News and Events from Around the World
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
The People Awaken to the Truth
News and Events from Around the World
China's Soothing Words on Torture: Come Back at Show Time
Two days ago, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture announced that officials in China had postponed his visit, and that inspections of China's labor camps would not take place as originally agreed upon.
After nearly ten years of preparatory talks, the Special Rapporteur is not going to see any labor camps or detention centers because, as the Chinese officials put it, they need more time "to prepare."
"Places, Everyone!"
Just what are they preparing? The Special Rapporteur set forth noble conditions for his visit: unannounced access to places of detention and interrogation, and confidential and unsupervised interviews with detainees, without fear of reprisals to those revealing abuse.
Two survivors of the infamous Beijing's Tuanhe Labor Camp independently declared those conditions impossible for China's current regime to genuinely embrace without thwarting a systematic, state-sanctioned system of torture that former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin enacted against Falun Gong five years ago. (special report)
Mr. Gang Chen, who spent 18 months in Tuanhe and was subjected to torture, described the months of preparation that labor camp officials put into a visit by foreign media in June 2001. "Everyone got a paper with questions and answers -- we had to learn to recite them or face punishment."
The questions... "Do you get to eat meat here? 'Yes!' Anyone beaten? 'No!'"
No Falun Gong practitioners were permitted to speak with the media representatives, except for a few who had arrived recently. "Those [recently arrived Falun Gong] detainees were kept isolated, so they couldn't find out the real conditions in the labor camp, and so they could tell the media that they weren't abused."
Mr. Zhao Ming was also held in Tuanhe when officials hosted the foreign media. He recounts, "We [detainees] were separated into two groups -- those who still practiced Falun Gong, and those who had been 'transformed' and would speak favorably of the government's treatment." Those in the first group were taken to another building, where they were shown old black-and-white movies about the liberation war (an apparent first inside Tuanhe). The other group was sent to the yard to do light labor, and talk to the media when they arrived.
The result was that those actually interviewed told encouraging stories of compassionate jailors and a benevolent government. They also received a 3-month reduction in their sentences in return, which was big news in the Beijing Labor Camp Bureau's circular.
Neither Mr. Gang nor Mr. Zhao was allowed to speak with the media on the day of the visit.
How the Trick Works
China has become adept at nodding vigorously to international conventions on human rights, torture, and fair labor, while avoiding all unstaged inspections of such.
A recent statement from Human Rights in China dissects this latest delay tactic: "The PRC government has engaged in a recurring strategy of responding to international pressure and scrutiny with well-timed overtures that it and other governments can point to as indicators of China's progress in human rights reforms and willingness to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms. Once the pressure recedes, these overtures are all too often withdrawn. In light of the fact that the visit by the Special Rapporteur on Torture has been under discussion for the best part of a decade, this eleventh-hour postponement raises serious questions about the sincerity of the PRC government's commitment to international cooperation."
Dialogue is a decoy, according to Mr. Zhao, used by Jiang's regime as a tasty morsel that officials can nibble on behind closed doors, while the real issues and bloody facts are safely out of sight.
"Dialogue has proven to have no result," Mr. Zhao adds. Only vociferous, public denunciation of these policies can have an effect, he explains. "If China won't adhere to inspection policies, it should be expelled from the international bodies whose agreements require it."
"It's is a game," he says, "and certain Chinese leaders are very happy with this game."
Suggestions for Those Visiting China
Mr. Zhao offered some advice to those visiting China to carry out inspections: "Try to reach the real victims. We [Falun Gong websites] have numerous reports that include victims' names and their details -- insist on speaking with these individuals directly and find out what they have to say."
He also suggested that inspectors travel with their own, independent interpreters.
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Poland: Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai Sued in Warsaw
According a Falun Gong practitioner in Poland who is also an English teacher, he and several other Falun Gong practitioners submitted a lawsuit to the Polish Procuratorate on the morning of Hu's delegation's arrival. The lawsuit charges Bo with crimes against humanity and torture.
The lawsuit alleges that Bo enthusiastically persecuted Falun Gong when he was Mayor of Dalian City and Governor of Liaoning Province. He also spent huge amount of taxpayers' money to build new prisons in which to detain and persecute Falun Gong practitioners.
According to an investigative report from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), during his term as Dalian City Mayor, General Secretary of City Party Committee and Governor of Liaoning Province, Bo Xilai summarized and arranged numerous meetings and reports on the persecution of Falun Gong. In the process of persecuting Falun Gong, Jiang's group implemented the "leadership responsibility system" and the "single-veto system," ordering that heads of the Party and administrations at different levels should be fully responsible to the higher-level authorities. In order to get promoted, Bo Xilai transferred responsibilities to lower government departments, encouraging grassroots authorities to brutally torture Falun Gong practitioners, which caused the sharp increase in death cases. During his term as Governor, Liaoning Province became one of the provinces that persecuted Falun Gong the most severely
One Polish Falun Gong practitioner who participated in the lawsuit against Bo went to China to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong in 2002. He was arrested by police at Tiananmen Square, beaten, cursed and then deported. He said that the lawsuit against Bo Xilai was not just a symbolic move. He said: "We are serious--our goal is to bring him to justice."
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Georgia, USA: Falun Gong Practitioners Stage Torture Exhibition During G8 Summit
The 30th G8 annual summit is currently taking place at Sea Island, Georgia from June 8-10. To let the leaders of the G8 member nations and the media know about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong happening in China, which has lasted for nearly 5 years, and thus help end this tragedy, approximately 150 Falun Gong practitioners from all corners of the U.S. came to Georgia for a peaceful appeal. In a public park in the city of Brunswick, next to Route 17, a major road to Sea Island, several practitioners staged a torture exhibition to reveal the torture methods employed by Jiang's regime in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The torture exhibition received much attention from local governmental officials, the police and the media.
