Washington Post: Falun Gong Members Die in Chinese Camp [Excerpt]

Wednesday, July 4, 2001; Page A14

BEIJING, July 3 -- At least 10 members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement have died in a reeducation camp in what authorities told family members was a group suicide, according to reports from a Hong Kong-based human rights group and overseas Falun Gong officials.

[...]

Falun Gong [coordinators] in the United States said at least 15 female practitioners died in the camp and family members saw strangulation or rope marks on the bodies of two of the dead women. But the group disputed the report of suicides, saying the women were tortured to death in separate incidents and authorities were lying to cover it up.

"Our main concern is that these people were being held illegally. Whatever happened to them is the responsibility of the Chinese government," said Adam Montanaro, a spokesman for Falun Gong

Officials at the labor camp did not return phone calls and China's state-run media have not reported any of the deaths.

Human rights groups say more than 150 Falun Gong members have been beaten or tortured to death since July 1999, when China labeled the [...] spiritual movement an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]" and launched an intense campaign to eradicate it. The government has acknowledged some of the deaths, but has attributed them to suicides or medical conditions.

Lu said about 30 Falun Gong practitioners in the Wanjia labor camp began a hunger strike on June 15 to protest frequent beatings, and camp officials responded by extending their sentences by three to six months. He said the [tragedy] occurred five days later. Lu said his group was unable to learn exactly how many practitioners had died but that a family member of one survivor reported at least 10 were dead and a police official confirmed "many people" had died.

Falun Gong spokeswoman Gail Rachlin said other family members reported at least 15 female practitioners had died. She said these family members said the women were tortured to death and many had been transferred to the male section of the camp for abuse.

The group said relatives of one of the dead women, Zhao Yayun, 54, reported finding bruises on her face, shoulder blades and lower back and strangulation or rope marks on her neck. Relatives of another dead woman, Zhang Yulan, 55, also reported seeing deep strangulation marks, the group said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13514-2001Jul3.html