(Clearwisdom.net)

On August 28, 2004, American movie star Richard Gere encountered Falun Gong practitioners while they were distributing truth-clarifying materials on New York City streets. A practitioner from Toronto, Canada spoke of the savage persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and called on him to help stop the persecution. Willingly receiving and attentively reading the brochure, Mr. Gere thanked the practitioner for letting him know about the persecution and indicated that he would take a closer look at the material back home. Because Mr. Gere has criticized China's human right records, he has been barred from entry into the Mainland by the Chinese government.

• Practitioner Ms. Zhang Wei of Donggang City, Liaoning Province has been subjected to inhuman persecution for several years by Jiang and his followers as part of the suppression of Falun Gong. Several times she was unlawfully taken into detention and was persecuted into poor health. Later, she was illegally sentenced to a seven-year term. Ms. Zhang went on a hunger strike for more than two months and became emaciated. On the eve of China's 16^th National Assembly, Ms. Zhang Wei was forcibly taken to Dabei Women's Prison for further persecution. Her family members, relatives and friends have also been mentally and financially harassed in cruel ways.

• Because he practices Falun Gong, Mr. Meng Jianshe of Shangqiu City, Henan Province, was illegally detained for one month by the city's public security branch office in the District of Huiyang. In August 2003, Mr. Meng had to leave his home to avoid an attempt to arrest him by members of the Liangyuan District People's Prosecutor's Office. However, in October of the same year he was unjustly detained as a criminal at the Huiyang District Public Security Bureau because he practices Falun Gong. On January 7, 2004, Mr. Meng was illegally arrested by Liangyuan Branch Public Security Bureau officers. Currently, he is confined at Shangjiu City's No. 2 Prison after being sentenced for four years.

• Practitioner Ms. Han Junmiao, formerly employed as the admissions office director of the Education Bureau in Xiong County, Baoding City, was illegally sent to forced labor because she was steadfast in her practice of Falun Gong. During the past few years, she has been persecuted cruelly at three forced labor camps (Baoding Forced Labor Camp, Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp and Shijiazhuang Forced Labor Camp). During the December 2002 winter, while at the Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp, Ms. Han was confined in an icy warehouse with both of her hands cuffed to an iron ring in the cold cement. Day and night, she was not allowed to sit down or stand up: she had to squat on the ground and was not allowed to sleep. In the hot summer of July 2001, Ms. Han was handcuffed and exposed to the fierce sun in the courtyard for several days.