News and Events from Around the World
- Voice of America Reports on the Shooting of Falun Gong Practitioners in South Africa
- WorldNetDaily: China Selling Organs of Executed Prisoners
- SCMP (Hong Kong): Local Falun Gong joins legal battle in review over ban
- Lafayette Journal & Courier (Indiana): Exhibit protests alleged abuses
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
The People Awaken to the Truth
News and Events from Around the World
Zeng Qinghong's Visit to South Africa, Australian Falun Gong Practitioners Shot by Hired Thugs While on the Way to Initiate a Lawsuit
Zeng Qinghong, a major player in Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong, is visiting South Africa from Jun 27-29. On the night of the 28th, gunmen attacked Australian Falun Gong practitioners who had heard the news and were on their way to the Presidential Guest House. Out of the practitioners, the only one who wore clothing with the Falun Dafa insignia, David Liang, was shot, causing crushing injuries to his foot. This is the most severe case of persecution against overseas Falun Gong practitioners in the last five years. The victims believe that this was a deliberate assassination attempt by hired gunmen.
After learning that Zeng Qinghong and company were visiting South Africa from June 27 to June 29, seeking to put a stop to the persecution through legal means, nine Australia Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the Johannesburg International Airport at around 6 pm local time on June 28. Because there are no Falun Gong practitioners in Johannesburg, a practitioner from another city in South Africa picked them up. Afterwards, the nine Australian practitioners left the airport in two cars, heading to the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
On the way, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a person in a white car suddenly opened fire from the side slightly behind the second vehicle driven by the practitioners, targeting the tires and the driver. The car was hit at least five times. The Falun Gong practitioner who was driving, David Liang, is an Australian Falun Gong practitioner. He was the only person wearing a blue jacket favored by Taiwanese practitioners that says "Falun Dafa" in English.
David Liang was hit in both feet. The car he was driving was severely damaged and came to a stop. Seeing this, the gunmen quickly fled the scene.
David Liang was immediately taken to the nearby Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital for emergency treatment. X-rays showed that one foot suffered crushing fractures, and the hospital decided to perform an operation the following morning.
Since July 1999, former Chinese president Jiang Zemin unilaterally enacted the genocidal policies of "destroying them physically, defaming their reputations, and bankrupting them financially", "beating to death is nothing and can be counted as suicide" against Falun Gong practitioners. This led to at least 996 named and confirmed cases of Falun Gong practitioners being killed by the persecution in China. The Falun Gong practitioners have named Zeng Qinghong as one of the main accomplices of this persecution.
Zeng Qinghong was originally a Communist official in Shanghai and followed Jiang Zemin into the Chinese central leadership after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. He is a trusted associate of Jiang Zemin, in charge of the Party's secret service and currently holding the post of vice president. Zeng Qinghong had helped Jiang Zemin to get rid of all of his political opponents inside the Party, and was dubbed the "Black-Faced Assassin" by Party insiders. His methods in attacking others are especially brutal.
Tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to the brutal persecution for as long as five years. In order to put a stop to the persecution, in the past two years Falun Gong practitioners outside of China have been proactively seeking legal means to resolve the situation peacefully. Jiang Zemin and his accomplices have been served with lawsuits while visiting places outside of China. After Jiang Zemin was served with lawsuits charging him with genocide and torture in 2002 in U.S. district court, on the surface he doesn't dare to acknowledge the lawsuit's existence, yet in the background he is applying pressure to the U.S. government. He has utilized various underhanded tactics, hoping to stop the lawsuit's progress by any means necessary.
One of the Australian Falun Gong practitioners involved stated that this incident in Johannesburg was an act of state terrorism and an assassination attempt by Jiang Zemin's Chinese Communist regime.
A local person who passed by the scene of the attack with his family said after hearing the Falun Gong practitioners' account of the persecution in China, "This is a form of political persecution."
Paris, France: Falun Gong Practitioners File a Lawsuit Against Li Changchun as an Accomplice to Torture
On July 2, 2004, at 3:20 p.m. in Paris, on behalf of three Falun Gong practitioners, attorney Delva filed a complaint to the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, against Li Changchun, for being an accomplice to torture in the persecution of Falun Gong. Li Changchun , who is currently visiting Paris, is a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and former Party Committee Secretary of Guangdong Province.
Li Changchun has been in the forefront of the suppression of Falun Gong. His crimes can be summarized in two respects. First, before he took the post as a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the CCP Central Committee in 2002, he was the Party Committee Secretary of Guangdong Province. He himself acknowledged that several months prior to Jiang's group's suppression of Falun Gong, he organized people to compile materials attacking Falun Gong; after the oppression began, he abused his power to actively promote the persecution and he was directly involved in arresting practitioners. It has been verified that 23 practitioners in Guangdong Province have died from the persecution, where the death toll is ranked eighth in the country. There are 52 jails, labor camps, and brainwashing centers and 5 psychiatric hospitals in the province, all detaining a large number of Falun Gong practitioners. The persecution measures against Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province have been extremely brutal.
Second, Li Changchun, currently a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the CCP Central Committee, is in charge of propaganda. He abused his power to widely spread lies defaming Falun Gong, to deceive people and to instigate hatred, by using radio and TV broadcasts, films as well as various exhibitions. The propaganda has greatly assisted in the suppression of Falun Gong. Information gathered by Falun Gong practitioners indicates that Li's activities in suppressing Falun Gong have continued until at least the end of this May, and his negative influence is not limited to Guangdong Province, but has been a force throughout Mainland China.
The three plaintiffs in the case are as follows: Chinese-Australian Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Dai Zhizhen, whose husband Mr. Chen Yong was tortured to death in Guangdong Province because of his practice of Falun Gong; Ms. Chen Ying, currently a resident of France. She had lived in France with her husband who worked for the Chinese Embassy in France. Later, because she went back to China and peacefully appealed for Falun Gong, she was arrested and detained several times. During her detention, Ms. Chen was beaten, injected with harmful drugs, deprived of sleep and forced to undergo brainwashing. The third plaintiff in the case is Ms. Chen Zhumei, also residing in France; Ms. Chen Zhumei had gone back to China to call for an end to the persecution but was beaten, threatened and verbally abused by Chinese police officers.
