News and Events from Around the World
- U.S. Seventh Circuit Court Accepts Falun Gong's Appeal Documents Regarding the Lawsuit Against Jiang Zemin
- Press Statement: Amicus (Friend of the Court) Submission by the World Organization Against Torture In the Jiang Zemin Case
- European Friends of Falun Gong Will Hold an International Workshop on "Modern Genocide" in Sweden
- Swiss Stock Exchange Rating Agency Removes Volkswagen from its Stock Option List
- Israel: Chinese Magazine Apologizes to Falun Gong Practitioners And Their Readers
- U.S. State Department Publishes Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, Criticizes Chinese Government's Persecution of Falun Gong
- Letter to President Bush from UCLA Student Organizations Concerning the Detention of Charles Lee in China
- 2003 Annual report of Reporters Without Borders Exposes Persecution of Falun Gong in China
- Electric-shock Torture, Sexual Assault Rampant in "Re-education" of Falun Gong in Chinese Labor Camp
- China: The Brutal Murder of Mr. Zhang Xiaodong in Gansu Province
- China: School Teacher Mr. Wu Yuan Is Tortured to Death
- South China Morning Post: Jailed Falun Gong follower dies after police beating
- BBC Reports the Death of Liu Chengjun, a practitioner who intercepted state-controlled cable TV signals to broadcast the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong
- Radio France Internationale: Human Rights Organisations Concerned Over the Death of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner
The People Awaken to the Truth
- Residents in a Township Observe a Truth-Clarifying Scene
- Policeman Who Knows the Truth about Falun Gong: "I'm Sure I Will Become a Falun Gong Practitioner!"
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
- Woman Arrives In a Wheelchair and Pushes It Home Herself After Practicing Falun Gong
- Seven Days of Practicing Falun Gong Cured the Physical Problems that Plagued
Me for Seven Years
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News and Events from Around the World
U.S. Seventh Circuit Court Accepts Falun Gong's Appeal Documents Regarding the Lawsuit Against Jiang Zemin
On January 20, 2004, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court accepted the Falun Gong practitioners' documents filing an appeal regarding the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. At one p.m. local time, the attorney for the plaintiffs held a press conference at the Chicago Hilton.
The lawsuit against Jiang Zemin in Chicago is one of several ongoing around the world. The Falun Gong practitioners expressed that since Jiang's regime began the persecution campaign more than four years ago, more than 800 cases of practitioners being tortured to death have been verified in spite of layer after layer of information blockades. Because of this persecution, the Falun Gong practitioners have brought a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin on charges of torture and genocide.
The lawsuit has caught the attention of the legal community, and it is seen as a major event by human rights activists, as the Falun Gong practitioners continue to seek justice and human rights through peaceful, legal channels.
Press Statement: Amicus (Friend of the Court) Submission by the World Organization Against Torture In the Jiang Zemin Case
In conjunction with the appeal being taken in this case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, the World Organization Against Torture USA will be filing an amicus (friend of the court) brief in support of the right of victims of torture in China to file Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act claims in U.S. courts against Jiang Zemin and other high-level officials of the People's Republic of China seeking money damages for the acts of torture and genocide committed against them. The World Organization Against Torture USA is the U.S. affiliate of a worldwide network of more than 200 human rights groups, and last year won a major case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based on the finding that female genital mutilation is a form of torture that must be taken into account in a deportation proceeding. (Nwaokolo v. Ashcroft, 314 F.3d 303).
The amicus brief takes the position that Federal District Court Judge Kennelly should not have dismissed the complaint against Defendant Jiang based on the fact that he served as head of state of the People's Republic of China during part of the period that these violations and abuses took place. It points out that a former head of state does not deserve the same level of protection against law suits filed in this country as is given to sitting heads of state, and that Defendant Jiang had left his office of head of state on March 15, 2003, so that he should have been considered liable for acts of torture and genocide committed after that date, even if he is deemed immune from lawsuits for actions taken during his head of state status.