In the early morning of June 8, the Mayor of Brunswick came to the torture exhibition and looked over the real-life models, as well as large photos and illustrations showing more torture methods. The mayor then immediately went on air on a talk show at a local radio station to introduce the exhibition to the citizens of Brunswick. After his introduction, several city officials, including the city administrator, the city lawyer, the director of public relations and many police officers all came to visit the exhibition. The mayor later came to the exhibition again with several more officials. He talked with practitioners and had photos taken with the practitioners. The mayor said that he also needed to practice the Falun Gong exercises to release stress.
By visiting the torture exhibition and talking with practitioners, many city officials gained a better understanding of the persecution of Falun Gong in China and they in succession expressed their appreciation to practitioners for bringing the information of Falun Gong the city of Brunswick. A police officer who is charge of public information said that he would introduce the exhibition to the media and local residents in a talk show on a local TV station that night and encourage people to come to the exhibition. Through the introduction of the police officer, many city officials and other police officers, including the policeman's wife, came to the exhibition later. After seeing the torture models and learning of the brutality of the Chinese police, a police officer expressed that the situation in China is inconceivable and very disappointing. He told practitioners that the Brunswick police will support Falun Gong practitioners wholeheartedly and they would write to the Chinese police and ask their counterparts in China to stop this kind of brutality.
More than 30 media representatives including newspaper, radio and TV stations from Atlanta, Brunswick, Jacksonville and Savannah came to report on the exhibition and interview practitioners. A reporter told practitioners, "I have seen some information about torture against Falun Gong practitioners, however, I didn't realize the brutality of this persecution. Today, I see these real-life models of torture methods and I am deeply touched."
Passing vehicles often sounded their horns to voice their support. A tourist from Spain gave us a Heshi (hands pressed together in front of the chest) many times to greet practitioners while saying "God bless you." A local resident said, "I will remember this shocking moment and I will tell my friends about this..."
A nearby Chinese restaurant allowed practitioners display banners, do the exercises and display the torture exhibitions in front of her restaurant's main entrance. The proprietor is an elderly lady in her 70s. After she learned the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution, she said, while holding a practitioner's hand, "You all are good people. I know, you are all good people. I support you."
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Rally in Vienna Calls for Immediate End to the Persecution of Falun Gong
On the afternoon of June 19, 2004, tourists and citizens of Vienna were deeply touched, and some moved to tears as they listened to speeches at a rally exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. The rally was part of a program of large-scale events held by several hundred European practitioners to help more people understand the campaign of genocide initiated by Jiang, which has been unfolding behind the closed doors of Jiang's information and media blockade.
As the rally took place, by the side of the podium a few practitioners enacted a typical scene of torture from a Chinese labor camp, where innocent victims are handcuffed, tied up, beaten and shocked with electric batons. The spectacle brought home the reality of the suffering to the onlookers, who were both transfixed and horrified by the sight of what happens every day under Jiang's brutal regime.
As the speeches were given, a hundred or so Falun Gong practitioners sat peacefully in meditation or listened quietly, their still posture and quietness sharply contrasting with the violent images often described by the speakers. Many people stopped to listen, having to look over each others shoulders to get a view. Some stayed for some time, to listen to the speeches in full. Others listened for a while, then took materials and stood reading and listening.
The first speaker was a head of the Austrian Parliament's Human Rights
Committee
Ms. Terezia Stoisits. Ms. Stoisits stated her opinion that any type of
persecution, torture or violations of people's human rights should be eliminated
no matter where it happens. She said that although human rights in Austria are
good, the people there still have a responsibility to speak up for those who are
persecuted. Ms Stoisits also said that she has met Falun Gong practitioners and
was left with a deep impression of how they follow the principles of
Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance in their lives.
A statement by Austrian Member of European Parliament Ms. Ursula Spenzel was then read. Lord Francis Thurlow, a 93 year-old former diplomat, followed with a powerful speech calling on the nations of the free world and the people of Austria to help end the persecution. He pinpointed Jiang Zemin as the chief instigator of the persecution, describing how he gave the orders to destroy Falun Gong practitioners physically, ruin their reputations and bankrupt them financially. Lord Thurlow likened the persecution of Falun Gong to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire.
Lord Thurlow's speech was followed by Ireland student Zhao Ming who spoke of his experiences at the hands of the Jiang regime in a Chinese labor camp, where he was detained for over one and a half years. As he described the horrors of sleep-deprivation, systematic beatings and electric shocks--many of the audience were moved to tears. Zhao Ming said that he is often asked by journalists why the regime in China tortures and persecutes Falun Gong practitioners. He described his reply: "I have been tortured! Why should I explain why they persecute me? They should explain why they torture me! They should explain why they commit this persecution against innocent people! They cannot tolerate any other ideology."
The next speaker was Daniela Luschin from the Austrian branch of the Society for Threatened Peoples; she was followed by the president of IGFM (International Society of Human Rights). People cried as they listened to Australian practitioner Jane Dai's simple words, as she described how her husband was persecuted to death for practicing Falun Gong. Standing with her four-year-old daughter by her side, she herself struggled to overcome her own tears, as she recounted how she does not know what to say when her daughter asks, "Where is daddy?" The final speaker was Monika Weiss, representative of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong.
Taiwan Legislature Unanimously Passes Resolution Demanding that China Stop Persecuting Falun Gong and Release all Detained Practitioners
On June 8, 2004, 126 members of the Taiwan Legislative Yuan, across party lines, proposed a resolution demanding that the Chinese government immediately release all arrested and detained Falun Gong practitioners and end the persecution of Falun Gong. The resolution was passed unanimously at 5:30 p.m. and was delivered to the Executive Yuan.
