News and Events from Around the World

• The Metropolitan New York Area Starts Celebrating the Fifth World Falun Dafa Day
• UK: Falun Gong Practitioners File Lawsuit Against Bo Xilai
• Belgian Amnesty International Issues a Statement Regarding the Chinese Premier's Visit to Belgium and the EU China Trade Forum
• US Lawyer Requests Chinese Consulate to Reconsider the Withholding of Falun Gong Practitioners' Passports to Prevent the Filing of a Legal Action
• Germany's Federal Department of Domestic Affairs Acknowledges Violation of Falun Gong Practitioners' Basic Rights During Jiang's Official Visit

• US Congressman: China's Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners Is Intolerable
• New York State Assembly Member Frank Seddio Writes to Congratulate the 2004 New York Falun Dafa Conference
• Kansas State Senator Requests that Chinese Consulate in Chicago Return the Passports of Falun Gong Practitioners
• MEP Matti Wuori writes to President Chirac: "I deeply regret that the French government bowed to Chinese pressure"
• Keep Liberty in France: Danish EMPs Request French Authorities to Apologize to Falun Gong Practitioners Unreservedly

• China: Forced Labor Camp Enslaves Practitioners, Forcing Them To Make Product for Export
• China: Ms. Zhang Yuzhen from Hebei Province Tortured to Death in Brainwashing Class
• Brutalized Body Shows Evidence of Torture in China
• Falun Gong Cured My Muscular Atrophy, but Jiang's Followers Caused My Husband's Death
• An Account of the Atrocities at a Detention Center in Liaoning Province, China

• Sydney Morning Herald: Beijing plays big brother on the net
• BBC Monitoring: Barred Taiwanese Woman Accuses Hong Kong of Rights Abuses
• Radio Free Asia Reports that Four Taiwanese Falun Gong Practitioners Were Denied Entry at the Hong Kong Airport
• Rocky Mountain News Exposes How Chinese Security Agents Tried to Coerce An American Citizen to Be Their Spy
• The Hamilton Spectator: Falun Gong group rallies against repression

• Terminal Liver Disease Disappears after a Few Months of Practicing Falun Gong

• A "610 Office" Director Realizes the Truth After A Dafa Practitioner Exposes the Flaws of the Staged Tiananmen Square "Self-immolation Incident"
  

On Friday, May 7, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners from the Metropolitan New York area started celebrating the 12^th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction and the 5^th World Falun Dafa Day. Practitioners went to the plaza in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall and performed songs and dances. The song "Falun Dafa is good" resounded through the plaza. Brooklyn is the largest of five boroughs in New York City. The street is packed with crowds all the time.

On the early morning of May 7, a rainstorm was followed by bright sunshine and a beautiful day. Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the borough government hall to celebrate in advance the fifth World Falun Dafa Day. Decorated with banners, balloons, lotus flowers, drum players, dragon dance, celestial maidens and display boards, the plaza was beautiful, shining and peaceful.

A blue banner with golden-colored words, "Falun Dafa is great" and a red banner with yellow words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" echoed each other and were extremely eye-catching in the sunshine. A giant vertical banner with English and Chinese words, "May 13, World Falun Dafa Day" displayed on the top steps told people about this special occasion.

Falun Gong practitioners practiced the exercises with the melodious music. Their "slow, gentle, and rounded" movements were stretching and elegant. One after another, passersby stopped to watch, some used their cell phones to take pictures.

Local government officials at different levels in Brooklyn successively issued proclamations or sent congratulatory letters from this celebration. Nine proclamations were received on that day to honor World Falun Dafa Day.

Congressman Ed Towns, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, State Senator Carl Andrews, State Assemblymen John Lavelle, Roger Green and Nick Perry, and New York City council members Letitia James and Albert Vann are among those who sent proclamations or congratulatory letters in honor of the fifth World Falun Dafa Day.

During the celebration, people expressed their support and fondness. Our truth-clarifying materials ran out after nearly 2500 English newsletters were distributed. Many people stopped to watch practitioners demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises, to listen to the practitioners' speeches, or to talk with practitioners and asked for more information about Falun Dafa, the persecution in China and exercise instruction class schedule. Some people learned the exercises on the spot.

At 2pm, the celebration concluded with the song, "Falun Dafa is good". Falun Gong practitioners from the metropolitan area will push the celebration to a climax on May 13, the World Falun Dafa Day in downtown Manhattan, and they will also hold celebrations in Flushing on May 16.

After a lawsuit filed by American Falun Gong practitioners against Bo Xilai for Genocide, Torture and Crimes Against Humanity, UK Falun Gong practitioners also recently entrusted an attorney to file a lawsuit against Bo Xilai for crimes of Torture against fellow Falun Gong practitioners in China. The Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard accepted the formal allegation made against Bo Xilai for serious crimes and a request for his arrest upon arrival in the UK by issuing a Crime Number.

Bo Xilai at present is visiting Europe with a delegation led by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The delegation arrived in the UK on May 9. During the Chinese delegation's visit, UK Falun Gong practitioners have been appealing to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and condemn Jiang Zemin's cohorts, like Bo Xilai, who are responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong.