The brief also notes that Judge Kennelly made a fundamental error when he allowed the U.S. Department of State to determine whether head of state immunity applies to Defendant Jiang. The State Department certainly has the authority to inform the court as to whether a defendant holds head of state status for the period in question. But it is up to the Court, not the political branches of the government who are heavily influenced by political and foreign policy considerations, to decide whether application of head of state immunity protections are justified by the circumstances of the case. In the present case, there is no dispute that former President Jiang was the principle architect of the campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners that has resulted, by the U.S. Department of State's own estimates, in death by torture of hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in police custody, and the arbitrary arrest, torture and long-term detention of many thousands more. There is a long line of cases holding that the most serious forms of human rights abuses, such as torture and genocide, can not be considered officially approved or justified under any circumstances, and therefore can not be covered by head of state or any other form of official immunity. The brief calls for the case to be remanded back to the U.S. District Court for trial on the merits of the claims presented under the two Congressional statutes authorizing these types of civil damage award lawsuits in U.S. courts.
This is an important case not only because of the issues of torture and genocide in China that it raises, but also because it relates to the campaign that the Administration has been waging to close off U.S. courts to human rights cases involving abuses committed abroad for political and foreign policy reasons.
European Friends of Falun Gong Will Hold an International Workshop on "Modern Genocide" in Sweden
Various human atrocities have inevitably caused the world to change and have left permanent scars on human history. However, they have also provided a tool for the world to prevent genocide in the future, by methods such as the United Nations Convention on Genocide. Although many people worldwide are devoted to preventing genocide, the following questions need to be asked: If inhumane crimes occur, can we identify them? How do they manifest? How can we deal with them? Even though history repeats itself, the crimes may not occur exactly the same as before. The NGO workshop will discuss these problems from a variety of angles, using different individual's experiences.
One of the topics of the workshop will be to discuss how to deal with cases of genocide during the continuous persecution of the Falun Gong in China. By observing Falun Gong persecution cases, we discovered that the Internet and the global economy is playing a role in modern genocide, which makes modern genocide different from genocides of the past.
Therefore, the focus of this workshop is a look at modern genocide from a variety of angles.
DATE: 26 ¡§C 28 of January 2004
PLACE: Stockholm, Sweden
Swiss Stock Exchange Rating Agency Removes Volkswagen from its Stock Option List
The internationally active investment firm Helvetica Invest AG, which is located in Switzerland, removed Volkswagen from its stock option list, once it became known that Volkswagen had actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
On December the 19th 2003, The Epoch Times reported Volkswagen's illegal treatment of job seekers in China. According to the article, university graduates in China were not considered for a job if they were unwilling to sign a guarantee statement that included a promise not to practice or support Falun Gong.
The management of Helvetica Invest AG asked its researchers to remove Volkswagen from the Top Pick list. Volkswagen will not be included in the stock option list until it desists from participation in the persecution. Helvetica Invest AGs does not include a customer in its stock purchase options that participates in the persecution of innocent people.
Furthermore, the management decreed that if any other company is found to be a participant in the persecution, it will no longer be offered among its stock options. Helvetica Invest AG wished to increase awareness of the words used after the Holocaust - "never again" - that were frequently expressed in the West after World War II. Atrocities such as were committed against the Jewish people are never to be repeated again; however, China is also committing genocide in its persecution of Falun Gong. No one can support this. International companies should not forget the recent Holocaust lawsuits.
Israel: Chinese Magazine Apologizes to Falun Gong Practitioners And Their Readers
"Beijing - Tel Aviv is a Chinese magazine that was published in Israel. Most of its readers are Chinese who work in this country
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Ever since the beginning of its publication in January 2003, "Beijing - Tel Aviv has provided its' readers with news, information and services that are related to culture and life. In addition, it has been publishing material that promoted Jiang Regime's propaganda and defamation against Falun Gong.