Jiang's group has been persecuting Falun Gong for nearly five years. In recent years, Jiang and his followers have extended the persecution to Taiwan and many other parts of the world. In order to help all Taiwanese legislators, who represent 25 million Taiwanese people, to understand the facts, and to ask the Taiwanese government to demand that the Chinese government end the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan began visiting legislators in late May.
Legislators Lin ZhuoShuei, Wang ZhuengYu, and Chen Chien-ming proposed the resolution, which was co-sponsored by more than 36 legislators, and 126 legislators signed to support the resolution. According to Taiwanese law, only one legislator is required to propose a resolution, and 19 legislators are required to support a resolution for it to be voted on. This time, more than half of the 220 legislators supported the resolution condemning the Jiang group's persecution of Falun Gong.
This resolution consists of six main points. Although Jiang's group cannot suppress Falun Gong in Taiwan, it collects the names of Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. Political connections were used to detain and deport the [Taiwanese] practitioners when they tried to visit Mainland China and other countries. To date, at least 13 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, including Wang Hsiu-hua and Lin Hsia-kai, were illegally arrested and detained, and ten have been released. One practitioner, Hsian Li-jie, was released on parole but forbidden to return to Taiwan, and two practitioners, Cheng Shi-hueng and Cheng Xi, are still being held. Their families have sought legal action unsuccessfully.
On June 8, 2004, Lin ZhuoShuei, a Taiwan legislator, said that freedom of belief is universal, and therefore Taiwanese residents' human rights should be protected while they are in Mainland China. Representatives from all parties in Taiwan acknowledged the purpose of this resolution because so many people co-signed and supported it. The Legislative Yuan urged the Taiwanese government to quickly request that Beijing release Falun Gong practitioners and cease the persecution.
Lin ZhuoShuei said, "I believe the persecuted people will be encouraged by this news. Many governments in the world have already shown their support for persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, and the Taiwanese government is late in expressing its official concern, and in terms of legislative resolutions. Therefore, this will be a source of great encouragement for them."
Several US Congressmen and Senators Write Congratulatory Letters to the Mid-US Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Chicago
During the Mid-US Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Chicago in May 2004, several US and State Representatives and Senators wrote letters to congratulate the conference, wish the conference success, commend Falun Dafa for bringing well-being to local communities, condemn the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by Jiang's regime, and call for an end to the persecution of innocent citizens in China.
US Senator Richard J. Durbin said in his congratulatory letter: "In the face of brutal repression by China's authoritarian regime, Falun Gong practitioners' determination to exercise their fundamental rights of freedom of religion, conscience, expression and assembly serves as a beacon to the cause of freedom in China." Senator Durbin also said: "I have written to President Jiang Zemin to express my deep concern over the repression of Falun Gong followers in China. During the 106th Congress, I cosponsored a measure which passed the Senate, calling on the Chinese government to release all prisoners of conscience and put an immediate end to the legitimate rights to free belief, expression, and association." At the end of the letter, the Senator wrote: "I will continue to look for ways to promote religious tolerance towards Falun Gong practitioners."
US Congressman Jerry Kleczka praised the anti-torture exhibition on the Federal Plaza. He said: "This weekend's events present the perfect venue to tell the accounts of the continued imprisonment and maltreatment of Falun Gong practitioners by the government of the People's Republic of China." Congressman Kleczka condemned China's violations of human rights abuses and suppression of religious and political dissent. He said: "I will continue to support legislation calling upon the PRC to ceases its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners."
US Congressman Jerry Weller said in his letter: "I want to be sure to express my strong support for the very basic human rights of all Falun Gong believers to practice their beliefs and share their experiences without fear of reprisal or repression." He said: "Those of us born and raised in the United States have a difficult time understanding how such a seemingly inoffensive practice can possibly face intense repression in Communist China--attacks which include torture, imprisonment and even death. No American can possibly condone this brutal repression by the Chinese government against its own people --the attacks can not be tolerated and must be stopped." Congressman Weller congratulated Falun Gong practitioners' intense effort to raise awareness in the United States about both the principles of Falun Gong as well as the abuses of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
US Congressman Jan Schakowsky said: "We have so much opportunity to make this world a better place and it is our responsibility to work towards that goal. We must not tolerate persecution of any kind, and must fight to ensure that human rights are protected." "I will continue to defend this right by supporting efforts to urge the government of People's Republic of China to cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners."
Illinois State Representative Robert W. Pritchard expressed in a congratulatory letter: "The Land of Lincoln understands the importance of principles and conflict resulting from their practice. We offer our encouragement for truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. We stand with you in demanding human rights, freedoms and dignity."
Illinois State Representative David R. Leitch wrote: " I support the practice of Falun Dafa, as it is a peaceful practice that stands on the virtues of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance." "I send my best wishes for the upcoming conference in Chicago."
Ms. Jeanne Arens from the Office of Governor of Illinois, on behalf of Governor Rod Blagojevich, extended best wishes to all of those in attendance at the events.
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US Congressman Timothy Johnson: I Recognize That in Defending the Right of Falun Gong practitioners We Are Defending the Rights of Us All
In May 2004, Illinois Congressman Timothy Johnson wrote a congratulatory letter for the Mid-USA Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.
Congressman Johnson said in the letter: "I recognize that in defending the rights of Falun Gong practitioners, both here in the US and in China, we are defending the rights of us all. We are defending Americans' most precious heritage, our religious and political rights. We are also defending the very idea of rights. In the idea of rights I see principles that, should they be honored, make possible free and peaceful civilization for all humanity."