Bo Xilai enthusiastically follows Jiang Zemin to persecute Falun Gong. During his term as mayor of Dalian City from 1993 to 2001, Dalian 's persecution of Falun Gong was one of the most severe of all the cities in China. At least fifteen Falun Gong practitioners have been verified as being persecuted to death. During his term as governor of Liaoning Province from January 2001 to February 2004, Liaoning's persecution of Falun Gong was also one of the most severe of all the provinces in China. Up to December 1, 2003, at least 90 Falun Gong practitioners have been verified as being persecuted to death, ranking fourth in the country. The persecution means are extremely brutal in many labor camps of Liaoning Province, such as in Masanjia Labor Camp, Da Bei Jail, Dalian Re-Education Center etc.

Belgian Amnesty International Issues a Statement Regarding the Chinese Premier's Visit to Belgium and the EU China Trade Forum

Belgian Amnesty International issued a statement on the Chinese Premier's visit to Belgium and the EU China trade forum. The statement especially pointed out that Amnesty International requests the Chinese government to conduct a thorough, fair and independent investigation into the already verified deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in detention centers, and to report on Falun Gong practitioners being subjected to torture and other forms of persecution during detention periods. All those who are responsible must be prosecuted by law according to fair standards set by international judicature.

In the news proclamation directed at the EU-China Trade Forum on May 5, Amnesty International emphasized that it is afraid that during the visit by the Chinese leader, the attention of businessmen will only be placed on economic issues and the severity of China's human rights problems will not be considered as a topic for discussion. Amnesty International thinks that the concern for human rights problems should not be blotted out by economic benefits. This is because in China, every year 10,000 people are executed. Falun Gong practitioners and some religious or spiritual groups are being persecuted everyday.

US Lawyer Requests Chinese Consulate to Reconsider the Withholding of Falun Gong Practitioners' Passports to Prevent the Filing of a Legal Action

The Chinese Consulate in Chicago refused to renew Ms. Dongmei Wang and Mr. Jiyun Kuang's passports and withheld the passports simply because they are Falun Gong practitioners. On March 28, US lawyer Eric Ziegenhorn wrote to Consul Saipo Zhou requesting Chinese Consulate to reconsider the withholding of Falun Gong practitioners' passports to prevent the filing of a legal action.

Lawyer Ziegenhorn wrote in the letter: "I represent Dongmei Wang and Jiyun Kuang. As we discussed on March 23, 2004, they mailed their passports and all needed information and fees to your consulate to renew their passports. I'm advised that the normal processing time is less than two weeks; however, they still have not received their passports. They have apparently been told that their passports are being withheld because they are Falun Gong practitioners, and that they would need to renounce their continued practice of Falun Gong in order to receive their passports."

The lawyer said: "Please be advised that I have been instructed by my clients to pursue all available legal means to effectuate return of their passports. It does not appear that my clients' passports are being held for legitimate reasons, and I respectfully request that you reconsider your withholding of these passports, to prevent the necessity of other measures such as the filing of a legal action."

It is known that, up to date, the Chinese Consulate in Chicago is still withholding the passports. Ms. Wang called the Consulate on April 14. The answer was that the Consulate was waiting for instructions from China.

Germany's Federal Department of Domestic Affairs Acknowledges Violation of Falun Gong Practitioners' Basic Rights During Jiang's Official Visit

According to documents the GFDDA delivered to the court, before Jiang arrived in Germany, the Chinese government told the German government, "According to a reliable source, Falun Gong plans to interfere with Chinese president Jiang Zemin's visit to Germany," "[Falun Gong inside China] sent orders to its branch offices in countries surrounding Germany asking its members to gather in Germany and interfere with the visit;" and "we cannot rule out the possibility of Falun Gong resorting to violent behavior." This misled the German police and caused them to be nervous. Jiang also forced the German police to clear all Falun Gong practitioners out of the Adlon Hotel, threatening to end the visit unless the hotel complied with his directive.

A German government report recognized that Falun Gong practitioners have never taken any violent measures during their protest of China's persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong practitioners' anti-persecution activities have always been peaceful, targeting Jiang's group, the persecutors. Even in Mainland China, where Falun Gong practitioners' personal freedom, property and even life are threatened, they still clarify the truth in a peaceful and rational manner.

Jiang's group spreads lies inside and outside of China to deceive the international community and poison the minds of those who do not know the truth. Below are a few examples.

During the 60^th session of United Nations Committee on Human Rights held in Geneva in March and April 2004, Jiang sent a group of lackeys and roughnecks to slander Falun Gong at the conference. Kaneko Yoko, a Falun Gong practitioner living in Japan who was held in China for one-and-a-half years recognized Wang Yusheng, one of the members, a co-founder, assistant director and head secretary of the Chinese Anti-Cult Association. On April 16, the Transnational Radical Party, a permanent international non-governmental organization in the Geneva United Nations Office, held a special meeting on the subject of genocide. During the meeting, a Swiss attorney, Ms. Boone, announced the filing of a lawsuit against Wang Yusheng. Wang Yusheng has led the Chinese Anti-Cult Association to the UN human rights conference during the past four years; he slandered and attacked Falun Gong during these meetings.

The "610 Office," founded in June 1999 for the sole purpose of persecuting Falun Gong, is notorious for its directing role in persecuting Falun Gong. At the 2000 and 2001 meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights held in March 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland, when faced with large numbers of documented cases of people tortured to death, Liu Jing, head of "610 Office," brazenly deceived the world again and claimed none of these cases were true, despite the fact that they all listed specific names, times, places and details of torture.