For instance, right after an explosion in Tel Aviv that occurred in February 2003, an article was published in the magazine, referring to the source of the information as coming from the Chinese Embassy, reminding readers to be more aware of the issue of safety. Then the subject of the article abruptly switched to Falun Gong. It misled the readers by linking the act of terrorism to Falun Gong practitioners who clarify the facts in Chinatown.
In July 2003, "Beijing - Tel Aviv allocated more than a full page to another article to frame Falun Gong. It implicated Falun Gong in a mental patient's homicide case in China. This misled readers a second time and was intended to destroy Falun Gong's good reputation.
Falun Gong practitioners in Israel tried to reach the publisher to explain the facts of the persecution so that they could understand Falun Gong and realize what was happening in China. The initial response from the magazine was that they did not want to "irritate the Chinese Embassy." These defamatory and articles were published one after another.
As a result of this, practitioners undertook a legal action. Via a lawyer, practitioners negotiated with the publisher and requested that they publish an open apology and an immediate correction of their mistake.
In the first 2004 issue and the first anniversary of the magazine, an apology was published. The full text of the message is as follows:
"In 2003, "Beijing - Tel Aviv published articles containing incorrect information on February 2, July 27 and September 19. These articles were negative, and have shaped a criminal image of Falun Gong practitioners. The publisher would like to apologize to Falun Gong practitioners and all others who may have been harmed by these articles. We would also like to deliver an apology to the readers who have been misled by the incorrect coverage. "
U.S. State Department Publishes Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, Criticizes Chinese Government's Persecution of Falun Gong
On December 18, the U.S. State Department published the 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, in which the U.S. government criticized the situation of religious freedom in China. According to the Radio Free Asia's December 19th report, the U.S. State Department published the 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, which criticized the situation of religious freedom in China.
The report states that, among other things, "the Chinese government continued its repression of groups that it determined to be 'cults' in general, and of the Falun Gong in particular. The arrest, detention and imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners continue." Practitioners who refuse to recant their beliefs are sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in prisons and reeducation-through-labor camps. There have been credible reports of deaths due to torture and abuse. Thousands of individuals are still undergoing criminal, administrative and extra-judicial punishment for engaging in Falun Gong practices.
The report quoted Richard L. Armitage, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, who spoke at the press conference, "With this report, we intend to focus attention on the plight of people who are persecuted simply for the peaceful practice of religious beliefs and to provide a resource of action..."
The report also stated that John Hanford, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom who spoke at the meeting, had this to say, "Though international law supports it, and though millions of religious believers around the world desire it, religious freedom all too often remains fragile, neglected and violated. Many religious believers find themselves forced to worship secretly instead of confidently, or to hold their sacred beliefs in fear and under threat rather than in peace and security. Many others suffer severe hardships for their faith, including beatings, torture, detention, imprisonments and death."
Letter to President Bush from UCLA Student Organizations Concerning the Detention of Charles Lee in China
In October 2003, the Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC, a student government) at UCLA voted 11-0 to cosign a letter to President Bush concerning the detention of Dr. Charles Lee. The letter was also signed by the President of LASA, the Latino American Students Association at UCLA, and the President and the entire Amnesty International club at UCLA. The letter was initiated by the Falun Gong club at UCLA. Excerpts follow.
Dear President Bush,
We are writing you to express our serious concern for U.S. citizen and California resident Dr. Charles Lee. Dr. Lee was arrested on January 22nd at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in Guangdong Province in Mainland China and was charged with attempting to sabotage cable/broadcast systems. He has since been held against his will the past nine months, during which time he has been mistreated and force fed, an excruciating form of torture. With study of Lee's case, it becomes obvious that Lee is being held for peaceful civil disobedience.
Lee told U.S. consular officials from the US consulate in Shanghai that he was being targeted because he is a Falun Gong practitioner. Falun Gong is a peaceful non-religious qigong practice based on the principles of Truthfulness Compassion and Forbearance. Also known as cultivation practice, it is a system of self-improvement. Since its introduction in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong quickly spread by word of mouth so that by 1999 there were 70-100 million people practicing Falun Gong. In 1999, out of fear and jealousy, former leader Jiang Zemin banned Falun Gong and initiated a brutal persecution. Jiang now faces genocide lawsuits in both the US and abroad.