"And so I congratulate the practitioners of Falun Gong on your efforts to defend your fundamental rights with peaceful and principled actions. I hope that we will soon see the day that the persecution you suffer under comes to an end."
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US Congressman Edolphus Towns: Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance Are Universal Human Values
On May 7, 2004, US Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns wrote a congratulatory letter to Falun Gong practitioners in New York, on the occasion of World Falun Dafa Day.
Congressman Towns wrote in his letter: "The principles enshrined by Falun Gong, those of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, are universal human values that bridge cultures and people. Unfortunately, the regime in China has perceived this peaceful group as a threat to its own corrupt power. Despite grievous human rights violations and persecution, however, the Falun Gong continue to spread their message of peace. Their tremendous efforts deserve our respect, recognition and protection."
"Again, congratulations to all those celebrating the Twelfth Annual World Falun Day. May the year ahead be blessed with truth, compassion and forbearance."
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China: 26 Verified Deaths from Torture During May, 2004
Twenty-six innocent Falun Gong practitioners were verified to have died as a result of persecution in police custody during the month of May, 2004. This caused the total death count of Falun Gong practitioners to reach 973.
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The 26 deaths from torture that were exposed in May are from 15 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide, including Hebei (5), Liaoning (4), Jilin (3), Gansu (2), Sichuan (2), and one each from Henan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Hunan, Chongqing, Hainan, Guangdong, Hubei, Shandong, and Xinjiang.
Of the 26 death cases recently exposed, 57.7% were people over 50 years old, 61.50% were women; the youngest was 20-year-old Zhou Rong from Xiaohe Dazhai Village, Guiyang, Guizhou Province. The eldest was 70-year-old Zhang Caihou from Shuangcheng Town, Wuwei City, Gansu Province. Two elderly female practitioners were tortured to death by the police; they were Zhao Xiaoping, 62, a retired teacher from Xinjiang, and Zeng Lingxiu, 60, from Guanghan City, Sichuan Province.
Like most practitioners, they attained healthy bodies after practicing Falun Gong. For example, Zhou Zebi from Sichuan and Liu Fu Meihui from Guangdong were sickly and weak, but became healthy and strong; Li Chunrong from Liaoning and Wang Jingrong from Henan had high blood pressure for many years but were cured without treatment; Zhang Yuzhen from Hebei had advanced lymph cancer, and Zhou Yuqin from Hebei had intestinal cancer, but both completely recovered after beginning Falun Dafa practice. The tailbone of Yan Liyou from Hainan had been permanently damaged in a car accident, and was completely cured after practicing Falun Gong. He donated his wheelchair, crutches, and other equipment to the residents committee of his town. These are all members of mainstream society, each with a different occupation, including workers (Zhang Yuzhen from Hebei, Yang Meiying from Shanxi, Tang Yun from Chongqing), villagers (Zheng Fuxiang from Jilin, Zhou Rong from Guizhou, Zhao Mingxiang from Shandong, Zeng Lingxiu from Sichuan), teachers (Yu Fenghua from Liaoning, Zhao Xiaoping from Xinjiang), and a company general manager (Yan Liyou from Hainan).
Under Jiang's secret elimination orders, "Ruin Falun Gong practitioners' reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically," the "610 Office" (1) and policemen have used all means to brutally persecute Falun Gong practitioners. The deaths reported in May resulted in most cases from persecution. Generally the people suffered severe physical torture along with mental torment. Many of them were abducted and their homes ransacked. They suffered from different kinds of violent beatings, brutal punishment, forced brainwashing, and extortion. They have been held in forced labor camps, detention centers, and brainwashing centers. The local public security officers and "610 Office" cruelly persecuted them and tried to force them to give up their belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance."
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China: Tortures Render Young Woman Paralyzed from the Waist Down
I was born in a peasant family, but I became an excellent student when I was studying at the Nursing Class of the Advanced Medical School of Changchun City, Jilin Province. After graduation, I landed a job at the Dehui City People's Hospital.
During my school years in Changchun, I began to practice Falun Gong. In July 1999, Jiang Zemin launched the brutal persecution against Falun Gong. On November 4, 2001, after an informer reported a group of us, the Zhenxing Police Station arrested us. The police officers said plainly, "Yes, we are doing this for the sake of money. For every Falun Gong practitioner we arrest, we'll get 500 Yuan [equivalent to the average monthly salary in China]. We'll go to a restaurant to celebrate as soon as we send you away." That night, we were sent to a detention center and interrogated. Because I did not cooperate with them, officer Ge Xuquan beat me severely. He knocked me down several times, and then grabbed my hair, pulled me up and continued to beat me. There were bruises all over my body. Then he wanted to handcuff me but couldn't find his handcuffs, so he forcefully twisted my arms behind my back. Later I was sent to the Detention Center of Dehui City, and they imprisoned me there for forty days. After I was released, I returned to Dehui City People's Hospital for work. As soon as I arrived, however, the Dean of the hospital, Fan Changsheng, told me, "You can go home now, and you will not be paid." His only reason for laying me off was that I continued to practice Falun Gong.