At an hour-long summit with then U.S. President Bill Clinton during APEC's 1999 meeting in New Zealand, Jiang Zemin made clear his concern that the U.S. show the "correct" attitude on the Falun Gong issue. Among the range of important issues discussed, only the Falun Gong issue was both raised directly by Jiang Zemin as well as documented in a book that Jiang gave to President Clinton. Jiang's inappropriate behavior shocked many Western diplomats present.

On April 26, a judge decided that the German Falun Dafa Association's lawsuit against the Federal Department of Domestic Affairs for violating the practitioners' rights is officially resolved, since Falun Gong practitioners have reached an agreement with the GFDDA. The outcome of this dispute shows Jiang group's lies are losing their captive audience and damaging China's image. People can clearly see that the villainous attitude of "I'll do whatever I want, and there is nothing you can do about it" belongs to the Chinese government.

The German government also brought shame upon itself by violating human rights and German laws. It is a victim of Jiang group's lies. To its credit, the GFDDA admitted the violations, which shows the German justice system is truly just.

Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

April 20, 2004

Dear Sarah,

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese government. I appreciate hearing from you.

I too believe that governmental persecution of any group for its political beliefs should not be tolerated. China's record on human rights, including the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, is intolerable.

The U.S. Senate Department is closely monitoring this situation and has raised their concerns over China's treatment of the Falun Gong repeatedly with the Chinese authorities both in Washington and in Beijing. They have also voiced their concern about the numerous reports of deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in custody.

While the U.S. Government takes no position on the beliefs and practices of Falun Gong, the State Department has made clear on numerous occasions their strong opposition to the detention of individuals solely for peaceful association and assembly. They have documented their concerns in their annual country reports on human rights practices, which can be found on the State Department website at www.state.gov. The steps the Chinese government has taken to restrict freedom of thought, conscience and belief are disturbing. These rights are protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The U.S. Government will continue to raise these issues with the Chinese government through diplomatic channels, in addition to making our position clear in public statements. In addition, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) has introduced H.Con.Res. 304, calling on the Chinese government to end its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. I have supported similar measures in the past and will keeps your views in mind should H.Con.Res. 304 come to the House floor for a vote.

It is important that I hear from you. Please feel free to contact me again with comments or concerns on matters that are important to you.

Jim Ryun

New York State Assembly Member Frank Seddio Writes to Congratulate the 2004 New York Falun Dafa Conference

The Assembly

State of New York

Albany

March 25, 2004

Dear Ms. Sha:

I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to greet the members of Falun Gong as you meet in New York City to celebrate the important work of your organization.

It is both fitting and proper for Falun Gong to come to New York the unofficial capital of the world and a symbol of tolerance and understanding.

Nowhere in America have so many people from all walks of life come together to create a society that is the envy of the World.

It is my hope that Falun Gong achieves great success in all of its activities and that the communist rulers of China will finally understand that their country can not truly be a part of the modern world until they give their people the freedom that all mankind is entitled to.

Again you have my congratulations and best wishes for a successful conference in New York City.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Seddio

Member of Assembly

Kansas State Senator Requests that Chinese Consulate in Chicago Return the Passports of Falun Gong Practitioners

The Honorable Jinzhong Xu

Consul General

Chinese Consulate in Chicago

100 West Erie Street

Chicago, IL 60610

Dear Consul General Xu:

This letter is written in support of your returning passports to the two following individuals: Dongmei Wang, and her husband, Jiyun Kuang

I understand they sent the passports to you in January, along with the needed information and the required fee, to be renewed. Apparently, you assume you can hold their passports because they continue to practice Falun Gong. This is not acceptable in the United States of America. The continuing persecution of innocent people, because of their beliefs, is not tolerated in our civilized society.

Please make every effort to return the renewed passports to Ms. Wang and her husband. I will await you timely response.

Sincerely,

Stephen R. Morris
Senator, 39^th District

MEP Matti Wuori writes to President Chirac: "I deeply regret that the French government bowed to Chinese pressure"

President Jacques Chirac
Palais de l'Elysée
Paris, France

Strasbourg, 5. May 2004

Honourable President,

I am writing to urge you, dear President Chirac, to defend the French values of liberty, equality and fraternity.

From the grand parade on the Champs-Elysées, co-organised by Paris and Beijing, until the end of the official visit in France of Chinese president Hu Jintao (from 24 to 28 January 2004), about 70 Falun Gong practitioners from England, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Sweden were arrested and detained for many hours while distributing flyers or simply wearing yellow scarves with the words "Falun Gong" on them on the streets of Paris. Some practitioners were taken away simply for being with those wearing yellow scarves.

For more than four years, in China, Falun Gong practitioners have been the target of a campaign of terror and genocide led by the ex-Party chief Jiang Zemin -- more than 900 have been tortured to death, more than 100,000 incarcerated in forced labour camps without trial, thousands have been forced into psychiatric hospitals; women, children and the elderly are not spared. Jiang Zemin is being sued for torture, genocide and crimes against humanity in North America, Asia and Europe.

I deeply regret that the French government bowed to Chinese pressure, acted against of the French values of liberty, equality, fraternity and arbitrarily arrested peaceful people who in no way had disturbed public order. I therefore request the French authorities to investigate these unjustifiable acts of discrimination and violence and to apologise to the victims unreservedly.

I thank you for your kind attention.