Lee also revealed that he did intend to broadcast over state run television a film with content that told the facts about Falun Gong and which would expose human rights violations taking place throughout Mainland China. Lee argued that such action is protected by both the Chinese Constitution and the Chinese Basic Criminal Law, that it was peaceful and non harmful, and that such action in the end will save lives.
The current incarceration of Lee is unacceptable. Lee's U.S. citizenship should protect him from a government that breaks its own laws with impunity.
At UCLA we value every person's right to life and respect diversity of ethnicity, lifestyle and culture, acknowledging that tolerance and openness are fundamental to a healthy, balanced community. In this light, the comprehensive persecution of Chinese nationals who practice Falun Gong which includes grotesque torture, hate propaganda, and murder in the thousands all has one thing in common- it goes against the moral foundations of human civilization. We hope that in the future human rights will become an even stronger focus of US- China relations.
2003 Annual report of Reporters Without Borders Exposes Persecution of Falun Gong in China [Excerpt]
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Nine members of the outlawed Falun Gong were charged by a court in the northeastern city of Changchun on 18 April with [fabricated charge] because of their alleged role in the [interception] of a cable TV network in Changchun and Songyuan in early March to broadcast two documentaries about the persecution of the Falun Gong since July 1999. Six others were arrested in the following weeks. The TV [broadcast on exposing the crimes of Jiang Zemin regime's persecution of Falun Gong] had enraged the authorities. The police, especially "Bureau 610," had spent several weeks hunting down Falun Gong followers in Changchun. [...] On 21 April, the Falun Gong announced that it had [broadcast in] another cable TV network, this time in the northeastern city of Harbin, again transmitting a documentary about the persecution of Falun Gong followers. [...]The Falun Gong claimed that Luo Gan, the head of public security in China, had gone to Harbin and had demanded the arrest of 6,000 Falun Gong members by June. The trial of the 11 men and four women arrested in the Changchun incident began on 18 September. On 20 September, after [show trial by the totalitarian regime], they were given sentences ranging from four to 20 years in prison.
[...]
Four Falun Gong members received sentences ranging from seven to 16 years in prison from a court in the southwestern city of Chongqing on 18 May for [broadcasting in] a local television channel in January in order to broadcast a programme [clarifying the facts of Falun Gong and exposing the inhumane persecution of Falun Gong in China]. [...]
[...]
The authorities on 23 June [fabricated charges against] the Falun Gong of hijacking the Sinosat satellite signal, thereby disrupting the programming of nine national channels and six regional channels, replacing it with black screens or pictures of Falun Gong meetings. [...] The official news agency Xinhua [told lies that the] signals had come from Taiwan but this was denied by officials in Taipei and Taiwanese members of the Falun Gong. [...] There had also been a further incident in the week following 23 June, in which a Falun Gong message was transmitted on a TV signal in Laiyang in the eastern province of Shandong. The authorities said the message had appeared on screen for one minute, while a Hong Kong-based human rights group said it stayed on screen for 15 minutes. The same group reported a similar TV [broadcasting] on 27 June in the coastal city of Yantai.
[...]
Falun Gong members [broadcasted in] local television's Channel 5 in Baiyin in the central province of Gansu on 17 August. Baiyin residents said programming was interrupted for 10-20 minutes by pictures of Falun Gong members being persecuted by the police. The local newspapers did not report the incident.
The Hong Kong government on 24 September published a draft national security law proposing imprisonment and other heavy penalties for treason, secession, subversion and theft of state secrets. Presented as an implementation of article 23 of the Basic Law negotiated before Hong Kong's handover in 1997, the draft law had Beijing's stamp and was widely criticised as a threat to individual freedoms, especially press freedom, as the concept of state secret was defined in the vaguest of terms and could be used to arrest journalists for publishing all manner of information. Furthermore, with penalties of up to seven years in prison for publishing reports that incite treason, secession or subversion, the law would reinforce self-censorship on subjects considered sensitive by the mainland government. After its publication, senior Hong Kong officials warned journalists about the way they use press freedom. Justice minister Elsie Leung on 17 October said any report containing unsourced confidential information would henceforth be treated as a "state secret." The Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association addressed a statement to the authorities on 24 November calling for the elimination of the more restrictive measures from the proposed law. It was signed by 879 Hong Kong journalist and was backed by 26 international press and human rights groups.
