Last week, Falun Gong practitioners exposed torture and suppression in China in the inner city of Osnabrück. Wei Xiong is a Falun Gong practitioner who has been persecuted, arrested and tortured in China. Falun Gong is a Chinese cultivation practice. At its core are five traditional exercises designed to cultivate body and spirit. Falun Gong was first introduced to society in China in 1992 and was banned in 1999. Wei Xiong stresses that Falun Gong practitioners utilize the five exercises to condition their bodies and spirit to live according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, to put less emphasis on personal desires and more on the common good. Information about the by now international movement can be found at www.faluninfo.de.

Wei Xiong herself has experienced forced labor lasting ten to fifteen hours a day. The range of torture went from brainwashing sessions to forced upright standing without food, drink or bathroom facilities. The persecution of Falun Gong is the most brutal she has seen in China. In addition, it is very common that free Christians, protesting students, dispossessed homeowners, or farmers who appeal government ordinances are persecuted and tortured.

Wei Xiong is sure that although she is living in Germany, her phone and e-mails are being monitored by the Chinese secret service. Very often, Falun Gong practitioners abroad are called and insulted over the phone. Wei Xiong is sure that imports from China do not just bring cheap goods to Europe but also increase unemployment in many countries. She worries that European governments are risking their good reputation as defenders of human rights.

http://clearharmony.net/articles/200511/29674.html