Central News Agency, San Francisco, February 15, 2002.
Five western Falun Gong practitioners who were brutally beaten in Beijing by state security officers and then deported, came back to the San Francisco Bay Area today and were welcomed home. Meanwhile, they strongly condemned the Chinese government for its violent persecution of religious freedom.
More than 50 western Falun Gong practitioners were forcefully rounded up on Tiananmen Square as they started appealing for Falun Gong. Many of them were severely beaten. After one day's detention, most of them were sent home. The five practitioners' appeal on Tiananmen Square and their brutal treatment received a lot of attention from the major media and the public.
Ms. Chun Lee, a petite woman, received the most brutal treatment because she looks Chinese. Ms. Lee, age 24, said that she was not only manhandled by more than ten plain-clothes security officers and pushed to the ground, she was also beaten and kicked. Her glasses were broken and the wounds on her face were still visible.
When asked about her feelings upon returning to U.S., Chun Lee burst into tears and said, "I only feel sad. Why can't Mainland China be tolerant of the basic freedoms of religion and belief? Why do they have to resort to force and violence, even against a small woman like me?"
Steve Ispas indicated that the plain-clothes police followed them all the time in Beijing. On the14th, before they started to take out the banner, the security officers rushed at them, violently pulled them away from the street and beat them. They were expelled after being detained and interrogated for one day.
The persecution of western Falun Gong practitioners on Tiananmen Square became a serious issue of human rights violations. David Kute expected that President Bush would strongly express his disappointment concerning the human rights conditions in China when meeting with Chinese senior officials during his planned visit to China.
These young and courageous westerners stated that it was hard to imagine that by simply expressing goodwill, they were violently persecuted. On the other hand, the incident revealed the nature of a totalitarian regime.
Lu Huy, a Vietnamese, stated in a letter addressed to his parents that, "I am going to Tiananmen with a pure heart and righteous thoughts to appeal for the basic rights of Chinese people who practice "Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance." However, he came back with wounds on his body.
More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners welcomed and presented flowers to the five practitioners in the afternoon. Many passengers passing by stopped and inquired about the incident.
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