[...]
Electric-shock Torture, Sexual Assault Rampant in "Re-education" of Falun Gong in Chinese Labor Camp
In a June 2003 TV program broadcast over state-run media, a Dalian Forced Labor Camp official, joined by a group of labor camp "educators," claimed, "There is absolutely no such thing as persecution here."
However, eyewitness accounts from the Dalian Forced Labor Camp detail a different, darker reality of Jiang Zemin's often brutal, nation-wide campaign to eradicate Falun Gong by any means necessary.
"Re-education" Torture; Confirmed Deaths amidst the Violence
Since 1999, terror and violence have permeated the Dalian Forced Labor Camp, as authorities implement orders to "transform" Falun Gong practitioners.
In a report received by the Falun Dafa Information Center in December 2003, eyewitnesses provided details of 47 cases of torture, and confirmed 6 deaths from torture. The report describes the number of cases it details as "just the tip of the iceberg."
Women Tied Spread-eagle; Raped with Mops, Toilet Brushes
The report also provided details of eight women who suffered savage forms of sexual assault as labor camp authorities sought to "re-educate" them.
60-year-old Ms. Fu Shuying was tied up spread-eagle, while a torturer violently inserted a long rod into her vagina causing severe inflammations and infections.
27-year-old Ms. Chen Hui and 30-year-old Ms. Sun Yan were also tied up in a spread-eagle position as torturers repeatedly thrust long rods into their vaginas causing bleeding.
Three other women suffered similar tortures with chili pepper sauce shoved into their vaginas causing extreme pain, while in three additional cases toilet and shoe brushes were used causing severe vaginal bleeding.
According to the report, the torturers frequently tell the practitioners "we represent the government in transforming you" or "it means nothing if you die here."
Hundreds of reports from Falun Gong practitioners in China quote police and labor camp officials saying they are under orders that "no method is too extreme" to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs, and those who are killed amidst the torture "should be reported as suicides."
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China: The Brutal Murder of Mr. Zhang Xiaodong in Gansu Province
On October 24, 2003, Mr. Zhang Xiaodong, 32 years old, from Chaimen Village, Huining County, Gansu Province, was beaten to death in the Xiguoyuan Detention Center. At 5:00pm that afternoon, his family was informed, but by the time his family members arrived, the police had already covered up scene of his death.
Because Zhang Xiaodong persisted in practicing Falun Gong, he was illegally detained in the Xiguoyuan Detention Center for two years since November 10, 2001. He was secretly sentenced to 6 years in prison and suffered all kinds of torture and humiliation. Also, his family members were not allowed to visit him.
Because of his tragic death, his family members brought a lawsuit against the Xiguoyuan Detention Center. However, the detention center's police retaliated against Zhang 's family members by continuously harassing and threatening them.
?p> China: School Teacher Mr. Wu Yuan Is Tortured to Death
Wu Yuan, a 44-year-old middle school teacher in Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province was tortured to death on December 10, 2003.
Mr. Wu often helped poor students pay for their tuition. Students and their families all regarded Mr. Wu as a good person and teacher. Because of practicing Falun Gong, In August 2002, Mr. Wu was arrested by the police in August 2002. In addition, the police intimidated Wu's students and forced them to testify against him and sign statements slandering his character.
On September 26, 2002, Wu Yuan was illegally sentenced to four years in Dabei Prison at Chenyang. His mother, unable to bear her worry and indignation, passed away a few days later.
