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Hello, and welcome to the weekly FGMtv news review. I'm Susan Mitchell.
- Here at FGMtv we focus on programs and news that illuminate the truth of Falun Gong, which is also known as Falun Dafa.
- Falun Dafa is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that includes exercise and meditation. Its principles are based on being true, good, and enduring.
- The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout the country.
- In 1998, a government survey concluded that the number of practitioners exceeded membership in the communist party.
- One year later, dictator Jiang Zemin began a brutal persecution that violates not only the Chinese constitution, but also international treaties signed by China.
In this week's update from China...
- 735 Falun Gong practitioners are confirmed to have died from torture while in custody. Reliable sources inside China put the actual total death count in the thousands.
- Torture reports in the last seven days have come in from 15 different provinces, and the cities of Beijing, Changchun and Nanchong.
- 524 people declared as null and void, statements saying they will give up Falun Gong that were made while undergoing torture as they were the result of extreme coercion. They say they will continue practicing Falun Gong.
Our top story this week:
- High-level Chinese officials found guilty of crimes against humanity in U.S. courts
And some of our other stories:
- Two Thousand Falun Gong practitioners meet in Chicago
- Police Atrocities in Qidong county of Hunan Province
- A photo exhibit in Magdeburg, Germany
- Pro-Communist Association members assault Falun Gong practitioners during a peaceful appeal in NY City
- Falun Dafa video lectures cure a 13-year bout of depression
High-level Chinese officials found guilty of crimes against humanity in U.S. courts
- In a suit filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act, Judge Edward M. Chen in San Francisco has denied foreign sovreign immunity to two high-level Chinese officials.
- Beijing Party Secretary and former Beijing Mayor Liu Zi, and Deputy Governor of Liaoning Province Xia Deren have been found guilty of overseeing the torture of practitioners of Falun Gong.
- In December, 2001 in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, the judge ordered a default judgment against Zhao Zhifei. Nominal damages were awarded to the plaintiffs.
- A U.S. District Court judge in Chicago is currently reviewing legal arguments for the lawsuit against former Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Jiang is charged with torture, genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as conspiracy to commit violations of civil rights against Falun Gong within the jurisdiction of the United States.
- Attorney of record for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Jiang said, "The California cases, while still pending on some issues, demonstrate that sitting officials cannot claim immunity for their crimes against humanity. No one is above the law."
You'll notice that Christine Loftus signs off with a new surname this week! All of us FGMTV would like to congratulate Christine on her recent marriage to Andrew Parker.
Christine reports this week from Chicago:
- Practitioners and supporters of Falun Gong have gathered here at the Federal Plaza in Chicago to celebrate the 11th anniversary since the practice of Falun Dafa was introduced to the public.
- People have come from all over the world including Europe, Canada, Asia, Australia, and from across the U.S.
- For the next three days, various events will be taking place, including an experience-sharing conference, two parades and three concerts.
- Today's concert consists of various types of both traditional and modern music and dance. Each performance was carefully prepared in order to express the beauty of Falun Dafa through movement and song.
- In addition to artistic performances, there will also be a demonstration of the five Falun Dafa meditation exercises.
- Many pedestrians have been stopping by to take a look at today's events. The atmosphere is one of joy and celebration which has had the effect of attracting many.
- This is Christine Parker reporting from Chicago.
Thanks Christine.
Police Atrocities in Qidong County of Hunan Province
- The Jiang regime considers its treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China as state secrets, and they do all in their power to prevent information from leaking out of the country.
- In mid-June 2003, a detailed account was received from Qidong County of Hunan province reporting on atrocities there over the last four years.
- Currently, there are at least 113 Falun Gong practitioners illegally detained in the county. They have not been sentenced to jail or sent to forced labor camps, but are detained with no time limit. There are 33 men and 80 women, and their average age is 51.
- According to other incomplete statistics, at least 15 men and 16 women practitioners are illegally imprisoned in the county. Their average age is 49. Some of them have been detained for as long as four years and have been illegally fined thousands of Yuen.
- Following is one of several accounts of the torture of practitioners:
- In March 2001, Mr. Zhengrong He and Mr. Wei Li from the Qidong County Political and Security Section secretly took Mr. Yunlu Deng to the Jinqiao Police Station. They hung him up for 7 days and nights by the wrists. Deng's left hand became numb, and the flesh was cut so deeply that bone was visible. His clothes were covered in blood, and he had injuries all over his body. It took half a year for him to recover.
- The names on your screen are the names of police who committed crimes, including the murder of two Falun Gong practitioners in Qidong County. These authorities will be brought to justice as soon as possible.
Lawsuits against Jiang Zemin are being filed in 59 countries.
FGMTV's Christine Parker spoke recently with Zenon Dolnyckji:
Christine: Hi Zenon
Zenon: Hi
Christine: Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.
I understand that practitioners in support of the Falun Gong have filed some lawsuits against the leader of China, and this is going on throughout the world. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
Zenon: Absolutely. As far as I know, the case in Chicago Illinois was actually served to Mr. Jiang while he was visiting the United States and the charges were for torture, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The United Nations Committee Against Torture and the United Nations Committee for Human Rights have also received legal communications detailing the nature of the persecution, the systematic way it is expounded throughout the entire society, and how Jiang Zemin is the orchestrator of these crimes and how he is the one that is to be punished for these crimes.
