News and Events from Around the World -- October 2, 2005

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On the morning of September 29, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners in Washington, D.C., capital of the United States, held a press conference at the Rayburn House Office Building to express gratitude to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.S. government and the U.S. Congress and other organizations for rescuing Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Weixun from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China.

At the press conference, Dr. Liu who teaches at American University, spoke on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in Washington. DC, "The United States was established for those who escaped religious persecution 300 years ago. Three hundred years later, the United States can still uphold freedom of belief and human rights, and provide asylum for Falun Gong practitioners. The United States will also be protected by Heaven."

Ms. Li Weixun speaks (on right)

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Weixun was detained numerous times by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for persisting in practicing Falun Gong. She was savagely tortured by the CCP police in early January 2002. She could not move her arms or legs, and she could not talk or eat. When she was on the brink of death, the perpetrators reluctantly approved medical parole and sent her to a hospital for emergency treatment, only after strong repeated requests from her family and friends. During her stay at the hospital, four police officers watched her around the clock. Ms. Li successfully escaped the monitoring and left China, and she obtained UN refugee status in Thailand.

The plight of Li Weixun and other Falun Gong practitioners who live in exile obtained recognition from the U.S. Congress and the U.S. government. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee James Sensenbrenner, who is very influential in the U.S. Congress, sent a letter to the U.S. Congressional committee that is in charge of accepting refugees, urging the congress to carefully deal with the cases of Falun Gong practitioners' applications for refugee status.

On September 21, 2005, with the help of the UNHCR, the U.S. government and several non-governmental organizations, Li Weixun arrived in America and ended her several years of homeless and life in exile and ultimately obtained freedom.

At the press conference, Li Weixun said, "I'm very grateful to the U.S. government, U.S. Congress and the people of the United States for rescuing and helping me. The U.S. government has accepted me and other Falun Gong practitioners before me and provided us with a basic living guarantee. This has brought encouragement and good news to the righteous forces in the world and victims, protesters and people who love freedom despite being under the control of dictatorship. This is a good beginning."

Regarding the present situation of the international community, Ms. Li Weixun said, "Most countries' governments have been discussing human rights [with the CCP] in private, but avoiding directly facing the Falun Gong issue. This way of being manipulated by the CCP has obviously not been able to stop the persecution. It should be noted that the CCP's genocidal eradication and implication policies against Falun Gong practitioners is not only harming them physically, but what is more shocking, it is destruction and slaughter of people's spirits and beliefs! What is worth noting, is that if the international community continues to show indifference and compromises like this, then human beings will lose hope." Ms. Li continued, "However, the United States did not keep silent, and thus has set a good example for other countries. I believe the United States will do even better in the future."

Dr. Liu representing Falun Gong practitioners in Washington, DC

At the press conference, practitioners also responded to the question of many people who are wondering if Falun Gong is getting involved in politics. Dr. Liu said, "From the beginning of the persecution until today, Falun Gong practitioners' aim has never changed and will never change, that is, to end the persecution. We have never been interested in political power. All that we have done is to let people see clearly the truth, so as to end the persecution imposed upon Falun Gong practitioners."

Dr. Liu said, "In the past six years, Falun Gong practitioners have spent a lot of time and our own salaries, and practitioners inside China have even risked their lives to clarify the truth to the masses of Chinese people. Many people have learned the truth, but there are still many people who do not want to listen. Because in the past years, the CCP's propaganda inside China has made many Chinese people have a negative opinion of us, even hatred towards us. They even believe that we are anti-China. Then why do they have such opinions of us? I think it is because of the CCP's brainwashing propaganda over the past several dozens of years, which has led to people's confusion and mixing of two different entities -- China and the CCP. Their way of thinking has even followed the CCP's line. Therefore, we feel it is a very necessary step towards stopping the persecution, to help people learn about the true nature of the CCP, how was it established, all the crimes it has committed against the Chinese people and the warped logics it has instilled into the Chinese people's mind."

On September 27 the Falun Dafa Association in Washington, D.C., wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, seeking to deny the Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng's entry into the U.S. They also sought to prevent Sun from getting a U.S. visa. Back in late August the Association wrote to Rice to seek denial of entry of Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai. Bo eventually didn't enter the U.S. to accompany Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Practitioners call for barring entry of the Chinese Minister of Culture

Ms. Laura Hattan gives a speech

Practitioners in D.C. held a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy on September 27 to condemn the critical role that Sun has played in the brutal persecution of Falun Gong and to urge the American government to bar Sun's entry to the U.S. According to media sources, Sun planned to come to the U.S. for the Chinese Culture Festival in October.

Practitioner Ms. Laura Hattan read the practitioners' letter to Secretary of State Rice at the press conference. The letter stated that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Code, Item 212(a)(2)(G), stipulates that foreign government officials involved in violating freedoms of religion during the previous two years are not allowed to enter the United States.