On December 8, 2003, Mr. Wu's family received an unsigned letter from the prison, claiming that Wu had esophageal cancer and was to be released back to his family. On the morning of December 10, Wu Yuan's wife arrived at the hospital ward in Chenyang Prison and saw her husband's emaciated figure rolled up on a hospital bed. She didn't recognize him at first and had to ask him whether he was her husband. Wu Yuan nodded with difficulty. When he tried to say something, the police interrupted and urged her to leave.
Later on the same day, Mr. Wu's wife received a message from the prison stating that her husband died. Next day she saw her husband's body at the funeral home. His belly was bruised black and blue, his back was covered with red marks and his nose and ears were stuffed with cotton balls. She requested an autopsy report and a documented medical history, but the prison refused to provide them, stating that the medical history had already been sent to the coroner.
Mrs. Wu realized her husband had been tortured to death, but she had no place to seek justice in China.
South China Morning Post: Jailed Falun Gong follower dies after police beating
An outspoken member of the Falun Gong spiritual group, which is banned in the mainland, was severely beaten in a Chinese prison and has died in hospital, Falun Gong and a right's group said on Tuesday.
Liu Chengjun, sentenced to 19 years in March 2002 for his involvement in illegal Falun Gong television broadcasts, died on Friday in Changchun city, the capital of Jilin province, the spiritual group said in a statement from its New York office.
[...]
However, Frank Lu, director of the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, said that Liu's death was being covered up and local officials had been told not to reveal any details surrounding it.
"I called government offices and one official, who refused to be named, confirmed the death of Liu Chengjun but refused to give detailed information," Mr Lu said.
"He said if he revealed the relevant information, his boss would punish him."
According to Falun Gong, Liu was repeatedly beaten and tortured during his incarceration.
"Eyewitnesses who saw Liu in October 2003 said he was incapacitated and 'hard to recognize' from the torture," the statement said.
"Despite an October 24 diagnosis of 'acute kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmia, critical condition,' repeated attempts by Liu's family to secure his medical parole were denied by Chinese authorities," it said.
Liu was arrested for a series of [...] Falun Gong broadcasts in early 2002 which interrupted television signals of state-run broadcasters and were beamed into the homes of ordinary Chinese in Jilin and other provinces.
[...]
Falun Gong claims more than 1,600 members have been tortured or beaten to death in China since a crackdown was ordered four years ago.
BBC Reports the Death of Liu Chengjun, a practitioner who intercepted state-controlled cable TV signals to broadcast the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong
[...]
A Chinese man jailed for [intercepting] cable television and broadcasting footage of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement has died in prison, according to the group's website.
The group said that Liu Chengjun had suffered "cruel torture" and that eyewitnesses described blood stains all over his body.
Liu was serving 19 years in prison in the northern province of Jilin for his part in the 2002 protest.
He was one of 15 Falun Gong members who [...]broadcast around 40 minutes of pro-Falun Gong material on a cable TV station in Changchun, capital of Jilin.
The Falun Gong website said that he died on 26 December in a civilian hospital.
It said that his body had been cremated on the same day without an autopsy.
The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement that Liu had been severely beaten after his detention in March 2002, and had also been ill.
Falun Gong was banned by the Chinese government in 1999, after thousands of the group's followers demonstrated in Beijing [...]
Falun Gong has said that more than 840 followers have been tortured to death in China.
[...]
Radio France Internationale: Human Rights Organisations Concerned Over the Death of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner
Agence France-Presse quoted a statement made by the Falun Dafa Information Centre in New York revealing that this person's name is Liu Chengjun and he had been sentenced to 19 years in jail because of his involvement in broadcasting Falun Gong videos on cable TV in March 2001. He died in a hospital in Changchun city, China. According to the statement, Liu was brutally beaten and tortured repeatedly in jail. People who saw Liu before his death said that he appeared to be very weak. He could hardly be recognised because of the relentless torture.
AFP made a phone call to Jilin Province government officials, asking for more information. The officials in charge of Jilin Province prison management and executives of the hospital told AFP that they did not know any person named Liu Chengjun, and that they had no prisoner who was tortured to death recently.