Chicago: Lawsuit Filed against Wang Xudong, Former Party Secretary of Hebei Province
Former Communist Party Secretary of Hebei Province Wang Xudong was served with legal papers on June 25 charging him with torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in Hebei Province. The plaintiff in this lawsuit is a Falun Gong practitioner whose name remains anonymous in the court.
According to the complaint, "Defendant Wang Xudong did not follow international laws and Chinese laws to take action to stop the human rights abuses of Falun Gong practitioners. Instead, he authorized and supported a harsh persecution of Falun Gong."
Wang, China's current Minister of Information, was in Chicago attending the third Annual China-U.S. Telecommunications Summit, an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Telecommunications Industry Association, a U.S. trade organization. The attendees were very surprised to learn about the role Wang has played in the persecution of Falun Gong. Wang is accused of supporting the persecution while serving as Party Secretary of Hebei Province from June 2000 through November 2002.
Hebei, which surrounds Beijing, is one of five Chinese provinces in which Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted most aggressively. Of China's 30 provinces, these five have accounted for over half of the deaths of practitioners from abuse in custody.
Russia: Moscow Residents Learn About Falun Dafa During a Celebration Hosted by the United Nations Refugee Council
June 20, 2004 was World Refugee Day. The office of the United Nations Refugee Council in Moscow organized an outdoor activity in the city's Youth Palace. As soon as Falun Gong practitioners in Moscow heard the news, they immediately contacted the organizer of the activity. They were too late to be scheduled, however, and the organizer could not fit the exercise demonstration and other performances by Falun Gong into the schedule. However, after explaining a little about Falun Gong, it was agreed that practitioners could come and distribute leaflets.
On June 20, Falun Gong practitioners brought all kinds of informational materials with them and arrived at the activity site early. Unexpectedly, they received great support from the staff, who not only arranged the exhibition stand for them, but also found chairs and a table for the practitioners to display the leaflets and flyers. Practitioners introduced Falun Dafa, exposed the ongoing brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, and continuously demonstrated the five Falun Gong exercises on the grass beside the stand.
Many people came to learn the truth about Falun Gong. The organizer of the program said happily to practitioners, "It is such a wonderful cultivation way; I must learn it. Could you give me more materials so that I can share them with my friends and we can learn together." Many other people made the same request and said they wanted to learn the exercises together with their family and friends. They asked many interesting questions and wanted to find out the location of their local practice sites.
Austria: Speech Given by Ms. Terezia Stoisits, Chairperson of the Austrian National Council's Human Rights Commission
June 19, 2004
This speech was given in a rally aimed at exposing and calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, held in Austria's capital city of Vienna on Saturday the 19th of June.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
I wish to welcome you most sincerely here on the Stephansplatz. The Austrian Falun Gong activists knew exactly why they selected this particular place for today's activities. The Stephansplatz is the most popular place in Austria. I, as an Austrian politician and chairperson of the National Council's Human Rights Commission, have joined these activities today for a simple and most critical reason: the persecution of humans, the torture of human beings, violations of human rights -- no matter where such violations of human rights occur, they have to be eradicated by us. Today, I represent not only myself, but also the Green Party. The human rights situation in a country like Austria cannot be compared to those of other countries in Europe, even not to other countries worldwide, where terrible human rights violations still continue. Yet, we cannot deny that Amnesty International also focuses annually on Austria. Therefore, we are obligated to speak up for those people who are persecuted because of political or religious leanings, and of lifestyle or moral conduct, in other regions of this world.
Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, the three virtues which have put Falun Gong practitioners into the center of attention, are not something that one could call threatening, dangerous, or something that would harm others. I rarely have come into contact with people who radiate so much tranquility, and whose behavior emanates so much peace, than those I have come to know, those who are persecuted and who are the tortured Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Therefore, I felt the need to give and show my support to those who were victims of the persecution and torture, especially those who have suffered such tragedy in China. I understand that there are millions, and as we heard just now, a hundred million Falun Gong practitioners in China. There are hundreds of thousands that suffer hardship because of this [persecution]. You just described verbally the most extreme cases. One can also see these in the pictures and on the display boards.
We are here to demonstrate against them [those who persecute Falun Gong]. One has to ostracise them. We also must insist that all politicians from democratic countries, of which Austria is also considered to be one, must call continuously for dialogues. Therefore, it is my urgent request and plea that the Austrian politicians, be they male or female, must give such a message whenever and wherever possible. It is not enough to only think of the 1.3 billion customers and consumers in China. I strongly disagree with this. I want to close the sorely missing bridge between economics and human rights. None should be valued or chosen over the other. Especially, in the countries where Austria and other European Union (EU) countries, as well the non-EU countries are, or will be in the future, economically active, human rights situations must be kept in mind at all times. In particular we, the Green Party, who as activists, strive towards a healthy and sound environment, and who keep a close eye on the European and worldwide ecological situation, have found more often than not the destruction of tropical forests in our immediate surrounding. Human rights should be the most important and the most prevalent aspect of worldwide trade and play a major role when forging economic ties. I'm here today to show my support and solidarity with those who publicize worldwide the torture and persecution of the Falun Gong practitioners in China.
I appreciate highly your attention to what I had to say. I ask you kindly to remain and listen to what others have to say.
US Senator Richard Lugar Expresses Concern Over the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in China
On May 28, 2004, US Senator Richard Lugar wrote to a Falun Gong practitioner concerning the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
United States Senate
Washington DC, 20510
May 28, 2004
Thank you for your correspondence regarding Falun Dafa and the persecution of its practitioners in China. I appreciate this opportunity to respond.
I have been deeply troubled by China's human and religious rights record for some time, and have communicated my concerns over human and religious rights abuses directly to the Chinese government on a number of occasions. The United States should not remain silent about the issue of human and religious rights in China, and as a U.S. Senator, I have made clear on many occasions my concerns about repressive Chinese practices.