Yours sincerely,

Matti Wuori, MEP
EP Human Rights Rapporteur 2001
Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Human Rights, Common Security and Defence policy

Keep Liberty in France: Danish EMPs Request French Authorities to Apologize to Falun Gong Practitioners Unreservedly

Petition To:

France President Jacques Chirac
Palais de I'Elysee
Paris, France

Keep Liberty in France

From the grand parade on the Champs-Elysees, co-organized by Paris and Beijing, until the end of the official visit in France of Chinese president Hu Jintao (from 24 to 28 January 2004), about 70 Falun Gong practitioners from England, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Sweden were arrested and detained for many hours while distributing flyers or simply wearing yellow scarves with the words "Falun Gong" on them on the streets of Paris. Some practitioners were taken away simply for being with those wearing yellow scarves.

For more than four years, in China, Falun Gong practitioners are the target of a campaign of terror and genocide led by ex-Party chief Jiang Zemin -- more than 900 have been tortured to death, more than 100,000 incarcerated in forced labour camps without trial, thousands have been forced into psychiatric hospitals; women, children and elderly are not spared. Jiang Zemin is being sued for torture, genocide and crimes against humanity in North America, Asia and Europe.

We, the undersigned, deeply regret that the French government bowed to Chinese pressure, acted against the French values of liberty, equality, fraternity and arbitrarily arrested peaceful people who in no way had disturbed public order. I therefore request French authorities to investigate these unjustifiable acts of discrimination and violence and apologize to the victims unreservedly.

(Signature)

Name Mogens N.J. Camre
Position Member of the European Parliament
Nationality Danish
Date 14. April 2004

In the fifth group of the Changlinzi Labor Camp in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, the Falun Gong practitioners who have better eyesight are forced to weld together traffic control batons used by traffic police. The batons are exported to South Korea.

Practitioners with worse eyesight are forced to make toothpicks. The labor camp forces them to work 16-17 hours a day. Those who can't work as fast end up having to work day and night. Corn noodles and bread are the only food ever available. Only on April 24, when higher authorities came to inspect the labor camp, were the practitioners given something better to eat. Practitioners receive electric shock torture and beatings all the time.

The police here have totally lost control in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. They often start torturing practitioners after mealtime. Some of them even force-feed practitioners with alcohol.

We call for the support of all kindhearted people to ask the labor camps in China to stop this illegal slavery and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Zhang Yuzhen, 48, a former employee of a rubber plant in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, was tortured to death on May 4, 2004.

In 1998, she was diagnosed with late stage lymphoid cancer and was on the verge of death. But after she took up the practice of Falun Gong, she miraculously recovered and resumed her work.

After Jiang's regime started the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, Zhang Yuzhen brought her medical records to Beijing to appeal, hoping to let the government know that Falun Gong is good through her own experiences. However, the police arrested her there. After she was taken back to Zhangjiakou City, she was illegally detained and fined. She was later released, but police from Beixincun Police Station kept harassing her at her home and work place. She was abducted many times and sent to brainwashing classes. In order to avoid further persecution, Zhang was forced to leave home and wander around temporarily.

On the night of February 17, 2004, Zhang Yuzhen was arrested at home by the Dajingmen Police Station and sent to Shisanli Detention Center. She went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention, so the police sent her to a brainwashing class. In mid-April, when her family went to visit her, they found she was not clear-headed and seemed to be in a state of mental disorder. However, the police refused to release her or provide any treatment for her. As a result, she died on May 4, 2004. The police station didn't inform her family until after her death.

With his mouth blackened from repeated shocks from a cattle prod, a square piece of flesh missing from his heel and a body covered in black and blue patches, Mr. Li Yinglin was released by Chinese police only to die six days later from his injuries. (View photos).

On November 5, 2003, Li had traveled from his home in Shandong Province to Beijing to appeal to the government leaders to end the persecution of Falun Gong. Li was immediately detained.

Upon his release 9 days later, his wife, Ms. Ji Yueying, said she could hardly recognize him. "I immediately sent my husband to the No. 7 People's Hospital," Ji said.

For the next six days, Li vomited and discharged a lot of blood, while drifting in and out of consciousness. He died on November 20.

According to Ji, an autopsy on her husband's body found the gallbladder was very small indicating severe beatings, and other internal organs were severely damaged -- the liver and intestines were swollen, and had lost a lot of blood.

"This is the so-called, 'best period for human rights in China,' said Ji, making reference to the claim frequently put forth by Chinese authorities that human rights in China are in their "best period." Ji added, "At present in China, millions of [Falun Gong] practitioners are being persecuted and even killed by Jiang's supporters. Even our basic rights are being deprived."

Falun Gong Cured My Muscular Atrophy, but Jiang's Followers Caused My Husband's Death

Written by a Falun Gong practitioner in, Henan Province, China

I am 66 years old, living in Henan Province. I retired in 1994, and in 1995 I suddenly began to suffer from an inexplicable disease. I visited many hospitals in an attempt to cure my disease. The doctors diagnosed my illness as a serious muscular atrophy but could do nothing to help me. Then my family had to take me to Beijing to see more doctors. During the hospitalization my condition suddenly deteriorated. After 20 days of emergency treatment, for which my family paid more than 80,000 yuan (500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China), I survived. However, even under such circumstances, the doctors still could not cure my disease and could only maintain my life with costly medicines. I was very depressed by my suffering and by the fear of death that could befall me at any time.

Fortunately, I started to practice Falun Gong in 1996, and my fatal disease disappeared almost miraculously. I also experienced a dramatic improvement in my mental state. My family and I were deeply grateful to Teacher because Falun Gong had given me a new life.

