June 22, 2007 - www.faluninfo.net
Attorney Sent to Labor
Camp for Representing Falun Gong
Guangzhou (Canton) has become an international center of trade and commerce, but
remains a city in which lawyers are not permitted to defend clients in
politically-sensitive cases; those remain under Communist Party control.
Attorney Zhu Yubiao became the first lawyer in Guangzhou to attempt to defend a
Falun Gong practitioner when he took the case of Gao Huanlian. For this, Mr. Zhu
was arrested on February 10, 2007 and remains incarcerated at the Guangzhou
Huadu Third Forced Labor Camp. Other lawyers in China have faced similar
consequences for taking persecuted Falun Gong practitioners' cases, while most
choose not to.
Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/19/86909.html
Chen Weijun was Tortured
37 Times - Until She Died (detailed account)
Ms. Chen Weijun of Heilongjiang province was tortured 37 times for practicing
Falun Gong and resisting its persecution in China. She was sentenced to 11 years
in prison and her husband, who did not practice Falun Gong, was sentenced to 7
years. Ms. Chen was tortured on 37 different occasions until she died on June 3,
2007, at the age of 49.
The following account, originally posted on Minghui.org and translated on
Clearwisdom.net, details all 37 incidents: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/16/86828.html
Officials in Chinese
Countryside Kept in Check Through Online Exposure
After news of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Jing Yongan, who is
from a Kangping county village, was posted on Minghui.org (Clearwisdom.net in
English), Party officials complained to the villagers over the international
exposure. The local director of public security said, "We will release him if
you tell me who told the editors of the Clearwisdom website about this." Mr.
Jing's case, it is worth noting, is not a particularly prominent one; it is
only one of hundreds of similar cases posted on Clearwisdom.net each month. This
suggests the power of international exposure and attention to improve human
rights in China.
Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/14/86755.html
As Communism Victims
Honored, "Quit the Party" Movement Gains Steam
When the new Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC, was dedicated on
June 12, Chinese people's efforts to shake off the Communist Party were
prominently recognized. In a speech noting that many around the world are still
suffering under communism, Swedish Parliament Member Goran Lindblad recognized
the courage of former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin, who defected from the
Chinese Communist Party and government. He also spoke of the over 20 million
Chinese who have publicly severed their ties to the Party over the last few
years, primarily through online postings. President Bush attended the event.
Volunteers from the Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party were
present, lining the roads leading to the memorial and holding banners. The
movement to quit the Chinese Communist Party is going at a pace of 20,000-30,000
renunciation statements per day.
Following the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (link)
in late 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in China and elsewhere have urged Chinese
people to withdraw from the Party. They hope to end the persecution of Falun
Gong and all Chinese by nonviolently disintegrating its support base.
For more information: http://www.ninecommentaries.com
Sample withdrawal statement: http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-6-19/56654.html
Letter Says Olympics and
Persecution Cannot Occur Concurrently
In an open letter dated June 8, a group of prominent individuals called upon
Party leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao to end the persecution of Falun Gong
within two months, one year before the Beijing Olympics.
The letter is signed by heads of international branches of the Coalition to
Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), which include a British lord,
Australian senator, Taiwanese legislator, and a former Canadian secretary of
state.
"We believe that it would be a shame to humanity as a whole if the Olympics and
crimes against humanity were to take place simultaneously in China," the letter
states. "Whether or not more calls for an international boycott of the 2008
Beijing Olympics will occur depends on your decisions on these important issues
in the next two months."
Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/16/86825.html
A Surprise Visit from
Chinese Officials in Snoqualmie, Washington
Matt Larson, mayor of Snoqualmie, Washington (population: 7,000), recently
received a surprise visit. The day after Mr. Larson issued a proclamation
recognizing Falun Gong practitioners' contribution to the local community, two
officials from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco flew over to try to
convince him to rescind it. Chinese officials, of course, feel their regime's
efforts to defame Falun Gong are undermined when the group is recognized in a
positive way. Not only did Mr. Larson refuse to rescind the proclamation, but
had the officials sit down with local Falun Gong practitioners in what turned
out to be a historic meeting.
Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/17/86853.html