In September I held a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which I chair, regarding the different facets of our relationship with China. At that hearing I said: " Finally, China's development has given millions of Chinese citizens new personal space to choose their jobs, start businesses, make money, travel, and communicate with one another and the outside world. These developments have produced more questions about democracy in China, transparency in government, and observance of human rights. According to Amnesty International's latest report, the human rights situation in China has worsened. The "strike hard" campaign, the handling of the SARS epidemic, actions against Falun Gong, moves against ethnic minorities in the name of counter-terrorism, and continuing repression in Tibet, all raise important questions." I will continue to monitor China's human rights record as we consider our on-going relationship with that country.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to write to me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
Ottawa, Canada: Carleton University Students' Association Unanimously Passes Motion to Condemn the Persecution of Falun Dafa in China
On June 1, 2004, the Carleton University Students' Association, Ottawa, Canada, passed a motion to condemn the persecution of Falun Dafa in China and to support Prof. Kunlun Zhang's lawsuit against Jiang Zemin in Canada. Below is the official motion.
Carleton University
Students' Association
Date: June, 1st 2004 CP# 15
2004/2005
Motion in support of Falun Dafa
Presentation Summary:
Whereas Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is a peaceful meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance;
Whereas for nearly 5 years the government in China under the leadership of Jiang Zemin has forbidden the practice of Falun Dafa and attempted to systematically eradicate Falun Dafa and those who practice it, causing the deaths of at least 960 practitioners (as of May 25, 2004);
Whereas students at Carleton University have been directly impacted by the persecution of Falun Dafa, including the defacing of the Carleton Falun Dafa clubs' tunnel painting;
Whereas China's educational institutions have been used as a means to extend the persecution of Falun Dafa;
Whereas University of Toronto, Concordia University, and the Canadian Federation of Students have all openly condemned the persecution of Falun Dafa;
Whereas the Carleton University Students' Association has developed a safe space policy;
Information Transfer:
The Carleton University Students' Association condemn the persecution of Falun Dafa in China as well as the hate propaganda carried out around the world and urge the Chinese government to release all practitioners of Falun Dafa who have been illegally detained, tortured, raped and persecuted in prison, detention centres, labour camps, mental hospitals and brainwashing centres in China.
The Carleton University Students' Association calls on the Federal Government to openly condemn the persecution of Falun Dafa in China and to continue to take further and greater actions towards ending the persecution.
The Carleton University Students' Association will work with the Falun Dafa club to lobby Federal Members of Parliament to that extent.
The Carleton University Students' Association writes Canada's Attorney General, asking him to support the legal initiatives of Canadian citizen, Kunlun Zhang, against the Chinese officials who tortured him for practicing Falun Gong.
A copy of this resolution be forwarded to The Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada; The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency the Governor General and the Chinese Embassy and Chinese Consulates in Canada
MOVED by : Cullum McConnell SECONDED by : Lindsay Mossman
US Senator James Talent: I Believe That China's Position on Falun Dafa Is Unacceptable
On May 21, US Senator James M. Talent wrote a letter to Falun Dafa practitioners commending their participation in the 2004 Mid-US Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Chicago.
The Senator said in the letter: "Like you, I believe that China's position on Falun Dafa is unacceptable, especially given this group's benign activities. China's repression of Falun Dafa makes clear the nature of the regime, its hatred- and fear- of individual thought, its disregard for basic human rights and human dignity."
The Senator also said: "Clearly, China's repression of Falun Dafa practitioners violates international human rights standards. The repression of Falun Dafa followers, the brutal torture they suffer at the hands of their jailers, and of no less importance, the role of law, must all be pressed in discussion between US and Chinese leaders."
Letter from New York City Community Board Chairman Jim Smith Concerning the Inhuman Treatment of Falun Dafa Practitioners by the Chinese Government
On May 13, 2004, Chairman Jim Smith of the New York City Community Board No. 2 (Manhattan) wrote a letter to Falun Dafa volunteers in congratulation of the Falun Dafa Day events. Chairman Smith said in the letter: "I hope that the ceremonies were a success and helped spread alarm about the inhuman treatment of Falun Dafa practitioners by the Chinese government."
Chairman Smith pointed out that: "In the US and Europe our trading interests must not make us cowards. Rather, we must use our economic leverage to force the Chinese government to stop the incomprehensible injustice and even murder of people who are merely following their own spiritual path." "Unfortunately, the Chinese government's fear of its own people makes it intolerant, repressive."
China: Lawyer Is Punished for Defending a Falun Gong Practitioner
Mr. Wei Jun, a lawyer from the Baicheng Law Firm who defended Dafa practitioner Ms. Liang Changying in April 2003, barely escaped his own persecution by the police. Ms. Liang used to be a faculty member at a Chinese Party School in the district of Youjiang, Baise City, Guangxi Province, and she exposed the persecution of Falun Gong on the Internet. The police tortured Ms. Liang and sentenced her to five and a half years in prison.
Attorney Wei defended Ms. Liang Changying, who pleaded not guilty at the Second Criminal Court of Youjiang District Court. According to sources within the judicial system, Mr. Wei argued his case based on facts and provided a powerful defense against the public prosecutor's charges.
In their closing arguments, the public prosecutor could not find anything to rebut and became very upset. When the court adjourned, the public prosecutor asked his staff, "Isn't there a regulation saying that lawyers cannot defend Falun Gong practitioners who plead not guilty? Who authorized that lawyer to defend the Falun Gong practitioner?"
That same day, Attorney Wei's home phone, cell phone and office phone were monitored. After a few days, the police went to the Judiciary Bureau and asked the bureau to suspend his license to practice law and sentence him to three years of forced labor reform. The person in charge at the Judiciary Bureau was strongly against this request and would not cooperate with them.
The police then told them that Mr. Wei cannot defend any Falun Gong practitioner in the future and had him turn in all the materials regarding the case of Ms. Liang. Later on the court, ignoring the facts presented during the trial, handed down a guilty verdict for Liang Changying.
Chinese Consulate in Houston Refuses to Extend Falun Gong Practitioner's Passport
By Tang Jian, Houston, USA
I am a Chinese citizen living in Houston, Texas, USA. During the morning of September 2, 2003 I went to the Chinese Consulate in Houston to apply for a passport extension. When I had just arrived at the entrance of the Passport and Visa Office, an associate consul-general saw me and said in a stern voice, "Why are you here?" I said that I came to apply to have my passport extended. He did not answer me and left. Then another official told me that it was already past office hours. This official wanted me to come back at 1:30 pm.