On July 20, 1999, the political regime of Jiang Zemin launched the brutal persecution against Falun Gong. In October 1999 I went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. However, I was sent back by the Beijing police and was detained in the local detention center in my hometown, where I was illegally held for more than half a month. The local policemen didn't release me until they extorted 2,000 yuan from my family.

In October 2000, police came to my home and took me into custody once again. They illegally detained me for more than 20 days and extorted 5,000 yuan from my family. They also canceled my membership in the Chinese Communist Party.

In February 2001, on the second day after the Chinese New Year, the local policemen deceived me and abducted me. They took me to the local detention center where I was detained for more than a month. During that time, the policemen sent me to brainwashing classes in Puyang City and took away my I.D. card without returning it to me for three years. While I was in detention, the policemen broke into my home numerous times and frightened my family members with brutal threats. Due to all of this stress my husband suffered a serious illness. Nonetheless, the policemen continued to break into my home to harass him, even though he was bedridden. He died not long after.

By Witnesses in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, China

The First Detention Center in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province has been illegally detaining Falun Gong practitioners for quite a few years, and is carrying out inhumane tortures against them. Many Falun Gong practitioners were maimed as a result of torture, including 38-year-old Li Wei. The common criminal inmates used tin-snips to cut both of his nipples off. Falun Gong practitioners were routinely tortured and beaten. Their physical and mental health was constantly under threat. They were also forced to perform prolonged hard labor. Sometimes they were not allowed to sleep in order to work overtime through the night.

Li Wei was abducted and brought to the detention center in July 2003. He was subjected to such tortures as being bound to a bed, wearing shackles and being gagged, and being beaten by guards and inmates. These tortures resulted in multiple injuries to his chest and head. His lower limbs and kneecaps were swollen. His eyesight deteriorated to the point that his vision was constantly blurred by a layer of brown mucus. The regular criminal inmates, the prison doctors and guards frequently verbally abused Mr. Li, in attempt to harm him psychologically. He suffered headaches, unbearable chest pains and pressure, and acute anxiety syndrome during his detention. Often he remained awake at night and was forcefully sent to the hospital for the so-called "physical examinations" and "medical treatment." At times Mr. Li lost the ability to take care of himself.

The inmates often humiliated Li Wei for fun. They rubbed pepper oil into his eyes, nostrils and genital areas. They hit his eyes with their palms and slammed the back of his head against the wall. After Li Wei lost consciousness, two inmates would lift him up, and then throw him onto the floor several times to wake him up. They kicked and stepped on his genitals, and cruelly cut off his nipples with tin-snips. They also cut other areas of his body, including his scrotum, causing pus and blood to seep all over his pants.

The inmates tortured Mr. Li by pouring a pot of boiling water onto his body causing scalding on his chest and abdomen. They also burned his hands and feet with cigarette lighters. Li Wei was also forced to do hard labor at the detention center. Later, he was sentenced to three years of suspended detention.

Falun Gong practitioner Wang Jinbao, in his 40's, was arrested and taken to the detention center in 2002. He persisted in doing the Falun Gong exercises at the center, and he went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention. Because of this, he was brutally beaten. Mr. Wang was also tortured by being bound to a bed for nearly half a month, and he was severely injured both mentally and physically. Later, he developed traumatic pleura membrane inflammation (inflammation of the chest cavity lining) because of the beatings, and his life was in danger. This critical condition resulted in Mr. Wang receiving daily IV infusions for several months. Nevertheless, Mr. Wang was later sentenced to ten years in prison.

Geng Caibin, 62, was arrested and taken to the detention center in June 2003. The guards lashed him with leather belts because he persisted in practicing the Falun Gong exercises at the detention center. His body had many patches of bruises caused by this beating. He was also forced to work late into the night with very little sleep, yet because of his injuries he could only complete half of his work quota. Mr. Geng was forced to substitute for others at night. Later, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

Geng Chunlong, 32, was brought to the detention center in July 2003. They bound him to a bed for two days. A guard named Luo threatened him numerous times, "If you still do not obey us, we will keep you bound to the bed." Mr. Geng had not brought much clothing and food with him when he was taken to the detention center. Each time he asked for some help from other practitioners, the guards denied his request. Mr. Geng was later sentenced to ten years in prison.

After becoming aware of the dire situation of several practitioners, a female Falun Gong practitioner offered to buy some shirts and pants for them. Her offers were also rejected by the guards.

May 7, 2004

Chinese authorities say they have shut down more than 8600 unlicensed internet cafes in the last three months in their latest campaign to bring the communication channel under tighter political control.

Ostensibly, the crackdown is to protect teenagers from long internet benders playing combat games and the like. The case of two middle school pupils in Chongqing, who fell asleep on a railway line and were run over on March 31 following a 48-hour internet session, is being cited.

But preventing customers from gaining access to "unhealthy information online" is also a concern behind the drive against unauthorised public internet venues, which was launched in February and will run until August, says the agency that licences internet cafes.

Preventing anonymous access to the internet from cafes has been one prong of Beijing's drive to remove the political power of the internet for the past 18 months, although the excuse has always been the fire risk and protecting juveniles from abuse

Licensed cafes are obliged to log in all customers with their official identity cards, keep records of all websites looked at, and in some cases have security cameras looking over the shoulder of each customer.

The other prong is a force of internet police, thought to number about 40,000, who operate filters that block access to sensitive sites dealing with issues like Taiwan, human rights, Tibet, and the banned Falun Gong meditation group. New software filters trawl through the emails of China's estimated 80 million internet users, picking up suspicious keywords.