On April 10, 2004, 36 police officers surrounded the building that I lived in, and some of them attempted to break in. To avoid being arrested and persecuted again, I was forced to jump down from the fifth floor. I suffered a compression fracture in my back and my legs suffered comminuted fractures. Normally in cases of such severe injury, the patient is moved to a stretcher and sent to the hospital immediately to avoid nerve damage. However, two police officers pulled me to my feet and forced me to walk, which promptly caused the fractured bones to stick into the flesh and, as a result, damage the nerves in my back and legs. According to the diagnosis from the Dehui City People's Hospital, I would be permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the diagnosis, the authorities at the Political Security Office of Dehui City sent me to the forced labor camp hospital in Changchun for further persecution. The medical staff there handcuffed both of my hands to the bed and started an IV. On the eighteenth day, I became extremely weak, and I was in critical condition. Afraid of being held responsible, the authorities at the Dehui Political Security Office reluctantly decided to send me home. Before they escorted me home, they tried to persuade my father to sign a "Guarantee Statement" [A statement to declare that he or she is remorseful for practicing Falun Gong and guarantees not to practice Falun Gong again, not to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and never again associate with any Falun Dafa practitioners.] They deceived my father by saying that if he signed the statement, they would give him a release certificate once they sent me home. My father believed them, so he signed the paper. But after I was sent home, they gave my father a medical parole form instead. They also told my parents that I only broke my legs. When my parents saw that I was paralyzed, they angrily questioned the police, who had no explanation.
When the police van arrived at my village, about three dozen villagers came to see me. Seeing my emaciated state and paralysis, they were outraged. My next-door neighbor noticed that on the four-hour trip home, I had been lying down merely on a slab of cracked wooden board, with only a bed sheet beneath me. She said angrily, "Even just laying a quilt on it would have been helpful. The police officers aren't treating us like human beings!"
The van continued on to the Detention Center of Dehui again. Awaiting me there were the head of the detention center Liu Yuhu, "instructors" Wang Renbiao and Liu Chunxia, a prison doctor named Li Yazhou, and three inmates. The assistant head of the Political Security Office Zhang Qingchun walked up to tell me that he was from Chalukou Township. I recalled that it was him that had followed my fellow practitioners and me in the Chalukou Township.
On the fifteenth day after I returned home, four officers from the Political Security Office of Dehui City again came to my village to pick me up for interrogation. After word got around that the police had come again, my neighbours all came to my house, worried that I would be further persecuted. Afraid of their crimes being exposed, however, the police officers shut the door and blocked any of the villagers from entering our house. In addition, they broke into my brother's room without showing a search warrant. One neighbor said angrily, "The policemen have lost their minds. The girl was persecuted to this extent, yet still they won't leave her alone." Because of the way the policemen treated me, in addition to my very weak health, my body twitched and I could hardly breathe. When I regained consciousness as a result of the neighbors' help, the policemen had all disappeared.
Written by Wang Di, Jilin Province, China
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Violence Inside Beijiao Prison, Hebei Province, China: Sleep Deprivation and Driving Nails into Practitioners' Fingers
Beijiao Prison in Shijiazhuang City (also known as the City's Fourth Prison), Hebei Province has jailed more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners. The prison's Education Division is the major section that persecutes Dafa practitioners.
The most vicious means the guards use is sleep deprivation, keeping them awake until they can bear no more and give in. The guards have also directed criminal inmates to brutally torture Falun Gong practitioners. The inmates turn small benches upside down and forced practitioners to sit on the sharp edges of the benches with their legs crossed while the inmates drive nails into their fingers.
Li Mingtao, a Falun Gong practitioner from Handan City, Hebei Province was sent to the Beijiao Prison. The prison guards locked him up in a small dark cell and organized several inmates to torment him. They forced him to sit on a small bench in the cell's corner and started a torture called "boiling hawk," which was sleep deprivation for several consecutive days with constant beatings. Meanwhile, an official from the Education Division attempted to deceitfully persuade him, "Don't be so stubborn. How can you practice Falun Gong while you are in prison? We do not mind what you think in your heart. It is okay as long as you write a promise (to renounce Falun Gong). You know this institution forces people to transform!"
However, several days later, Li Mingtao still insisted, "It is not wrong for us to practice Falun Gong and to be good people." Li also protested the persecution that was forced on him and rejected the unreasonable requests, so the education division and other brainwashing staffs began to torture him even more furiously. Zhao Jun, a police guard from the education division even drove nails into Li's left hand pinky and thumb. Today, after over six months, one of Li's fingers is still festering.
Falun Gong practitioner Ge Zhenli was deprived of sleep for 7 consecutive days. They beat him as soon as he closed his eyes. Ge Zhenli suffered brutal torture because of practicing Falun Gong. He has been imprisoned since December of 2003 and, to this day, suffers inhuman torment.
The guards in Beijiao Prison, Shijiazhuang City, have used all kinds of methods, combining brutal tortures with threats and coercion, to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Because of the strict information blockade, a lot of news cannot reach the outside world. The above information was sent out by someone who risked his life to break through the blockade.
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The Torture of Female Falun Gong Practitioners at the Tiananmen Police Station
I am a Falun Gong practitioner in Qingquan County, Baoding District, Hebei Province. In November 2001, I was illegally arrested and put in the Qingquan detention center, where I met 11 female practitioners from northeastern China. They were first illegally detained in the Tiananmen Police Station and then sent here, to Qingquan detention center.
They described to me how they were tortured at the Tiananmen Police Station. The police placed each practitioner in small individual cells which had a water hose hanging from the ceiling. The police stripped off practitioners' clothes and poured ice cold water on them for over a half hour. The cell was so small that a person could hardly turn around in it. In the cold winter police poured ice cold water on the heads of practitioners. The inhumane police even cut off the buttons from the clothes of the practitioners so when they were released from the cells they had to use their hands to pull their clothes together to cover their bodies.
BBC: China torture inspection delayed
The UN says China has postponed a long-awaited inspection visit by its special rapporteur on torture which was due to have taken place in late June.
Beijing says that it needs more time to prepare and that this should be read as a sign of just how much importance it attaches to the visit.
The move has been criticised by a human rights group which says it raises questions about Beijing's sincerity.
The rapporteur, Theo van Boven, has said he regrets the postponement.
The trip has been under discussion for almost a decade and Mr van Boven was finally due to make his first tour of China at the end of June.