I went to the passport and visa office again in the afternoon. The staff member in the front office accepted my application documents for a passport extension. Visa office chief Wei immediately came out of his office and took my application to the office in the back. I noticed that he had not come out to take other applicants' information.
On my way back to work I received a phone call from Consul Yang Zhuofan. He said that he wanted to get to know my circumstances. After asking me something about my personal experiences after I came to the USA, he asked me about my practicing Falun Gong. I answered all his questions. He asked me why I went to practice in front of the consulate every day. He said that doing this was hurting China's reputation and that Falun Gong is against the law, etc. I said that this is the United States and I have not violated any law and have obeyed U.S. law.
Let me explain: In China, hundreds of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners are maltreated during the persecution. Many practitioners have been tortured to death. They have no place to appeal for justice or make their voices heard. I practice in front of the consulate just to let the world's people learn about the persecution in China, and to urge certain people in China to stop the brutal persecution.
He wanted me to stop practicing in front of the consulate. I indicated that if certain people in China would stop the persecution, as a matter of fact, I would go to practice in the park where the environment is much better. He said more words wanting me to stop practicing in front of the consulate. Seeing I was very insistent, he terminated the conversation. We had talked for half an hour.
The next day I went to pick up my passport. The person in the front office told me that my passport had not been extended. I demanded an explanation. Then the visa office chief Wei came out to talk to me. He said that they wanted to send my application to China for approval and then let me know after the approval. I asked why my application to have my passport extended had to go through a special procedure while others did not. He said that Yang Zhuofan had already mentioned the reason yesterday. He said that I should know the reason. I asked if it was due to my practicing Falun Gong. He said that Yang had already explained and he would not repeat it. He returned the passport to me without an extension.
Later, I went there twice to apply for an extension and I was refused on both occasions. I went there once at 1:30 pm. The person in the front office told me that my passport would not be extended. I told them that Falun Gong practitioners in China are being arrested, tortured, detained and killed, while outside China, the Chinese consulate has gone so far as to use these methods to persecute us. After asking Mr. Yang Zhuofan, the staff members in the front office told me that Yang would come to talk to me at 3:00 pm and asked me to wait. Mr. Yang, however, did not show up, even by 3:30 pm. I told them that I had waited for so long and asked why he did not keep his word. The persons in the front office said they did not know the reason. At the same time they asked me to leave in a hurry since they wanted to close for the day.
One official in the consulate told me that they would extend my passport if I would stop practicing in front of the consulate.
As of today, my passport still hasn't been extended.
June 27, 2004
China: Father Accuses Yushu City Police of Killing His Daughter
Ms. Li Shuhua, 32, lived in Yushu City, Jilin Province. In September 2003, she was abducted by local police and beaten to death thirteen days later because she practiced Falun Gong. After death, her face showed a depression on one side and the other side was visibly bruised. Her once plump body was now extremely skinny. Both Li's husband and mother were also imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong. She left behind her elderly father and two young children.
When talking about how the Yushu City police caused Li Shuhua's death, her father was both angry and sad. He said, "Ever since my daughter started to practice Falun Gong, her health greatly improved and she did a lot of work in and around the house. She was a wonderful person. Yet the police killed her just like that. Where can I appeal for justice now?"
According to Li Shuhua's father, on the morning of September 24, 2003, three policemen from the Yushu City, Peiying Street Police Station, Jiang Wei, Li Mingchao and a Mr. Dong, barged into his home and forced his daughter to go to the police station with them. They did not follow proper legal procedures, and simply took Li against her will. After taking her to the police station, they tried to force her to write statements renouncing Falun Gong. They told her that if she refused they would send her to the Xijian Detention Center. Mr Li said, "I heard that as soon as a Falun Gong practitioner arrived at the detention center, the policemen would punch and kick them, shock them with an electric baton, and prick them with needles. They would use all kinds of torture. When my daughter had been detained for about a dozen days, the police tortured her to death. She was only 32 when she died and left behind her two children." At that moment, he paused because tears were flowing down his face.
Mr. Li said that the police notified the family members on October 9 of Li Shuhua's death. On October 10, the family went to the City Hospital to see her corpse, which had been kept frozen. She was not wearing her own clothes and they disguised her face by putting makeup on. When performing the autopsy, the coroner found large amounts of blood clots in her abdomen; her lungs were deformed and there were bruises on her genitals.
In an attempt to cover up their crimes, the policemen did not allow the family to take pictures or spend too much time looking at the corpse. They cremated her body against the family's will. When the family members conducted the funeral service, the police officers and police cars closely followed them and they did not allow anybody to come too close. They did not leave until the funeral service was over. Afterwards, Mr. Li asked a policeman, "How did my daughter die?" The policeman dodged the question and said, "She starved to death." Mr. Li said, "My daughter was strong, how did you guys starve her to death? How do you explain the blood on her body?"
On February 24, 2004, Officer Qili brought two other policemen to Mr. Li's home. Under the pretense of checking on him to see if he needed help, they actually tried to find out if other Falun Gong practitioners had visited him, for fear that the case would be exposed on the Internet. They also threatened him with arrest if they found any evidence. In the end, Mr. Li said, "Didn't the Supreme Court want to investigate human rights abuse cases? The Yushu City Police Station openly killed an innocent person, I will sue them!"
China: Mr. Wang Jinzhong is Tortured to Death at Detention Center
Wang Jinzhong, 48, strong, healthy and kindhearted man, used to live in , Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. Because he practiced Falun Gong, the police took him away while he was at work on the afternoon of May 20.
After torturing him, the police sent him to Tiexi Detention Center. On the afternoon of June 14, he was tortured to death. Afterwards, the police took his dead body to a hospital. The doctors confirmed that he was already dead even before he was taken to the hospital.
