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Practitioners Gather in Boston's Harvard Square and Expose Beijing's Human Rights Violations

April 15, 2004

(Clearwisdom.net) During the 60th United Nations Human Rights Commission session, Falun Gong practitioners in Boston and several organizations gathered in Harvard Square to expose the true situation of human rights in China.

Dr. John Jaw, president of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) revealed a series of reports entitled "On Products Made by Illegally Detained Falun Gong Practitioners' Slave Labor in Forced Labor Camps in Mainland China." These reports point out that many forced labor camp inmates in Mainland China participated in the production of goods made by slave labor and made tremendous profits by exploiting detainees. These products include toy rabbits, Zhenglin brand watermelon seeds and disposable chopsticks. These products are cheap and they have great economic impact when dumped onto the international market. Dr. Jaw quoted a Falun Gong practitioner who was unlawfully detained at the Shuangkou Labor Camp in Tianjin City as saying,

"The camp police arranged for me to package chopsticks into paper wrappers or make vegetarian shish kabobs. Many detained practitioners in the food processing plant had contracted scabies, and some even had yellowish pus oozing out of the blisters on their fingers. Without the use of gloves, the pus contaminated the food and the chopsticks. The forced labor camp pays no attention to the well-being of the detained practitioners. They also ignore the health issues of the consumers! Obviously, the camp products are not sanitary."

WOIPFG invited Dr. He Haiying, president of the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners to speak. He pointed out that in the past several months, the Chinese Ruling Party released a few dissidents and wrote the phrase, "respect and uphold human rights" into the constitution, while it continued to arrest and persecute innocent people. The arrest and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has never stopped.

Ms. Li Guangzhen, the mother of New York resident Xiao Jin, Ms. Qiu Yanyan, the sister of Philadelphia resident Qiu Qingqing, Ms. Fan Weihuang, mother of Maryland resident Fan Yagu, Ms. Zhang Jun, sister of New York resident Zhang Wei and Ms. Li Chiyue, niece of Zhang Wei are illegally detained in camps and are being tortured.

According to Dr. He, three Falun Gong practitioners in Massachusetts have family members who are illegally detained and are deprived of human rights.

The sister of Mr. Liang Yufeng who lives in Peabody has been held at Maoming City's "Legal School" [a brainwashing center] for more than four years, during which time she was not allowed to meet with her family. The mother of Mr. Wu Tie, a resident of Waltham City, has been detained at the Guizhou Female Labor Camp for two-and-half years. Dr. He's mother, sister and brother were unconstitutionally sent to labor camps and prisons. His 32-year-old brother who is also a physician was sentenced to ten years in prison for refusing to give up Dafa practice and is currently being held at Chongqing Prison.

Dr. He concluded by telling the audience that so far, over 60 human rights organizations around the world have signed a NGO resolution to be delivered to the United Nations. This resolution condemns China's human rights persecution and calls for the release of all detained and persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Tibetans and Buddhists, dissidents, human rights advocates and other people who are "guilty by conscience." It also calls for the international community and the UN to pass related resolutions to condemn human rights violations and urge real improvements in human rights conditions in China. A global alliance against human rights abuses is forming and growing.

Dr. Wei Pengfei, a spokesman for the Global Alliance to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice told the story of a 72-year-old church leader recently being beaten in prison until both legs broke; three mothers of Tiananmen Massacre victims were arrested for writing to the UN and 35-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Xudong was tortured until his hair turned white within 53 days and he died.

These cases show that the human rights conditions in China are worsening. Jiang Zemin, the current head of the Chinese military forces and also the head criminal responsible for the persecution, is being charged with genocide in many countries.

Mr. Chen Du, head of the Friends of Hong Kong and Macao Association of Boston, Xie Zhongzhi, one of the people in charge of China Democracy Long March Foundation of Boston, Erik Meltzer, spokesman for Society of Life and Science Exploration in New England, Chen Zhiqiang, person in charge of the Boston Foreign Language Institute and representatives from The Press of Overseas Chinese Students. Mr. Xu Wenli, the person in charge of Paying Attention to the Human Rights in China, and Mr. Wang Xingai, person in charge of Love of Foundation of Taiwan were unable to attend the meeting but sent their videos and written speeches.