But the volume of internet messaging may be overwhelming the net police. As soon as they are shut down, political critics are managing to find ways of reopening chatrooms and websites.

BBC Monitoring: Barred Taiwanese Woman Accuses Hong Kong of Rights Abuses

A Taiwanese woman who has been denied access to the territory for a Falun Gong conference has accused the Hong Kong government of human rights abuses.

(He Xiue) and three other Taiwanese Falun Gong members were barred from entry at the airport yesterday morning. Ms He claimed that she had been injected in her leg before being deported but immigration officers had refused to explain the injection. A local Falun Gong spokesperson is Hui Yei Han.

(Hui Yei Han) First of all they were being searched. And when there was nothing special being found out, they had been detained there and asked questions. And one of them, a lady, Ms He, was being (words indistinct) and she felt that an injection was given to her. When she asked what injection that was, the two ladies who were giving the injection to her did not answer. (End of recording)

In reply, an Immigration Department spokesman said it had acted according to the law and the department's policies which prohibit any medicine from being administered to anyone barred from entry.

Radio Free Asia Reports that Four Taiwanese Falun Gong Practitioners Were Denied Entry at the Hong Kong Airport

Radio Free Asia reported on April 29 that Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Chen Qiongqi and He Xiue flew from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong on Wednesday to participate in Falun Gong activities, but were searched and interrogated by immigration officers and sent back to Taiwan.

Ms. Chen told reporters that the immigration officers went through her luggage many times. They took away her cell phone to prevent her from contacting outside assistance and kept asking her with whom she was traveling and what her purposes were for visiting Hong Kong.

After detaining and interrogating her for three hours, the immigration officers decided to send her back to Taiwan. At that time she saw her friend He Xiue, with her hands and feet tied up, being carried away by immigration officers to the tarmac. The immigration officers untied her at the tarmac and forced her to board the plane for Taiwan.

According to Ms. Chen, Ms. He discovered two needle holes on her right foot and suspected that immigration officers had injected drugs into her while she was struggling earlier. She asked one of the immigration officers and he confirmed her suspicion. Ms. Chen said that she cried when she saw that Ms. He was tied up the way she was. "Why do they treat Falun Gong practitioners like this?"

The other two practitioners flew from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Wednesday night and were also denied entry at the airport and sent back to Taiwan. They also came to Hong Kong to attend the Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference held on May 1.

Hong Kong Falun Gong spokesman Kan Hung-cheung pointed out that the fact that Hong Kong Special District government repeated denial of overseas Falun Gong practitioners from entering Hong Kong is a way of suppressing Falun Gong. He said there have been many groups of overseas practitioners rejected at the Hong Kong airport. For an experience sharing conference in February last year, eighty overseas practitioners were turned back. "The district government has yet to offer us a reasonable explanation. We request that the district government investigate the incident of the practitioner being injected with drugs and make the results available to the public, and in the meantime immediately stop sending back practitioners." Kan said.

Rocky Mountain News Exposes How Chinese Security Agents Tried to Coerce An American Citizen to Be Their Spy

April 29, 2004

AVON - Importer Leejun Ivie had looked forward to celebrating her 41st birthday with her family in Beijing this year.

Instead, she said, she was kidnapped by Chinese authorities and interrogated for 10 hours about her Falun Gong activities in the United States.

"It's outrageous," said Ivie, a naturalized American citizen. "They started telling me what I do in America that not a lot of people know. They had to have either read my mail or listened to my phone calls. That concerns me because they spied on an American citizen."

She said government agents demanded two more meetings and in the end threatened to punish her family if she refused to spy on other Falun Gong followers in the U.S. When she tried to return to China this month, she and her fiance were deported.

The United States has formally protested Ivie's treatment to the Chinese government, said Stuart Patt, spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the State Department.

But the Chinese deny anything happened.

"The (Chinese) Ministry of Foreign Affairs told us later that they have no record of this happening," Patt said. "Whoever they were, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs either didn't know them or they were operating outside their purview."

China in 1999 outlawed the practice of Falun Gong, which combines meditation, slow-moving exercises and a self-improvement [teachings based on the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance"](1). Thousands of Chinese have been jailed for continuing to practice, and foreigners have been arrested as well.

Although Ivie has been active with Falun Gong groups in the United States, she said she has never been involved with activities in China.

"That's why I'm so angry, so outraged about this whole thing," she said. "I have sent materials to friends (in China) who wanted to know what Falun Gong was all about because they can't get information about Falun Gong from the Chinese. I think the Chinese people deserve to know."

But Falun Gong was the last thing on her mind when Ivie, who imports Asian furniture, decided to visit China this year.

"I was just visiting my family," she said. "I left China 14 years ago and I lost a lot of contacts there."

Ivie arrived in Beijing on Jan. 20 and celebrated the Chinese New Year on Jan. 22 at her parents' home. Her mother practices Falun Gong and taught Ivie about it during a visit to the U.S. seven years ago.

But about 3 p.m. Jan. 24, her birthday, she was riding in a car with family members when she noticed a black sedan was following them.

"All of a sudden, three cars cornered us against a cement wall, and the entire street flooded with unidentified people, and I see my sister and my brother-in-law dragged out of the car," she said.

"They didn't say a word. In a blink of an eye, my car was hijacked."

