AFP: Falun Gong Movement Denounces Chinese 'Blacklist'

Friday, 14-Jun-2002 4:30PM

NEW YORK, June 14 (AFP) - China's banned Falun Gong spiritual movement Friday accused the Chinese government of compiling a world blacklist of practitioners, including many unsuspecting European and North American citizens.

The Falun [Dafa] Information Center in New York said the existence of the blacklist had been confirmed by Iceland's decision to prevent its [practitioners] visiting during the ongoing visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

The center said several hundred people from Australia, Britain, Canada, France and the United States had found themselves barred from boarding flights of national carrier Icelandair to Reykjavik in the past week.

Many said they had been told their names were on a blacklist of Falun Gong practitioners, which had apparently been submitted by China to Icelandic authorities ahead of Jiang's visit.

"Someone has been snooping," the New York center said in a statement.

"And not just snooping into the readily available list of volunteers on Falun Gong websites and flyers, but deep into the private lives of citizens in many countries and backgrounds.

"The names of Falun Gong practitioners who quietly practice in the privacy of their own homes appeared on the list as well."

Center spokeswoman Gail Rachlin said the existence of such a list raised serious questions, especially as to how it was compiled and maintained, and by whom.

"Is it limited to Falun Gong practitioners, or does it include other people of faith?" Rachlin said.

Since China banned Falun Gong in July 1999, tens of thousands of [practitioners] have been jailed or sent to labor camps, according to activists.

The New York Center has also alleged that up to 200 [practitioners] have died in police custody, mostly from beatings and maltreatment.

http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ae/Qus-china-sect.ReT3_CuE.html