"The need for additional time to prepare for the two-week visit, especially given the different authorities, departments and provinces involved, was cited by the government as a season for the postponement," Mr van Boven said in a statement.
Nicholas Becquelin, of Human Rights in China, told BBC News Online the postponement "does nothing to dispel the impression that China has something to hide".
In Mr van Boven's annual report, released in March, the section on China was the longest, with more than 130 cases of reported torture and abuse.
Mr Becquelin said the Chinese authorities' treatment of their citizens raised three main areas of concern:
* The alleged use of torture to extract confessions from those in pre-trial detention.
* The alleged torture of members of groups which Beijing considers a threat to national security or to its hold on organised religion. These include practitioners of Falun Gong, ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang, members of underground churches.
* Extra-judicial detention, for example the use of "re-education through labour", which Chinese citizens can be sentenced to for up to four years without trial
The rapporteur has said he will only visit China if he can make unannounced visits to places of detention and have unsupervised interviews with prisoners.
"This is a risk the government is apparently not ready to handle," said Mr Becquelin.
Earlier attempts to organise a visit by the UN torture rapporteur have been hindered by disagreements with Beijing over the terms of reference.
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WALB TV Broadcasts Story About Practitioners' Torture Exhibit During the G8 Summit
WALB TV, a NBC branch in Georgia broadcast a report on Falun Gong practitioners' appeal and torture exhibit during the G8 Summit. The interview was aired on the International News Program that day.
Reporter Dawn Hobby conducted the interview. Her report is summarized below:
With the G8 Summit attracting much attention from the public, many protesters and activists gathered in Georgia's coastal cities to raise awareness and concern. A group of people who were sitting in meditation in Reynolds Square in Savannah were almost unnoticed by a US soldier standing guard, but if these people were doing so in China, they could be subjected to torture and even murder.
This is a meditation originated from Asia, called Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioner Dana Cheng said, "It has two parts. One is exercises comprising five sets of movements. At the same time, practitioners upgrade their characters by following the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."
But Jiang's group is neither kind nor tolerant to these practitioners. Ms. Cheng said that because Falun Gong was very popular among people, the Chinese dictator [Jiang Zemin] was quite jealous. He was not an elected president, and nor was he welcomed by people. And he was unable to tolerate any theory other than communist ideology, and he had been used to controlling people's thoughts. So he attempted to eradicate Falun Gong, and therefore he ordered to start the persecution of Falun Gong. "
At this time, scenes of Falun Gong practitioners' demonstrating the torture methods used by Jiang's group appeared on TV. The report stated that since 1999, more than 1500 practitioners have died or killed for practicing Falun Gong. Lu Chaohui's three-month wife suffered three-year brutal torture in a Chinese labor camp for distributing Falun Gong truth clarification materials. Lu told the reporter that she had once been deprived of sleep for three days and nights. The police guards shocked her with electric batons, attempting to force her to give up her belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."
Lu and other Falun Gong practitioners came to Savannah to inform people about the persecution, and demonstrate the beatings and brutal torture methods that Falun Gong practitioners have endured in China. Lu told the reporter, "What we are demonstrating here is no way to compare with what is really happening in China. The real torture there is much more severe."
They chose this place near the G8 Summit site. Lu said, "We believe that all governments and the international community have the responsiblity to stand up and call for help stop the persecution. The historical tragedy is repeated. Similar to the massacre of Jews, Falun Gong practitioners are being killed in China. We need people to help stop the killing."
The report stated finally that Lu's wife has been released from the labor camp but they have not yet been reunited. The torture exhibit entitled "Principle Meets Persecution" will continue on Reynolds Square until Thursday.
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Macon Telegraph, GA: Mock torture G-8 protest highlights Chinese persecution
Gang Chen's journey to the G-8 summit began four years ago when Chinese police dragged him out of his bed and threw him in a forced labor camp.
His crime was practicing Falun Gong, a rapidly growing discipline that combines yoga-style exercise with a spiritual element. For reasons Falun Gong practitioners have trouble understanding, the Chinese government finds the practice threatening.
Chen, 33, was among a group of about 40 people who held what may have been the most effective demonstration of the G-8 summit. They stood at Overlook Park in Brunswick staging mock torture that they say is used on Falun Gong practitioners in an effort to get them to renounce their faith. They also demonstrated Thursday in Savannah.
Chen explained the many torture methods he endured for 18 months before he finally relented and renounced.
He and others endure the torture rather than immediately renounce because the tenants of Falun Gong are truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. It's the truthfulness aspect, he said, that keep them from relenting.
He caved only when he believed he was near death, but after all he had endured, he still thought he had betrayed his faith.
"After that I felt so guilty and helpless and painful in the heart," he said. "They sought to take away our conscience."
After he was released, he took a job with a U.S. company and was allowed to come to the United States. He has never returned to China.
The protesters want the government to put pressure on China to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. They believe that as a huge buyer of Chinese goods, the United States has the leverage to do it.
When people buy products made in China, the protesters say, they could be buying the products of a forced labor camp.
Yeong-Ching Foo said her fiancée, a naturalized U.S. citizen, traveled to China in an effort to expose persecution. Chinese police arrested him as soon as he stepped off the plane and put him in a forced labor camp, where he remains today.
"What the Chinese government is trying to force you to do is give up the very basic principles of a human being," she said.
Though they admitted that leaders at the summit, isolated on Sea Island, were unlikely to hear their message, they saw the summit as an opportunity to spread awareness. Apparently many people were willing to listen. They had a steady stream of curious people stop by to view the exhibits and inquire about the cause, organizers said.
The demonstration included a man dressed in a Chinese police uniform holding a baton over a man who was tied to a chair, with drops of simulated blood covering his white shirt.