The kidnappers whisked her to Daxing Hotel, about 15 minutes away. There, security agents interrogated her into the night about the purpose of her trip and her involvement with the Falun Gong movement.

"They wanted to do a body search, do a search of my purse and threatened to ransack my parents' house," Ivie said. "They were looking for anything related to Falun Gong so they can accuse me of violating Chinese law."

They also told her what they knew of her activities in the United States.

Ivie's sister and brother-in-law were questioned at the hotel until 7:30 p.m., the same time other agents went to her parents' home to pick up her brother to interrogate him.

Ivie and her brother were released about 2 a.m.

A few days later Ivie called her fiance, investor Jim Taylor, 59. They spend winters in Avon and the warmer months in Saratoga, N.Y. Taylor hired American attorney, Patrick Norton, in Beijing.

"I was upset," Taylor said. "I was not surprised that they had spies on Falun Gong followers here. I was surprised at the extent of their knowledge."

He then flew to China.

"My concern was to make sure that Leejun was able to get out of the country."

While visiting Norton on Jan. 28, Ivie received a call demanding she return to the hotel for more questioning. She brought Norton with her, even though she was told it wouldn't do any good.

"(The agent) said, 'It's no use to hire an American attorney because they don't know Chinese law or the Chinese situation,' " Ivie recalled.

"Then he turned around and said, 'It's no use to hire a Chinese attorney, because they are afraid of me and afraid of my agency.' "

Once at the hotel, the two were separated.

"They tried to brainwash him that Falun Gong was not good for China," she said. "During the two hours of my interrogation, they were trying to convince me that I was violating Chinese law."

Ivie said an agent also demanded that she sign a statement, promising that she would limit her Falun Gong activities in the U.S. and report back every time she returned to China.

She refused.

"They wanted to know about Falun Gong activities in America," Ivie said. "They wanted names, they wanted to know what they do. They also gave me names and asked about them, but I told them I don't know them.' "

After two hours, she was released. But on Feb. 2, another meeting was ordered.

"I said I was not going to the meeting because I have nothing to talk about," Ivie said.

"He got very angry on the phone. He said, 'Unless you spy on our behalf on other Falun Gong practitioners in America, we'll deny every visa to China for the rest of your life.' "

She said the agent gave her three months to consider the offer.

"If I decide not to, they will retaliate against me," she said. "He said, 'We will make your family (in China) suffer.' "

Traumatized, Ivie left China three days early on Feb. 3.

"I have bad dreams about it," Ivie said. She tried to return to China Saturday, but both she and her fiance were turned away.

Since her return, Ivie has sought help from elected officials.

Lawrence Pacheco, press secretary for U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder, said his office has sent an inquiry to the U.S. ambassador.

"The embassy is going to deliver a formal diplomatic note in the near future to protest her treatment," Pacheco said. "They have been in contact with her in the U.S. and are willing to assist her in any way possible."

She said she was also promised help from U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard's office, but representatives of the Colorado Republican would not comment.

Ivie met recently with state Rep. Frank Weddig, D-Aurora, who sponsored a resolution last year condemning the Chinese government's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.

"I was appalled that she ran into these problems," Weddig said. "It's always beyond belief for that kind of mistreatment to occur. It's pure and outright intimidation. I think it's appropriate to speak up at the state level."

Earlier this month, Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, introduced another resolution that condemns various forms of Chinese oppression, including that of Falun Gong followers.

"China has become a major trading partner with the U.S., and we can use the leverage of our economic relationship with China to bring about reform," Tupa said.

The Hamilton Spectator: Falun Gong group rallies against repression

Saturday, May 01, 2004

A group of beleaguered Falun Gong practitioners wants Canada to join a growing list of nations using judicial muscle to challenge China's repressive policies.

Hoisting protest banners outside Hamilton City Hall yesterday, half a dozen followers of the outlawed spiritual movement called on Hamiltonians to pressure their elected leaders to support a private criminal proceeding against former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.

China's leader from 1993 until 2002, [Jiang] is seen as chiefly responsible for the government policy which led to the widespread persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Calling Falun Gong a "heretical movement" and an "evil cult," Beijing moved to ban the enormously popular movement in 1999.

Founded in 1992, Falun Gong is a variation of an ancient Chinese method of cultivating mind and body for fitness, health and a greater sense of well-being. Followers perform physical and meditative exercises and embrace the credo: Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.

Professor Kunlun Zhang, a retired art instructor and Canadian citizen who was abducted and tortured by Chinese officials during a visit to China, is appealing to federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler to approve a private criminal prosecution against [Jiang].

Between June 200 and January 2001, Zhang was detained by Chinese police who threatened and tortured him in a bid to have him renounce Falun Gong. Zhang spent three weeks in infamous Wangcun Labor Camp (nicknamed "Hell on Earth") where he was kept awake for seven-day stretches and forced to watch anti-Falun Gong videos 24 hours a day.

The criminal Code of Canada permits the prosecution of non-Canadian citizens with the consent of the attorney general. Zhang's lawyers, David Matas of Winnipeg and Lawrence Greenspon of Ottawa, are seeking to charge [Jiang] with torture under Section 269 (1) of the Criminal Code. Canadian Falun Gong practitioners would assume all costs, they said.

Falun Gong practitioner Yan Liu is optimistic.

[...]

... similar lawsuits launched by other nations will surely persuade China to take stock of its human rights record.