Sun Jiazheng, as Minister of Culture, has been a major accomplice in the genocidal persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang Zemin's regime. Following the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) order to suppress Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, Sun ordered all cultural entities and audio video administration departments to seize all Falun Gong books and audiovisual materials four days later. On July 28, the first round of the destruction of Falun Gong books on a national scale began. In addition, Sun established a large "Web Culture Engineering Program" to monitor, block and censor any truth about Falun Gong on the Internet. Many practitioners were illegally arrested, sentenced or tortured to death just because they used the Internet to access Falun Gong materials.

The Falun Dafa Association in D.C. called for the American government to implement the law by denying Sun an application for a U.S. visa.

Ms. Laura Hattan, a practitioner in D.C., said, "As an American citizen and Falun Gong practitioner, I don't want to see Sun Jiazheng visit the United States. Everyone who knows Falun Gong knows it is a cultivation practice of mind, body and spirit following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. It is the heart of Chinese traditional culture. The American people love Chinese culture. However, as Culture Minister, Sun Jiazheng used every means possible to eliminate Falun Gong. He has not only harmed Falun Gong practitioners, but also all the people in China and around the world who deserve the opportunity to truly understand Falun Gong."

Falun Gong practitioners show evidence of persecution

Just arrived in the U.S. from Shenyang, China, a few days ago, practitioner Ms. Li Weixun said, "Beginning on July 20, 1999, the whole state propaganda machine in China, including TV and radio stations, newspapers and propaganda departments in all government entities, started an overwhelming campaign to slander Falun Gong with fabricated lies. All departments and entities started collecting and destroying Falun Gong books and audiovisual materials. The Chinese people have been misled by the CCP's lies, especially the staged 'Self-Immolation on Tiananmen Square,' and they have no way to learn the facts of Falun Gong because all materials have been destroyed. My neighbors started hating Falun Gong. I feel so sad for them because there is no way for them to find out the true story under the monopoly of national propaganda. To hold hatred against Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is most harmful to life and most detrimental to the soul. As Minister of Culture, Sun Jiazheng is guilty of following Jiang's orders."

Ms. Li Weixun was tortured by the CCP police in January 2002 just because she wouldn't give up practicing Falun Gong. She was tortured until she couldn't move her arms or legs and couldn't speak or eat. When she was on the brink of death, her family and friends rescued her and finally helped her escape to another country. She obtained U.N. refugee status. With assistance and support from the Friends of Falun Gong Organization in the U.S., the U.N. Refugee Agency, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Congress, and several NGOs, she received approval from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stay in the U.S., where she safely arrived this month.

The Falun Dafa Association letter also stated that at least 2,740 Falun Gong practitioners have died from the persecution. Two hundred thousand to one million have been sent to forced labor camps without trials. More than 500 have been sentenced to terms longer than 18 years in prison.

A lawsuit was filed against Sun Jiazheng when he visited France on January 28, 2004. Senior Attorney Emmanuelle Hauser-Phelizon, representing four Falun Gong practitioners, charged him for crimes of torture. The complaint said that Sun Jiazheng, who is the China Culture Minister and co-chairman of the Web Culture Engineering Organizing Committee, instigated public criticism and incited hatred of Falun Gong in order to eradicate Falun Gong through the use of newspapers, the Internet, and cultural exhibits. He is an accomplice to crimes of torture and is guilty of "incitement of massacre and persecution."

In July 2004, the Examining Magistrate in charge of this case sent a Commission Rogatoire Internationale (CRI) to China's counterpart department, requesting related Chinese authorities to cooperate in the corresponding investigation. It is believed that this is the first CRI sent to China in French judicial history and it is perhaps also the first in European judicial history.

When Sun participated in the Asian Culture Cooperation Forum 2004 in Hong Kong on November 14, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong peacefully protested along the route of his motorcade and at the front door of the Government House.

The Falun Dafa Association has requested that the U.S. Government bar Sun's entry into the U.S. due to his major role in the persecution, and in the serious violation of Falun Gong practitioners' human rights.

Following Bo Xilai, Sun Jiazheng became the second Chinese official at the ministerial level that Falun Gong has requested be denied entry. Bo's name eventually disappeared from the list of officials during Hu's visit to the U.S. Practitioners sued Bo for the crime of torture in New York on September 8. In addition, a court session was opened last week for the case in which practitioners sued former Wuhan TV Station Director Zhao Zhizheng. Zhao Zhizhen was sued for making propaganda films that incite hatred, violence and genocide against Falun Gong practitioners. According to plaintiffs' attorney Dr. Terri Marsh, Zhao is responsible for raising a cry to eliminate Falun Gong with his TV program on a national station and on the Internet.

Renowned French lawyer, William Bourdon, and Belgian lawyer, Georges-Henri Beauthier, held a press conference at 5 p.m. September 29th. Held at Mr. Bourdon's Paris office, the press conference exposed the Chinese authorities' refusal to cooperate on two Commission Rogatoire Internationales (CRI) issued by the Honourable Justice Noria Faucherie of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris.