Chen showed how he was forced to crouch for hours at a time, and then showed what finally broke him: being forced to bend over with his head tied with a short rope to his ankles. He also said he was forced to go without sleep for days at a time, and sometimes he was force-fed.
The group alleges that 975 Falun Gong practitioners are confirmed to have been tortured and killed, but they believe the actual number is much higher.
"People are being tortured to death only because they believe in truthfulness, compassion and tolerance," said Bin Zou, 34, who came from Los Angeles to participate.
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VOA: Hu Jintao Visits Warsaw, Bo Xilai Charged with Crimes
VOA reported on June 10 that Chinese president Hu Jintao started a 2.5-day visit to Poland as the first stop on his trip to 4 European and Asian nations. This is the first time that a Chinese president has visited Poland since the nations established diplomatic relations 55 years ago. On the same day of Hu Jintao's arrival in Poland's capital of Warsaw, his Minister of Commerce, Bo Xilai who accompanied the president, was again charged with crimes against humanity and torture for having persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.
[...]
Welcoming Party Steals Falun Gong and Tibetan's Banners
On the day of Hu's arrival, the Chinese embassy organized a Chinese welcoming group to welcome the president in a manner which caused great concern to Polish society.
On Tuesday afternoon, the welcoming group of more than 30 Mainland Chinese gathered at the Warsaw President Plaza. According to witnesses, after arriving at the plaza with "Welcome Hu Jintao" red banners hoisted in their hands, the group shoved its way to the front of Falun Gong practitioners and members of Polish Friends of Tibet who had been at the plaza waiting for the Chinese president for a long time.
A Polish attorney1 who was at the site told a VOA reporter: "At that moment, I felt that I was in China." He said the group first pushed and shoved them, and tried to use their red banners to block Tibetan banners and Falun Gong practitioners' "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice" and "Falun Dafa is Good" banners. Later, some Chinese from the group started to snatch the Tibetan banners. There were physical struggles between both sides, however, there were no injuries reported. Banners held by Falun Gong practitioners were also stolen by a Mainland Chinese. The attorney said: "They were very aggressive. A man who drove a bus for the welcoming group came off the bus and tried to attack the Falun Gong practitioners. He was stopped by Polish police."
Falun Gong practitioners said they practice principles of non-violence, and no one tried to seize back the banners. However, they have reported the incident to local police requested police to investigate the Chinese who stole the banners and take proper actions accordingly.
Bo Xilai Charged with Crimes against Humanity and Torture
A Polish Falun Gong practitioner1 who is an English teacher told VOA that he and several other Falun Gong practitioners had submitted a lawsuit to the Polish Procuratorate on the morning of Hu's delegation's arrival. The lawsuit charges Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai with crimes against humanity and torture.
The lawsuit alleges that Bo spent huge amount of taxpayers' money to build new prisons in which to detain and persecute Falun Gong practitioners when Bo was Mayor of Dalian City and Governor of Liaoning Province. Citing Chinese official media reports, the lawsuit said that Bo Xilai invested 1 billion yuan (~120 million US dollars) to upgrade provincial prisons. At Masanjia of Yuhong District of Shanyan City alone, he spent more than a half billion yuan to build the first prison town of China. The prison town occupies about 2000 mu (a unit of area, ~133 hectares) and the construction was finished by 2003.
The Polish Falun Gong practitioner went to China to appeal for Falun Gong in 2002. He was arrested by police at Tiananmen Square, beaten, cursed and then deported. He said that the lawsuit against Bo Xilai was not just a symbolic move. He said: "We are serious--our goal is to bring him to justice." An attorney1 pointed out that whatever the result of the lawsuit will be, the significance of the lawsuit lies in letting "those human rights perpetrators feel unsafe to go anywhere around the world."
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
Eight Years of Diabetes Cured Without Medication
My mother had diabetes, heart disease, and osteophytosis for many years. She was a nurse for over 30 years and relied heavily on various treatments. Three years ago when my mother came to the U.S. to visit us, she brought two pieces of luggage with her. One contained her daily clothes and the other was entirely packed with all kinds of medication. She swallowed handful after handful of medicine each day, was kept on a strict diet, and needed to monitor her blood sugar at all times.
If her blood sugar level was not controlled well, it would result in further complications of the capillaries as well as other problems. These would greatly accelerate the development of additional illnesses. In order to regulate her blood sugar, my mother was forced to decline all sweets. She could not even eat a little more of her favorite starchy foods, and fruit was completely out of the question. Only when her craving became too hard to bear did she dare to take a small bite.
After moving to the U.S., the thing that my mother feared most was falling ill and giving me trouble, so she often said, "How wonderful it would be if I were someday cured of diabetes!" However, as a biologist, I knew the chances of her diabetes being cured with medicine as it stands today is very small.
I really hoped to find a true belief, but for some reason my heart was not moved by today's religions. The atheist education that I received formed a thick wall around me and I found it hard to believe in anything.
Nevertheless, I instinctively felt that there was some sort of arrangement governing one's life. As for what the force was, I did not know. Coursework in the U.S. was very demanding and I gradually conformed to an old idiom, "Respect the gods and ghosts by keeping a distance." I made an effort to restrain myself from seeking any belief and forced myself to fight for one pragmatic goal after another, such as which experiments to do, what papers to publish and where to go for the holidays, etc. However, the inexplicable feelings of loss and confusion often kept me up at night. Was there no more meaning to life?
Later, pathological changes were apparent in my mother's eyes. Sudden fuzziness of vision often occurred and would take a long time to recover. The frequency and duration gradually increased, and I despaired that my mother would soon lose her eyesight. I immediately made an appointment for my mother with the ophthalmology department diabetes division in the Massachusetts General Hospital. The earliest slot available was not until half a month later.