Zenon: Both in international law and both in the laws of countries around the world, this case is slowly being brought forth. In Switzerland, Mr. Phillip Grant began an international coalition and he announced that 59 countries will start submitting cases to their own local judicial systems as well, so that any time Jiang Zemin tries to travel anywhere in the world, any country he enters, he could possibly be incarcerated or he will have to start to face trial anywhere he goes. So different measures are being taken at different levels of international law and of local law in different nations around the world.
Christine: So what is your main goal in this? What do you hope to achieve by doing this?
Zenon: Well, Jiang Zemin was the person who originated the persecution of Falun Gong. It's his personal campaign. And by stopping this man and incarcerating him for his crimes, we feel this will end the persecution of Falun Gong. The persecution was pushed down through the Chinese society. It was forced upon people by him, because he was in the dictator's position to do so. And we feel that if we remove that pressure from the Chinese people that they will be able to stop these crimes and they will be able to bring about a remedy to the situation for the Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Christine: Great. Thank you Zenon.
Zenon: You're welcome.
Susan: Thanks, Christine and Zenon.
We have another report from FGMTV's Christine Parker in Chicago:
- Practitioners and supporters of Falun Gong have gathered here in Chicago this weekend to join various events and activities related to bringing an end to the persecution in China.
- As one of the main events, there has been an experience-sharing conference held here in Chicago, where practitioners have gathered to share their experiences related to cultivation in Falun Dafa, as well as their experiences related tovarious projects that they're working on to help to bring an end to the persecution.
- As a surprise, the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi, came and lectured to the audience for one hour.
- Everyone has come away with learning a lot about their cultivation and benefitting greatly from the conference.
- This is Christine Parker reporting from Chicago.
Susan: Thanks, Christine.
Opening Ceremony to Falun Dafa Photo Exhibit in Magdeburg, Germany
In Magdeburg, Germany, on June 6, 2003, a Falun Dafa photo exhibition entitled "The Road to Fa-rectification" was launched in the Municipal Part-Time University.
The Mayor's assistant opened the ceremony by saying "The purpose of this exhibition is to expose China's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The persecution and torture of Falun Gong practitioners is the persecution of human rights. It is hard to imagine a world without the moral principles of honesty, kindness and patience. We must support people who protect those morals. I also appeal to everyone to make this task their own responsibility."
A famous Professor of human rights from the University of Magdeburg also spoke at the opening ceremony: "As a spiritual movement in China," he said, "Falun Gong has been cruelly persecuted in the past few years, the facts of which are recorded in detail by Amnesty International. . . . To really understand why some people cannot tolerate something so good that is accepted by millions of people, one has to understand the thinking and logic of the totalitarian system. It is difficult for politicians to accept the possibility that millions of people have found their own road to freedom, a road that a country can never interfere with, and a road enabling oneself to be in harmony both physically and spiritually. It is precisely this point that causes the leaders in China to be frightened. The critical issue is that the totalitarian state is afraid of losing spiritual control over millions of people."
Excerpts from speeches at the opening ceremony of a Falun Dafa photo exhibition in Magdeburg, Germany.
Falun Gong Practitioners Assaulted in New York by Chinese Pro-Communist Association Members
- Chinese pro-Communist association members assaulted several practitioners of Falun Gong in New York City on the evening of June 23rd, 2003.
- Practitioners were handing out flyers and holding banners outside "Palace 88," a restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown. Chinese diplomats and local Chinese business association leaders were attending a banquet for Yingfan Wang, the departing UN ambassador from the People's Republic of China. According to the World Journal, Hongxi Zhang, the Consul General from the Chinese consulate in New York City was also at the banquet.
- Shortly before 10pm, witnesses say a woman left the restaurant, followed by many people. On seeing the Falun Gong practitioners outside, the woman said something to the people gathered around her and then climbed into a black Mercedes-Benz and drove away. Some of these individuals then confronted the Falun Gong practitioners, cursed at them and threatened to "beat [them] to death" for supporting Falun Gong. They then surrounded and beat several people, causing one man to bleed from his nose.
- One woman said she was sexually assaulted during the incident.
- Several victims of the assault filed police reports at the local precinct.
- Gregory Xu, one of the victims, said "Tonight Chinatown got a brief glimpse of what Jiang's persecution [of Falun Gong] in China is like. Simply for peacefully exercising our right to freedom of speech, we were physically assaulted. If they will openly attack people here in the U.S. just because we support Falun Gong, imagine what they do in China behind closed doors."
Falun Dafa video lectures cure a 13-year bout of depression
- A housewife from Taiwan sent us her story. She said, "I am thirty-eight years old. I started suffering from depression when I was twenty-five years old, after my first child was born. I lost interest in everything, and was unable to eat and sleep normally due to chest and stomach discomfort.
- Over these years, I have tried various methods. Although I spent lots of money, the results were poor. I still could not sleep and was on the verge of a mental collapse.
- Later, one of my relatives introduced me to Falun Gong. In September 2002, after coming back from watching the second of the nine-day video lecture session, I fell asleep peacefully, feeling that Dafa was truly miraculous.
- At that time, I was being treated in a Chinese medicine clinic in Taipei, costing more than 5,000 Yuan for each treatment, a very high cost. I went for a checkup that day. The doctor checked my pulse and said with surprise, "How come your pulse has changed so much? It is different now."
- My husband also attended the nine-day lecture series. Thinking that the principles are good, he also practices with me and even stopped drinking. After the lectures I have not seen a doctor or taken any medicine, being healthy, eating and sleeping well.
Thanks for watching the FGMtv weekly news review.
I'm Susan Mitchell. See you next week!
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