On July 8, Falun Gong practitioner Dai Zhizhen and her two-year old daughter Fadu were interviewed by one of the Italian State TV Stations (Raiuno). In the program Uno Mattino, she described the persecution of Falun Gong in China. At the same time, the chairman of the "Hands Off Cain" Human Rights Organization, Mr. Sergio D'elia, was also present.
Interviewer: The name, Falun Gong, still means little to many people, but for Ms. Dai (you can see her and her daughter sitting beside me), it means peace, forbearance, and meditation. However, because of it, she was confronted by misfortune in her life. For practicing this spiritual cultivation, her husband was killed, and her husband's sister was sent to a forced labor camp.
Ms Dai, who killed your husband?
Dai: The state chairman of China gave the order of a crackdown and slaughter. He even founded "610 Office" all over the nation, particularly for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
Interviewer: Let's go back to July 1999, when the Chinese government started to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Your family was one of them. What did they do to the practitioners?
Dai: We lived in horror. My husband was killed, his sister was sent to a Labor Camp, and my father-in-law also passed away. I had only my little daughter left. The suffering of my family is only one example of millions of Chinese families, who are unable to have their own voice heard. My daughter and I can stay alive because we have Australian passports. After my husband died, my daughter and I wanted to go back to China to fetch his ashes, but the Chinese government would not permit us a visa. I asked for help everywhere. Finally, with the help of Australian government, I got my husband's ashes.
Interviewer: In September 2000, your husband decided to leave home. What did he worry about?
Dai: He did not want to be sent to the brainwashing camp. The brainwashing camp is very terrible. Being tortured mentally is much more dreadful than physically. One is not allowed to sleep for 24 hours, and is cruelly beaten by the policemen. My husband was beaten to death.
Interviewer: You decided to leave China to give birth to this adorable child, and then go back to China. Was it because you feared the future that you made this decision?
Dai: Yes. I was worried about my daughter's safety. When my husband went to Beijing [to peacefully appeal], I wanted to go with him. However, I was afraid because I knew that the Chinese policemen were very violent. They would beat me, send me to the jail, and force me to have an abortion. This is my first child. I did not want to lose her, so I went back to Australia to give birth to my daughter. When she was four-months old, we went back to China, because the child needed her father.
Interviewer: When your husband was captured and then kidnapped, did you look for him through the official channels?
Dai: Yes. I had inquired about him everywhere, but no one admitted to the incident.
Interviewer: For how long did you not hear from your husband?
Dai: For six months. I waited for him in China, hoping that he would come back home one day. At last, my visa expired, so I had to go back to Australia again.
Interviewer: How were you informed of your husband's death?
Dai: I got the information from a Falun Dafa website. My husband's sister went to identify the body. At that time, his remains had started decaying. Next my husband's sister was sentenced to the Labor Camp.
Interviewer: How many victims are there in China under this crackdown?
Dai: More than one thousand people have been killed; many are in prisons, labor camps and psychiatric hospitals. Millions of families have been forced to break up. People have faced enormous pains and horror. I call on all mothers in the world to help us end this cruel persecution.
(In the 10-minute program, the scenes on the television were alternated with pictures of practitioners being beaten by the policemen. Uno Mattino is a very popular program whose topics include information, culture, and topical news. )
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