(An Abridged Translation)

On October 9, Xinhua News Agency (the Chinese state media/by translator) published an editorial "Whoever goes against the trend of history will be exterminated" in which Falun Gong was charged with several so-called crimes. I would like to comment on this editorial.

The first so-called crime is that the appeal made by Falun Gong practitioners in Tiananmen Square was a demonstration against the "Party," the government, the people, and the country. In my opinion, the editors of Xinhua News Agency are mixing up concepts. First of all, who can represent the people? Before the crackdown, the government estimated that there were 70 million Falun Gong practitioners. But when the crackdown started, the government decreases the number of Falun Gong practitioners to 2 million. Who can truly represent the people then? Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong, or Luo Gan? They are only 3 individuals, yet the editorial seemed to claim that they represent the people, but not the 2 to 70 million practitioners. Next, who can represent the Party, Jiang or numerous party members? The Party has said that there are many practitioners who are party members.

The second so-called crime is that Falun Gong went against the government and the people during the National Day holiday and the Olympic Games. If we follow this reasoning, then Jiang Zemin would be the number one enemy of the people. During the fiftieth anniversary of the country, Jiang enforced martial law in the whole city of Beijing and all non-residents (who are all Chinese citizens) were either expelled or detained in the detention centers that are similar to concentration camps. Jiang did not allow people to celebrate the National Day holiday. Wasn't he positioning himself against the people? The scene I saw was the police brutally beating up people during the national holiday and even the foreign media said that Jiang celebrated the National Holiday by suppressing Falun Gong. Jiang was really disgracing China! As for the Olympic Games, the government has nothing to do with the glory of the athletes. It was the athletes, not the government, who won gold medals. Many US citizens do not watch Olympics, yet we didn't see any of them being labeled traitor to their country.

The third so-called crime is that Falun Gong attacked the Party and the country leaders. After visiting Falun Gong websites, I know there are many articles targeting Jiang Zemin recently and criticizing him as the chief criminal who suppresses Falun Gong. However, no other leaders were called on. Why did not Xinhua News Agency directly point out that Falun Gong is aiming solely at Jiang Zemin? Perhaps that would not have been sufficient to charge Falun Gong. It is well known that the decision to crack down on Falun Gong was made by Jiang Zemin himself. Falun Gong is not making up something that does not exist. If the crackdown was justified, why did the Xinhua News Agency attribute it to the Party and country leaders rather than Jiang himself as it should be?

The forth so-called crime is that Falun Gong has lots of activities overseas. I cannot see what rule Falun Gong has violated with respect to this point. The editorial contained nothing more than the accusation that Falun Gong discloses the truth of the crackdown to the overseas media, foreign governments, and the people all over the world. If this is disgracing China, then Jiang Zemin has already disgraced China to an extreme extent. Wasn't Jiang Zemin begging the foreign forces to support or connive with his crackdown of Falun Gong when he presented to leaders in other countries, including Clinton, brochures that defamed Falun Gong? If the crackdown is just an internal affair of China as Jiang claimed, why does he still beg for help from other countries? Jiang did everything he could in order to please other countries and get their support. However, despite his efforts, Jiang Zemin did not get the support he wanted; instead, what he got was only condemnation. What bothers Jiang Zemin most is that he cannot subdue Falun Gong even though he has spent a large amount of money for public relations and propaganda.

Xinhua News Agency has made a fatal mistake in its reasoning. The editorial claimed that Falun Gong's overseas activities are disgracing China. What has Falun Gong done overseas? It is disclosing the brutal and mass persecution and violation of human rights [in China] to the world. Then what is disgracing China, the violence or the activities to reveal the violence? Apparently, the editorial meant to refer to the latter, which positions itself in an awkward situation. Treating activities to disclose violence as "disgracing China" means they indeed acknowledge that the violence is shameful and they are afraid of being exposed to the world and that Jiang Zemin is violating the human rights rule generally observed by the international community. The Chinese leadership sent practitioners who refused to give up their practice to mental hospitals, or brutally persecuted them, including many deaths, while claiming this would do good to practitioners' health because otherwise they would not take medicine when they are sick. It is obvious who is disgracing China.

There is something in the editorial that actually reveals some facts. For instance, the editorial mentioned that Falun Gong is no longer a simple practice, appeal, or superstition. The words "no longer" indicate that Falun Gong has been a simple practice and practitioners have just appealed for justice. During the mass arrests and persecution, what Falun Gong practitioners have done is only practice and appeal. Why did Jiang Zemin and his cohorts charge Falun Gong with so many crimes that do not exist? Just because of the practice and appeal, over sixty people were beaten to death; hundreds of people were sentenced to imprisonment; tens of thousands of people were arrested and sent to labor camps without trial. The monstrous crimes that Jiang Zemin is committing have been exposed by these sentences in the editorial.

It seems to me that the essence of this lengthy and awkward editorial can be characterized by the following few words: "We do not need any excuse to persecute people. Even if we persecute people wrongfully, it does not matter. If we decide to crack down on Falun Gong, you can only give up." At the end of the editorial, it said: "rebel, fail; rebel again, fail again until extermination. This is the fate of all rebelling parties in the world." In my opinion, this is a perfect description for Jiang Zemin and his cohorts.