October 12, 2005

A Chinese policeman in a blue uniform ties up a bloodied and bruised female prisoner. He then holds up a thick wooden stick and readies himself to beat her once again. Pedestrians stop in astonishment and curiosity to watch what will happen next.

This could be an act of real torture happening in China, but today it is only a reenactment taking place on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City courtesy of the Falun Gong.

The Falun Gong is an organization of Chinese origin which in its own words is dedicated to improving the mind, body and spirit by means of meditation, exercise and teachings that are rooted in ancient Chinese culture. The Falun Gong estimates itself to have over a hundred million followers, with seventy million in China alone.

Over the years the Chinese government has sought to limit the influence of the Falun Gong seeing it as a challenger to its authority and some Falun Gong [practitioners] have been arrested and imprisoned.

But recently the Falun Gong has attacked the Chinese government accusing it of torturing its [practitioners], especially women and girls. To make its case clear, the Falun Gong have begun reenacting torture scenes from Chinese prisons and labor camps on the streets of major American cities.

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The live reenactments of Chinese police torture are usually made by volunteer [practitioners] of the Falun Gong, and in the case of the scene described above, by members from the Republic of China in Taiwan. The amateur actors use make up and food coloring to simulate blood. One sits in a cross legged position in a tiny wooden cage with blood on her forehead and shirt. Near by, a sign with the caption, "small cell," explains the means of torture more completely.

While the live reenactment of torture is happening, a friendly female member of the organization distributes the newspaper, Falun Gong Today which contains articles that describe in the minutest detail the torture endured by female Falun Gong [practitioners] in China.

One article entitled "Women Hung Spread-Eagle, Sexually Assaulted with Sticks," explains how Chinese prison officials torture female Falun Gong detainees by hanging them spread-eagle from the ceiling and then shoving sticks and rods, pepper oil, chili pepper sauce, toilet and shoe brushes and other items into the women's vaginas.

Another article lists the methods of torture used on women, including: electric shock clubs applied to the breasts and the genitals, piercing through the nipples with wire, being forced to stand naked in front of onlookers, gang rape, and being stripped and locked into male cells.

When the newspapers begin to run out, a Falun Gong truck arrives on the scene to deliver more newspapers and supplies to the Falun Gong volunteers.

One of the volunteers on the scene is Kathrina, a [practitioner] of the Falun Gong from Sweden who journeyed all the way to New York on her holiday to distribute newspapers and information about the Falun Gong. Explaining the importance of her work, she said, "The government and media do not talk about torture in China because of economic interests. That is why we are here today. We are asking people to sign a petition to pressure the Chinese government."

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