On the same day of his death, his employer, Zhongshan Park, had a meeting announcing to all employees that Wang had committed suicide. The leaders of the park also threatened employees not to visit his surviving family members. However, his colleagues all understood that he had been persecuted to death.
The authorities informed Wang's family of his death on the morning of June 15, but did not give any explanation for the cause of death.
Wang is survived by a pretty wife and an adorable daughter. How could he commit suicide? He often told others, "Master Li said suicide is also a crime and Falun Gong practitioners will never commit suicide." No one believed the story fabricated by the authorities.
The court, prosecutor's office and the police department should have performed an autopsy to find out the cause of death so as to give an explanation to Wang's family. However, no autopsy has been scheduled. Instead, they spread lies saying Wang committed suicide.
Townsville Bulletin/Townsville Sun (Australia): Chinese blamed for shots (Excerpt)
July 3, 2004
AN Australian wounded in a drive-by shooting in South Africa alleges he was the target of gunmen hired by the Chinese government.
Sydney man David Liang, 41, a follower of the religious group Falun Gong which is outlawed in China, is recovering in a South African hospital from gunshot wounds to his feet.
Mr Liang was among nine Australian-based Falun Gong members who entered South Africa on Monday to protest during a visit there of Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai about China's human rights abuses.
Five of the protesters became lost travelling to Pretoria from Johannesburg Airport and their car came under fire from another vehicle.
Mr Liang, who was driving the car, accused the Chinese officials of hiring hit men to kill the Falun Gong group. The shooting has been major news in South Africa this week.
"We did not see them, but we think that the vice-president and the minister have hired people to kill us," he said from the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
"After shooting at us, they did not rob us and simply sped away. We are sure the Chinese government is involved."
[...]
A friend of Mr Liang and fellow Falun Gong practitioner in Brisbane said yesterday that the evidence was pointing to a "premeditated shooting".
"The driver (Mr Liang) was the only one in the car wearing a Falun Gong jacket and he was being targeted," she said.
Voice of America Reports on the Shooting of Falun Gong Practitioners in South Africa
According to a Voice of America report on June 30, five Australian Falun Gong practitioners who went to South Africa to protest visiting Chinese leaders Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai for their active participation in the persecution of Falun Gong were victims of a drive-by shooting on a highway in the vicinity of Johannesburg, South Africa. Falun Gong claimed that the Chinese government was behind the shooting incident.
The attackers sped away after shooting and injuring a practitioner. AFP quoted the South Africa police as saying, "A Chinese man was shot and injured on Monday afternoon shortly after arriving in Johannesburg from Australia to protest against the South African visit of Chinese vice president Zeng Qinghong and Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai". Falun Gong condemned these two Chinese officials for their participation in the suppression of Falun Gong and planned to file a lawsuit against them.
Regarding the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong, the report said that practitioners expressed that Falun Gong is a practice to improve both physical and mental health. They pointed out that the persecution of Falun Gong is a violation of human rights and a violation of people's basic freedoms. According to Falun Gong practitioners, about 1,000 practitioners have been tortured to death by the Jiang regime.
Regarding the lawsuits filed outside China against Chinese officials who participated in the persecution of Falun Gong, the report said that the Jiang regime's suppression of Falun Gong has aroused intensive attention and condemnation. In recent years, Falun Gong practitioners have adopted using the legal system as a means to protest. Over the past few years, several Chinese high-ranking officials were served [legal papers] by Falun Gong practitioners during their visit to western countries.
The VOA report stated that the Australian Falun Gong practitioners who came to South Africa had planned to file a lawsuit against Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong. Apparently, that was also part of the effort of Falun Gong practitioners' protest against the Jiang regime.
WorldNetDaily: China Selling Organs of Executed Prisoners
An outlawed spiritual [group] in China is charging the government with torturing prisoners, executing them and trafficking in their body parts.
The charge, by the banned Falun Gong group, is backed up by Chinese doctors and human rights experts who keep tabs on activities of the Beijing government.
The Chinese government has arrested hundreds [over a hundred thousand] of members of Falun Gong and some, according to the group and human rights activists, have been sent directly to labor camps without trials.
The U.S. Congress -- both House and Senate -- unanimously passed resolutions in 1999 criticizing the Chinese government for its crackdown of the Falun Gong. Both resolutions urged the Chinese government to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that it has signed, to stop arresting, detaining and persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, to release all detained dissidents, and to respect the basic human rights such as freedom of belief and freedom of speech."
Falun Gong members are now citing specific evidence of the systematic torture and execution of members who have been arrested. Here are some of the specific cases they cite:
* Hao Runjuan of Guangzhou City was very healthy before the mother of a 2-year-old was arrested. After being continuously tortured for 22 days by police in the Baiyun Detention Center, she died. After she was tortured to death, the police authorities had the body autopsied without her family members knowing, even though the law requires the signature of a family member to approve an autopsy. When the family was told to identify the body, it had become completely unrecognizable, but there were still fresh, red bloodstains on it. Because the body was so disfigured, none of her family members believed it was Hao Runjuan, even after seeing the body twice. Then, the family had to take the 2-year-old son for a DNA blood test to confirm the body was truly his mother's.
* Ren Pengwu, 33, was distributing Falun Gong literature Feb. 16, 2001. He was arrested by the Hulan County police and then detained in the Hulan County Second Detention Center. Before dawn Feb. 21, only five days after his detention, he was tortured to death. Without obtaining the family's permission, and under the guise of a "legal investigation," they completely removed all of Ren Pengwu's organs, from his pharynx and larynx to his penis, then hastily cremated his body.
* Zuo Zhigang was 33 and worked at a computer store in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. On May 30, 2001, police from the Public Security Bureau of Shijiazhuang City abducted him from his work place and took him to the Qiaoxi District Police Station in Shijiazhuang. Later, the police interrogated Zuo Zhigang, using various torture methods, and he was beaten to death the same day. His corpse was full of scars. One of his ears was dark purple and there were two big square-shaped holes on the back of his torso. There was a mark on his neck showing that a string had been pulled tightly around it.