I often discussed my mother's illness with my colleagues. One of them practiced Falun Gong for many years and advised my mother to give it a try. Although I had seen people practice Falun Gong in China 10 years ago, I was not very familiar with it and regarded it as just a form of qigong to strengthen the body. After moving to the U.S., the mother-in-law of one of my colleagues practiced Falun Gong, yet I did not give it much thought. Later I heard from a classmate back in college that his parents had practiced for many years and his mother's stroke was healed after only a few days of practice. After learning of this, I still did not see it as anything. Then my colleague gave me a copy of the book Zhuan Falun and said, "Let your mother read the book first and then decide whether or not to practice"
My mother enjoyed reading the book very much, so I borrowed the exercise instruction tape from my colleague for her to learn at home. But she never seemed to get the gist of it. Later my colleague suggested that I take her to study the Fa and do the exercises with the group. I hesitated. After the June 4th Tiananmen Student Massacre, I vowed never to inquire about politics. I didn't even know who the current Chinese leader was. I was afraid of unknowingly becoming labeled anti-party or anti-communism, as a traitor to my country. Moreover, the people against Falun Gong had said many bad things about it. I was afraid that in addition to not having her illness cured, my mother would be confused. However, the practitioners I know are very good people. So I thought to myself, "Whether a person goes astray in cultivation is probably related to one's educational background."
I decided to read Zhuan Falun myself so that I could warn my mother if I saw anything inappropriate. However, I could not put the book down once I started. So this is what Falun Gong really talks about! I was relieved and took my mother to attend group Fa study. There were two seniors close to my mother's age at our practice site. They were both very ill in the past; however, after practicing Falun Gong their health continued to improve, and they found no need to take medication any more. At first, I was playing with the children in another room. Although I believed Falun Gong was good and was supportive to my mother's decision, I doubted I would be able to follow the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at all times. I thought cultivation was too difficult and I could not make up my mind to do it. I was not quite sure what those elderly people said to mother and still held doubts to the miraculous power of Falun Gong.
After two weeks, I took my mother to the eye appointment that I set up for her. The doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with her eyes and that the symptoms of diabetes disappeared. I was very surprised and asked him whether there was a mistake. He affirmed his diagnosis and probably thought that I was making a fuss out of nothing. Since I talked with the doctor in English, my mother could not understand. Seeing the serious look on my face, she thought the results were not good. I told her, "The doctor said you do not have diabetes." She was overjoyed and her first reaction was, "Teacher must have cured it for me." Then she secretly told me, "I have not taken the medication for a week now." At that time I was not completely convinced that my mother's diabetes was cured so I said, "Let's not rush to conclusions just yet. It's better to continue with the medication." My mother did not say anything to me. Once we got home, we immediately tested her blood sugar using mine as a background. My mother's blood sugar was indeed normal even after meals.
Each patient fully realizes how precious it is to have a healthy body. For a person diagnosed with an incurable disease, the restoration of health is no longer just pure happiness. There is also shock and gratitude that resonate from deep down in one's heart.
Without medication, my mother was cured of her eight years of diabetes. She has been practicing for almost a year and has not touched a single tablet since last June. Her other illnesses disappeared as well and her health is getting better each day. If I did not major in biology and this had not happened to my mother, it would be hard to convince me how wonderful Falun Gong really is.
Now I proudly acknowledge Falun Gong as my spiritual belief and am no longer puzzled in life. I also understand why there were so many people practicing Falun Gong in China before Jiang launched the persecution. Furthermore, it is clear to me why even after the Cultural Revolution and the June 4th Tiananmen Student Massacre that there are still people in China willing to follow the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. If Falun Gong does not possess such miraculous, pure and stunning powers, how could it possibly move the hearts of the Chinese people, who had been through repeated deceptions and are numb to belief?
I sincerely hope that more people can have the chance to truly understand Falun Gong and improve themselves through cultivation.
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Clarifying the Truth to Chinese Tourists in Thailand
On Saturday, May 29, 2004, the famous tourist destination city of Pattaya on the eastern coast of Thailand baked in the heat. The sky was blue, the earth was green, the birds sang, and flowers bloomed, giving off sweet fragrances. The beautiful scenery welcomed multitudes of Chinese tourists, and also provided a good opportunity for clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. Below are a few short stories of Falun Gong truth clarification.
"He is so Evil!"
Several tourists from Shanghai said 'Falun Dafa is good' many times, once they learned that Falun Dafa practitioners in U.S and other places were bringing Jiang to justice. One of them even said, 'I suggest Jiang be sentenced to prison. He is so evil!'
"You are magnificent!"
Tourist: Who is sponsoring your truth clarification efforts? (pointing to the Falun Dafa truth clarification material)
Practitioner: No one. We spend our own salaries and savings to make these materials.
Tourist: Why do you want to send this information out?
Practitioner: To help our brothers and sisters from China understand the true story of Falun Gong.
Tourist: You are surely magnificent!
"Can you give me more copies of the material? I want to bring them back to show more people."
Three tourists from southern China walked towards a Falun Gong practitioner, who had Falun Gong brochures in his/her hands.
Practitioner: Welcome to our Thailand friends. These two copies of the materials have been prepared specifically for you.
Tourist A: (takes the brochure.) What is it about?
Practitioner: Falun Dafa has spread all over the world. Jiang is being sued in international courts.
Tourist B: Sure. Falun Gong is good, good!
Tourist C: (excited) I practice too.
Practitioner: Do you still practice?
Tourist C: (doesn't say anything, but nods.)
Practitioner: Persist. Don't let Master down.
Tourist C: (smile.)
Tourist B: "Can you give me more copies of the material? I want to bring them back home to show more people."