One commission requested the investigation of crimes committed by Li Lanqing, who is the former member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Politburo, and a former Deputy Premier of the State Council. Li has also acted as head of the CCP's 610 Office, which was established specifically to persecute Falun Gong. The commission further demanded an investigation into the Chinese police's mistreatment of a French Falun Gong practitioner in November 2002.

The other commission asked for cooperation from the Chinese authorities to investigate Sun Jiazheng, the Chinese Minister of Culture. Sun was charged as an accomplice to torture for ordering state-controlled media, cultural institutions and the Internet to slander Falun Gong in order to instigate public hatred against the practice.

In December 2002, under Falun Gong practitioners' request, renowned human rights lawyers Mr. Bourdon and Mr. Beauthier filed a lawsuit with the French Judicial Department against Li Lanqing, who was visiting France at the time. In January 2004, senior French lawyer Emmanuelle Hauser-Phelizon submitted legal actions against Sun Jiazheng, who was attending the "Sino-French Culture Year" events in France at the time. Mr. William Bourdon provided active assistance to Ms. Hauser-Phelizon's case.

Mr. Bourdon and Mr. Beauthier represented the plaintiffs in an international lawsuit against the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Mr. Bourdon was also once the Secretary General to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

To date, Falun Gong practitioners have filed lawsuits in France against five CCP officials (four were high-ranking) for persecuting Falun Gong. Besides the two already mentioned, the other three include the Political Bureau Standing Committee member in charge of propaganda and former CCP Committee Secretary for Guangdong Province, Li Changchun, CCP Committee Secretary for Jilin Province, Wang Yunkun, and the director of Linyuan Prison Administration Bureau (in Liaoning Province) and head of the "610 Office" for that bureau, Li Yuanwei.

In addition to legal actions in Paris, Falun Gong practitioners in more than thirty countries have filed over fifty lawsuits against hundreds of Chinese officials holding various positions within the CCP who have actively participated in persecuting Falun Gong.

For six years the anti-persecution activities of millions of Falun Gong practitioners represent the largest, most peaceful and rational feat of its kind in history. We firmly believe that in the near future, these activities will lead to a public awakening on such a large scale that the persecutors will overwhelmingly be brought to justice.

From September 22 to 24, 2005, a delegation from Dalian, China visited Canada. Dalian Mayor Xia Deren, planning to lead the delegation, did not appear in the delegation's visit to Canada. Based on Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, Xia Deren was added to the watch list of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for his crimes in persecution Falun Gong. At the beginning of September, another Chinese official, Bo Xilai, also on the watch list did not make a scheduled trip to visit Canada.

Falun Gong practitioners holding anti-torture exhibition to call for denial of entry of Chinese officials involved in the persecution of Falun Gong (August 26, 2005)

Based on inside information, the Dalian delegation arrived at Toronto on September 22 and left for the U.S. Department of Commerce on September 24. Dalian Mayor Xia Deren did not appear in the delegation during the visit to Canada, but attended activities in the U.S.A. It was learned that the delegation and the Chinese Consulate in Toronto were uneasy about Xia's leading the delegation.

Falun Gong practitioner Lucy Zhou said in an interview that Liaoning Province and Dalian City are among the worst provinces and cities in the persecution of Falun Gong. Xia Deren cannot be excused, as he is Vice Governor of Liaoning Province and Mayor of Dalian City.

According to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, so far 329 practitioners were tortured to death in Liaoning Province, just under the 370 deaths in Hebei Province and 336 deaths in Heilongjiang Province. In Dalian City, 53 practitioners were tortured to death and among them, 25 of the practitioners were over 60 years old.

Ms. Zhou said that people should be clear that those participating in the persecution of Falun Gong will be held responsible.

Another Chinese official on the watch list, Bo Xilai, former Governor of Liaoning Province, planned to visit Canada with Chinese President Hu Jintao. On September 5, Bo's name disappeared from the list of delegates. On September 8, Bo was not seen in Hu's delegation to Canada.

It was believed that the cancellation of Bo's and Xia's visits to Canada was because of the strong appeal of the Canadian people, Members of Parliament, attorneys and supporters of Falun Gong. Renowned Canadian human rights attorney David Matas wrote to the relevant Canadian officials on August 25, pointing out that based on Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, one would be denied entry into Canada if he were found guilty of crimes against humanity.

Canadian MP David Kilgour agreed with Attorney David Matas. He said that only China persecutes Falun Gong across the world, and Canada should not let those persons involved in the persecution enter the country.

Xia Deren was sued in California, U.S.A. for his crimes against humanity and of torture. On December 8, 2004, the U.S. Federal Court of Northern California found Xia Deren responsible for torture, cruel and inhuman treatment and arbitrary detention of Falun Gong practitioners.

On September 27, Xia Deren led a delegation to visit Oakland, California. A practitioner tried to hand a package to him with information about the court ruling and lawsuit materials. Xia refused to accept it, as if he knew about the information contained in the package.

Mr. Kevin Yang, a representative of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), warned those Chinese officials involved in the persecution to check and see if their names are on the WOIPFG's list of persecutors when going to visit countries overseas.