* Yang Ruiyu of Fuzhou City was an employee at the Real Estate Bureau of Taijiang District. On July 19, 2001, Yang was taken away from her work. Only three days later, Yang died as a result of the abuse. After Yang's death, the Fuzhou police threatened Yang's family not to leak any information. In addition, Yang's colleagues were not allowed to see her body or say goodbye, and no funeral was permitted. When the body was sent to be cremated, it was guarded by police cars, and cremated immediately upon arrival. Yang's husband and daughter were not allowed to view the body. It was reported that there was a hole in Yang's side as large as an adult's fist.
* Sun Ruijian was 29 and left home Nov. 7, 2000, to appeal for Falun Gong in Beijing. He was arrested by Beijing police. On Dec. 1, his family was told that he had died. They claimed that two Fujian police were sent to bring him back from Beijing and that he died after jumping out of the train at 4 p.m. on Nov. 29, someplace between the cities of Shunchang and Xiayang.
"According to insiders, some evil police officers in Mainland China are colluding with greedy doctors and looking to sell the organs of Falun Gong practitioners for large sums of money," claims a Faun Gong statement. "Needless to say, their plans are cruel and heartless to the extreme. One source indicates that a certain hospital in the city of Shijiazhuang that specializes in Chinese medicine has received six such requests. Everyone, especially the families of the practitioners who are in jail, are asked to pay close attention to this development. The only way to prevent your loved ones from being persecuted in such a way is to expose the evil deeds of the authorities."
The group also charges that some prison guards offered drug addicts narcotics if they beat up Falun Gong members.
The stories, as horrifying as they seem, are backed up by a Chinese doctor who defected to the United States.
On June 27, 2001, Wang Guoqi, a doctor specializing in the burn victims unit at the Paramilitary Tianjin General Hospital in Tianjin, testified before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of the United States House of Representatives. He said in his testimony that he was sent by the hospital to remove skin and corneas from the corpses of over 100 executed prisoners at a crematorium.
Dr. Thomas Diflo also testified. Diflo, who is working in the NYU Medical Center, wrote in his article published in a May issue of the New York Village Voice that six of his patients who had kidney transplants in China came to him afterwards for medical care. These patients all told him that their new kidneys came from executed prisoners.
"We call on organizations, governments, people of conscience around the world, and the United Nations to please pay attention to this severe problem," said a Falun Gong statement.
The number of death sentences passed, as the number of executions carried out, are classed as state secrets in China. But, according to international monitors, China is clearly the leader in the world.
[...]
It's illegal to buy or sell organs in China. But a 1984 law allows organs to be transplanted from an executed prisoner if family members don't claim the body right away. Amnesty International says Chinese media reported 1,060 judicial executions in 2002. But it says the actual figure may be as high as 15,000. Most harvested prisoner organs are sold to medical "visitors" from Hong Kong, Taiwan or Singapore.
SCMP (Hong Kong): Local Falun Gong joins legal battle in review over ban
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
The Court of Appeal yesterday paved the way for the Hong Kong chapter of Falun Gong to join a judicial review examining a decision to bar overseas members from entering the city for a group [...] (1) conference.
Mr Justice Anthony Rogers and Mrs Justice Doreen Le Pichon granted leave to the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Falun Dafa, as well as the association, to join legal proceedings initiated by four Taiwanese practitioners.
Theresa Chu Woan-chyi, Liao Hsiao-lan, Lu Lih-ching and Chang Jenn-yen, were granted leave on April 29 last year to conduct a judicial review into the director of immigration's decision to detain them at the airport on February 22.
They had been invited to attend a conference hosted by the Hong Kong chapter, with three of the four scheduled to speak at the meeting.
They were among 82 overseas Falun Gong practitioners who were refused entry into Hong Kong, with some members complaining of poor treatment at the hands of immigration officers.
Paul Harris, counsel representing Kan Hung-cheung, of the Falun Gong in Hong Kong, told the Court of Appeal that Madam Justice Carlye Chu Fun-ling had been wrong to find that Mr Kan did not suffer when the Taiwanese members were barred and should therefore be excluded from the review.
He said she was wrong to conclude the conference was able to go ahead despite exclusion of the 82 members and that the organisers were not dealt a significant blow.
"Every conference organiser who has someone refused is a cause of concern," he said.
Mr. Harris said Madam Justice Chu was again wrong to say there was a gap between the decision of the director and the rights of Mr. Kan under Article 141 of the Basic Law, which protects religious organisations and religious believers.
"Religious organisations and believers in the HKSAR may mean the development of their relationship with organisations elsewhere," he said.
"There has been no case so far that interprets that paragraph. Maintaining and developing relations is meeting and not just correspondence by phone and e-mail."
Lafayette Journal & Courier (Indiana): Exhibit protests alleged abuses
A world-traveled exhibit exposing alleged human rights violations against practitioners of the Chinese meditation and exercise process Falun Gong opened in downtown Lafayette on Friday.
"Persecution Meets Principle" uncovers torture methods allegedly used against Falun Gong followers who believe in three principles: truth, compassion and forbearance.
The exhibit displays actual torture devices and actors recreating some of the methods allegedly used, such as shoving bamboo chutes under fingernails, burning with coals and beatings with electrified batons by the Chinese government and police.
About 20 men and women from the Midwest and China have organized the exhibit. They say that exposing the situation to Americans will help bring the alleged torture to a stop. Carmel's Lei Ying said recent stops in Bloomington and Indianapolis brought strong reactions.
"The response has been enormous," said Lei under the baking, high-noon sun at Riehle Plaza.
"People are so touched by seeing all of these things. They really express their gratitude for us bringing such kind of truth to them. They really want to know the truth and do something to help."
"Persecution Meets Principle" will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today around the Riehle Plaza fountain on North Second Street in downtown Lafayette.
Lei said. "Falun Gong practitioners risk everything to send out information to reveal the severe human rights violations."
Falun Gong, which looks like a cross between yoga and tai chi and consists of five exercises, was first outlawed by former president Jiang Zemin. [...]
Exhibit organizer Dana Cheng said the fact that she is a Falun Gong practitioner living in Chicago has gotten to the Chinese government. And it has had negative consequences for her family still in China.
"They put us on a blacklist and harass our family members," Cheng said. "They harassed and pressured my father, monitored his phone conversations and cut off his long distance so I can't call him."
