several inmates are assigned to watch over the practitioners and force them to remain motionless while sitting on the bench. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioners' lower legs or ankles to make it harder for them to tolerate this abuse (see illustration on )

2. The so-called "Being confined in a solitary compartment" refers to locking up a single detainee in a solitary cell, which contains a basin and a pair of handcuffs. The basin is used both for face washing and relieving the urine and bowels. One end of the handcuffs fastens the wrist and the other end attaches to the door railing. The handcuffs can be fastened onto the door railing at three different heights. In the highest position, the detainee has to extend his/her arm upward. The middle position is at waist level. In the lowest position, the detainee can sit on the ground.

3. Dead person's bed: The four limbs of the practitioner are stretched out and tied to the four corners of an icy-cold metal bed. The practitioner cannot move at all. Neither is he allowed to get up to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. This treatment would last from several hours up to more than a dozen days. This type of cruel torture causes severe damage to the practitioner both mentally and physically.