A similar lawsuit was launched last fall in Spain, while a suit is under way in Germany. Earlier this month, a Toronto businessman was awarded damages for libel against a Chinese consular official who called Falun Gong a "sinister cult." Last week, China's commerce minister was served, during a visit to Washington, with a lawsuit alleging torture, genocide and other crimes against humanity.

Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested in China, thousands of whom are sent for "re-education" at labor camps. According to Amnesty International, several hundred may have died as a result of torture.

Local followers of Falun Gong practice their exercises every Sunday at Bayfront Park from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and every Tuesday at McMaster University from 1 to 2 p.m.

By a new practitioner in China

I am 37 years old this year. I began to practice Falun Gong while I was suffering from an incurable illness. That illness, which had not been cured after spending hundreds of thousands of yuan (the average monthly income of a Chinese worker is about 500 Yuan), disappeared a few months later.

Having benefited so much from Falun Gong, I feel so sad that such a good practice is being slandered and persecuted by Jiang's group. Here, I'd like to share my true experience with Falun Gong, so that those who have been deceived by Jiang's propaganda can have a correct view on it.

In March 2000, I was infected with hepatitis. Upon taking the hospital exam, I was told that the illness was very severe. The doctors introduced me to a retired Chinese medical doctor surnamed Cai, who was claimed to be able to cure the illness. Dr. Cai dealt with my illness for five months, and I spent more than 20,000 Yuan on the medical treatment, but the illness was still unchecked. My family was very worried about me, and they sought everywhere for better treatment. Later, someone introduced me to another retired senior doctor and I took his treatments for 4 months. All the medical expenses cost more than 30,000 Yuan, but the illness didn't subside. My family began to lose hope. All my relatives and friends looked for any special medicines to cure my illness. My family spent another 10,000 Yuan. However, after one year, when I went to the hospital for an exam, the illness was still there. By that time we had no more money to spend on my illness, so I had to stop taking medicine.

In May 2002, I had a relapse of liver disease. A friend introduced me to a Dr. Zhang. With a gleam of hope, I went to see Dr. Zhang. He told me that he was very confident of getting rid of the illness and said, "I have cured of a lot of patients like you. You need to pay 20,000 Yuan first, and you also need to buy drugs to combine with my herbs to achieve better effects. After you are cured of the liver illness, I will call a TV reporter here. Then, please help me to make advertisements about my medical skills." I agreed with his requests and confidently let him treat my illness. However, when I was examined 5 months later, the liver illness had developed to liver cancer.

I had spent more than 100,000 Yuan on the illness, and I never expected that it would be so bad in the end. My whole family lived under the cloud of my illness, as well.

During my time of almost complete despair, one of my relatives introduced Falun Gong to me. It was December 2002. I learned the Falun Gong exercises, and my health began to get better and better. With the support and encouragement of my family, I practiced Falun Gong cultivation very diligently . The illness miraculously disappeared after only a few months of the practice! During this time I spent no money at all on my illness. I am so lucky to practice Falun Gong. All of my neighbors and friends saw me working in the field and going fishing after such a short period of time since I began to practice and they marveled at the power of Falun Gong.

My friends, I am full of gratitude to the founder of Falun Gong, Master Li Hongzhi. It is he who saved me from death. I became a healthy person again, and happiness was restored to my family. Actually, Falun Gong saved my whole family. I must tell all people with my own experience that you should not be taken in by the lies of Jiang's media. One single piece of my own experience outnumbers thousands of their lies.

I assuredly tell all of you that Falun Dafa is a righteous cultivation practice. It is so good, because it teaches people to practice according to "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" and upgrades the morality of the society. I cannot understand why such a good practice is being persecuted, instead of being broadly promoted. I think it is completely wrong and unfair.

The director of a local "610 Office" in China in charge of a brainwashing program attended one of the brainwashing sessions. He watched the propaganda video showing the staged " Tiananmen Square Self-immolation" together with a Falun Gong practitioner who was forced to attend. The practitioner pointed at the the video images and said: "Don't you see that even in such a big fire, the plastic Sprite bottle between Wang Jindong's two legs did not burn at all." At the point in the video where Liu Chunling, Liu Siying's mother, was running while on fire, the practitioner asked: "Can you see the stick hitting Liu Chunling's head from the back. You can also clearly see how it bounces back after hitting her in the back of her head. Look, there is a policeman poised to strike right behind Liu Chunling." The person in charge nodded in agreement, although he said: "Don't you think it would be impossible for the government to make up this incident?" To this, the practitioner replied: "In order to find a reason to persecute the Christians, Nero, an emperor of ancient Rome, set fire to the city and then fabricated the story that the Christians did it. Liu Shaoqi, the former State Chairman of China, was declared to be a secret traitor and liar." Upon hearing this, the person in charge said indignantly: "It is despicable for the government to be acting like this." He clearly realized that the "self-immolation" was staged by Jiang Zemin to provide an excuse to persecute Falun Gong.

After contacting many Falun Gong practitioners, the person in charge of the local "610 Office" and the brainwashing class gradually came to learn the facts about Falun Gong. He said to Falun Gong practitioners: "When the authorities assigned my job, all my colleagues rejected it and no one wanted to do it. Finally, they assigned it to me without giving me a choice in the matter. I am also unwilling to persecute peaceful, harmless people. Nobody wants to have a job that entails having to torture and harm regular people."

Later on, the person in charge also understood the principle that there are rewards for good and evil. He was no longer willing to be an accomplice for Jiang's suppression. He resigned his position and started looking for another job.