Yeong Ching Foo told a small crowd of viewers about her fiance, Charles Li, who has been imprisoned for over a year despite the fact that he is an American citizen.
Li went back to his home country to try to help stop the torture but was detained immediately. Foo said he has been beaten, sleep-deprived and force-fed with a tube through his nose and down his throat. She only knew about this from 94 pages of letters he has written her. She said the letters got out only because Li had gone on a hunger strike.
"Many people can't believe their eyes and ears that this is still happening in China," Yeong said.
Yeong said the United States' attempts to bring Li back have been thwarted by the Chinese saying he committed a crime on Chinese soil.
Stories were shared about the killing of an eight-month boy because his mother practiced Falun Gong, the psychiatric results of prisoners who were eventually released, and incidents outside of China to Falun Gong followers, including the drive-by shooting of nine Chinese practitioners who had gone to South Africa for a court case involving two Chinese officials.
Using actors with makeup to show bruises and cuts on their faces and body is out of the ordinary for traveling exhibits. Lei said it is to draw attention to the exhibit and the organizers' cause.
"We believe a picture is worth more than a thousand words," Lei said. "If they see somebody lying there with blood and scars all over their body, people will come over out of curiosity. They'll ask 'What happened? What's going on here?'"
Lafayette's Neil Williams stopped to take a look at "Persecution Meets Principle." He said he had heard of Falun Gong, but was unaware of how harshly the Chinese government treated its followers.
"To see the different methods of torture, I couldn't fathom what they went through," Williams said. "It's a very enlightening experience for me, and it makes me want to learn more."
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
Rebirth of a Former Pancreatic Cancer Patient
By Ms. Ji Hong, Toronto, Canada
I was born in 1953. Why do I now say "I am eight years old"? Here's my story:
1. My family has a long history of cancer
I was born in Beijing. I originally lived in Beijing, but in 1958 my family moved to Shenyang, Liaoning Province. I remember once, when I was very young, that one time my father was very upset. My mother told me that my father's second eldest brother died of esophageal cancer. That was 1962. From that point on, I became more and more acquainted with this horrible disease - cancer.
Later, I heard from my mother that my maternal grandmother also died from cancer -- breast cancer. She had surgery in Shenyang. I vaguely remember going to see her in a hospital with my parents. During the Cultural Revolution, my uncle (my father's fourth eldest brother) also got esophageal cancer. I was in the army in Beijing. My uncle went to my aunt's home (my father's sister) in Beijing. I took a day off to see him. Soon after, I heard he died. Then my cousin (son of my father's eldest brother) got pancreatic cancer. My aunt told me that he died just three months after he was diagnosed. Then, in 1978, my father got laryngocarcinoma (larynx cancer). I was in Shannxi Province at that time. When I heard my father went to Beijing for treatment, I rushed to the hospital to see him. He had quit smoking, but he had smoked for dozens of years. He knew he had cancer. The doctor said that my father's cancer was diagnosed early, and he could recover after chemotherapy. But soon after I returned to Shannxi, I received a telegram saying he was in critical condition. Even though I rushed back home, he passed away a few days before I arrived there. In the 1980s, my older sister also got breast cancer. She had two major surgeries, and still lives today. My other uncle (husband of my father's fourth sister) died of stomach cancer in the 1990s. I went to his funeral. Seven people in my family already contracted cancer, and six died from it.
2. Fish That Escaped the Net?
At that time, I thought, "I might be the fish that has escaped the net" (an old Chinese saying). But I was not able to escape that fate. In the fall of 1995, I was very thin and felt very bad. My whole body was jaundiced. The ultrasound and CAT scan I had in Beijing showed that my choledochus (common bile duct) was expanded. I was diagnosed with cancer in the head of my pancreas. I was 42 years old then. I felt hopeless. I was not a very decisive person, so I went for all kinds of tests with my family.
I suffered a lot. In Beijing, to confirm my diagnosis, the doctor did a so called "Imaging with a specially-shaped tube". He inserted a special tube into my stomach through my mouth, and pushed it into my bile duct through my duodenum. I had to sign an agreement before I could have the exam because it was so risky. In the surgery room, I could no longer tolerate the acute pain and cried out. So, the doctor stopped pushing the tube in. The diagnosis was confirmed and I was prepared for the surgery. We found an experienced surgeon. I begged him to save my life when I saw him. I didn't want to die. He looked at me, took a deep breath and told me to have the surgery immediately. I knew it was no use to beg anyone.
During the surgery, after the surgeon opened my stomach, he left the operation room to discuss my situation with my husband, who was in the waiting room. My cancer had developed into final stage. If he didn't remove the tumor, I had a better chance of surviving longer than if he removed it. My husband had no choice but to listen to the surgeon. The surgeon went back to the surgery room, connected my bile duct to my duodenum to solve my digestive canal problem. The surgeon stitched my stomach together and wheeled me out of surgery. Whenever I thought of my child and my husband, I cried and cried. Later I was able to stop thinking about it, but I felt I had no future. Life was meaningless to me.
Then I began rounds of chemotherapy. A surgeon inserted a pump with an alloy tube under the artery in my leg. The tube was inserted through my bile tube all way into the tumor. The surgery lasted five hours. The surgeon was so exhausted during the surgery that he went out to smoke. He had trouble in getting the tube to the right position. I laid on the surgery table, feeling my blood flowing to my back. I was so anxious from debility that I began to sweat profusely. Eventually the surgery ended. However, my suffering had just begun. The chemotherapy caused all of my hair to fall out. My face was jaundiced looking and I weighed less than 100 pounds. When I took a bus, people on the bus shied away from me and wondered where this "ghost" came from. Every day I gritted my teeth and did a breathing exercise which was semi-effective. I took many Chinese herbs at the same time. I was muddling along. Just as what people said, "Treatment can only treat your symptoms, they can't save your life. It just a matter of time until you die." Every day that passed was a day lived.
