(World Journal Reported from Los Angeles on February 18) Three
American practitioners, detained by Chinese authorities after their appeal on Tiananmen Square, gave
an account of their arrest and displayed the bruises from being beaten by police. (Caption: Falun Gong practitioners who appealed on Tiananmen Square on
February 14, (from left) Albert Roman, Gina Sanchez and Mark Gardner.)
Mark Gardner, whose right eye still exhibits a bruise, works with computer software and is a college student.
Gardner stated that they went to Beijing to demonstrate on Tiananmen Square to let the Chinese people know that many people around the world practice Falun Gong. They also wanted the Chinese police to know that persecuting Falun Gong practitioners will result in serious consequences.
Gardner said he left Los Angeles for Beijing with Gina Sanchez and Albert Roman on February 10.
On the first day after they arrived in Beijing they stayed in hotel studying Fa and practicing exercises then went out on the street to learn more about life in Beijing. They planed to demonstrate on Tiananmen Square on the afternoon of February 14 with practitioners from other countries.
Mark Gardner said when he got to Tiananmen, as soon as he pulled banner from his pocket he was thrown onto the ground by several police who kicked him repeatedly.
Gina Sanchez is a local contact person from South California. All three of them showed bruises they received from beatings by police.
Albert Roman, who works in a bank, said that they were dragged into a police van and taken to a hotel where they were separately interrogated. Afterward 8 police escorted him and other American practitioners to get their personal belongings from the hotels where they had stayed. When he arrived at the hotel of one practitioner, he was asked to lower his head between his legs. He refused and thus was beaten up by the police. The bruise around his right eye was the result of the beating.
Mark Gardner said he would go to China to appeal again, however he is not sure whether he will receive a visa the next time.
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