At the end of 1995, I went home from the hospital. Everyday, I drank a large mug of herb soups. Whether it was turtle blood or fresh sea cucumber, I ingested all kinds of tonics. By the end of 1996, I couldn't tolerate the pain in my stomach any more. I felt I was in too much pain to live any more; I felt so tired. Too much suffering to live, yet, I was unwilling to die. I just wanted to go to a temple and live a quiet and peaceful life, and stay away from the noisy crowds. I was so afraid of the late period cancer pain. One of my colleague's mother had cancer. She was a Christian. In the end, when she faced death, she was very calm. I was very impressed. I also wanted to find a way to liberate my spirit, so I thought of Buddhism and Daoism. I bought a lot of books but I couldn't understand them.
3. I was reborn when I was dying
At the time when I was in the most pain and felt so hopeless, I came across Falun Gong. I watched Teacher's lecture videos, and felt what Teacher said was so right. At that time, I held no hope for my life. I was a quite open-minded person. I didn't blame anyone [for my illness]. I had cancer, and I just accepted my misfortune without complaint. So, I was able to let go of everything. I had few stray thoughts when I was reading Master Li's books. Master Li told me to be a good person, so I followed what Teacher said to be a good person, and tried my best to follow the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance". It was not just lip service. I really had to be strict with myself. I truly let go of the thought of using qigong to cure my illness, and persisted in studying the principles and practicing the exercises. Without initially realizing it, I began to feel better and better. Although I still felt pain in my stomach, my meals and sleeping became very regular, and I didn't care about the pain any more. Gradually I had less pain, and the intervals between each pain surge became longer. I was more confident. I practiced the exercises every morning and evening. My late period cancer was cured without any other treatment. It has been eight years since then. I feel that the past eight years have been years that I have truly lived a clearheaded life.
Whoever is sick understands his own pain, especially if he suffers a terminal illness. Your family members are dearest and closest to you, but they can't help you. Doctors treat your illness, but they are unable to save your life. When I was suffering from cancer, I could hardly describe how lonely or how hopeless I felt. The inconstancy of human relationships disappointed me. I felt life was so painful and there was no end to the suffering. I had already reached the end of my life, just like a candle extinguishing. At that very moment Master Li's Falun Gong saved me, and saved me from the endless pain in my mind and body.
I want to tell you from the huge changes I have experienced that Falun Dafa is a righteous Way. It is a great law that improves people's mind and body. Since 1999, Jiang's regime manipulated every state apparatus to defame and slander Falun Gong, but it had no effect on me at all. Tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China all have their own experiences of how they benefited from Falun Gong, just like I did. That's the reason why Falun Gong practitioners persist in their peaceful appeal no matter how brutal the persecution has been during the past few years. "A favor the size of one drop of water shall be repaid with a spring of water." (an old Chinese saying) There is no way I could pay back teacher for saving my life, but I will never do anything against my conscience, speak lies or drop stones on someone who has already fallen into a well.
I share my story with you and hope you have a fair and clear understanding of Falun Gong. I also hope everyone who is dedicated to justice will call for help for tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China who are being persecuted, and help to reduce the pressure they are experiencing. Please understand our true heart and our true intention.
I have been practicing Falun Gong for eight years now. Falun Dafa saved my life. Without Falun Dafa, I might not be alive today. Although I am 50 years old, only the past eight years are the years when I have truly understood the meaning of life. So I say, I am eight years old this year!
The People Awaken to the Truth
Local Mayor's Office Supports a Falun Gong Practitioner's Promotion
A practitioner in Hubei Province had been doing his job exceptionally well since he began practicing Falun Gong. His bosses and colleagues highly praised his work. In 1999, when the company was just about to promote him, Jiang initiated the persecution against Falun Gong. As a result, he was illegally detained for several months and lost the opportunity for a promotion.
As practitioners clarified the truth about Falun Gong to people, the environment improved greatly. This practitioner had continued to act according to the requirements for a practitioner, so people in his workplace gradually came to understand the truth.
In 2003, the company formally promoted the practitioner because of his honest and upright conduct and his capability in the business. When his boss interviewed him, the practitioner asked if the company was concerned that his promotion would bring trouble for the company because he was a Falun Gong practitioner. The boss replied, "Nowadays, people who are obsessed with drinking, gambling and whoring can all be promoted and become leaders. Why shouldn't a good person like you be promoted?"
One of his colleagues in the company had been looking forward to this same position for a long time. When he found that he hadn't been promoted to the position, he wrote a letter to the mayor complaining that the company shouldn't have promoted a Falun Gong practitioner. The official in the mayor's office signed the complaint letter and returned it to the company, who then gave the letter to the practitioner. As it turned out, the company had obtained permission from high-level officials before they had promoted him.
Director of a Neighborhood Committee, "Since it is so good, you must keep practicing it."
Every day a salesman from Yingkou City, Liaoning Province sells vegetables door to door, going from village to village. One day, a practitioner from the city clarified the truth to him. After listening to the facts, he said, "Oh! Falun Gong is indeed so good!" Consequently, he asked for a flyer. From that time on, whenever he saw the practitioner he would ask for some more truth-clarifying flyers; sometimes 3 to 5, sometimes 8 or 10 flyers, in order to distribute them to people. When the practitioner asked him "Aren't you scared?" he replied, "What's to fear?"
One day, the director of a certain city's neighborhood committee came to this Falun Gong practitioner's house, bringing with him policemen from the police station. He asked the practitioner if Falun Gong is truly good. The practitioner said resolutely, "It is good!" Surprisingly, the director said, in front of the policemen, "Since it is good, you must keep practicing it. In the future, whoever comes to bother you, you tell them to come talk to me."The Public Declares "The Self-Immolation: Filmed so Perfectly, It Must be Staged!"
A Falun Gong practitioner clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to a middle-aged businesswoman. Unexpectedly she said, "When the CCTV program about the Tiananmen Self-immolation was shown, I knew that it was faked. Think about it; to filming an accident, one can film the middle part or the end of the accident, but one absolutely cannot film the beginning. While the 'Self-Immolation in Tiananmen Square' was occurring, it was filmed so perfectly and detailed in the space of a few minutes. That could never have been achieved in reality, so it must have been staged. The cameramen were already set up with the camera there and were waiting for the play to begin!"
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