However, Lu Siqing, Director of the Information Centre for Hong Kong's Human Rights and Civil Movement, said he also made phone calls to Chinese government officials. An official who insisted on anonymity confirmed Liu's death, but was unwilling to reveal any details.
Mr. Zhang Jianping was interviewed by Radio Free China regarding Liu's death from beating and torture in the jail,. His comments are as follows:
Practitioner: It should help us understand how serious it is if we examine the previous details of the incident. It is because Liu Chengjun, a Falun Gong practitioner, interrupted cable TV programmes to broadcast the truth clarification videos about how Falun Gong is persecuted in China, and how widely Falun Gong has spread worldwide. Why did he do so? Everyone knows that the ongoing persecution against Falun Gong in China is very vicious. Why is it vicious? Not only does the government prohibit the cultivation of truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance, but it also tries to convert those people who are cultivating truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance to the other direction. The Chinese government resorts to lies, pressure and bribery so that all people are deceived and dragged into the persecution.
Reporter: Why did the Chinese authorities decide to persecute Falun Gong so brutally? Can you tell us the reason?
Practitioner: I think the persecution is due to the individual wickedness of Jiang Zemin. We don't think the persecution against Falun Gong is the will of the Chinese government or the Chinese people. Another measure that Jiang has used to confuse people is to say that "the Communist Party needs to conquer Falun Gong. He is simply trying to create an illusion.
In fact, Falun Gong does not participate in politics. It has no interest in political power and is not against the government. Take Wen Jiabao's state visit to USA as an example. Falun Gong practitioners displayed banners which read "Wen Jiabao: Welcome to the USA and "Punish Jiang Severely. The only thing that we want to appeal for is an end to the unjust persecution immediately, and to grant us the freedom to practise Falun Gong.
This is why Liu Chengjun has endured cruel persecution and torture for such a long time. From photos officially released by the Xinhua News Agency, Liu was not able to sit. His body was covered in bloodstains, indicating that he had been beaten severely.
Reporter: Do you think that the new government leaders will continue the persecution against Falun Gong?
Practitioner: I think everyone, including some leaders in the Chinese government, know that Falun Gong teaches people to cultivate truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance, and become good people in society. It is beneficial to the society and the country. On the other hand, we also know Jiang Zemin is a dictator. On the surface he has retired, but he still manipulates behind the scenes. Nevertheless, we hope that all of the Chinese leaders and people can understand the facts. Considering the benefits for the people and the nation, they should make a correct choice.
The People Awaken to the Truth
Residents in a Township Observe a Truth-Clarifying Scene
On the morning of November 30, 2003, in Guankou Township, Xishui County, Hubei Province, people saw truth-clarifying posters all over the streets and lanes, including township government buildings, street police stations and rural areas around the township. The posters read, "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice in the World," "Bring the Head of Terrorists Luo Gan to Justice," "Falun Dafa is Good" and so on. The materials were placed by the doors or entrances of almost all the residential dwellings and business units. A special scene could viewed on top of a 70-meter tall mobile communication's tower, where a big fabric banner had been hung reading, "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice in the World." The banner was on display until 3:30 pm the second day.
This event became shocking and rapidly spreading local news. The scene attracted about 3000 residents, and nearby farmers gathered around the tower to watch. It also attracted several hundred people passing by to stop and watch. Because the township is located on the main traffic path between two counties, many vehicles passed by and some vehicles also stopped. The passengers of buses stuck their heads out of the windows to watch. One official said, "Falun Gong practitioners are incredible. The tower is so high that nobody would dare to climb up even during daytime. How did they hang the banner up in the night?"
On the same morning the police arrived at the scene, but none of them had any way to remove the banner. They offered a high price trying to find someone to remove the banner, but nobody wanted to do it. Some said, "I don't want to remove it. I am afraid of being paid with retribution."
During the whole event, the topic that people talked about the most was that the society is so corrupt but nobody cares about it, and Jiang Zemin just focuses his wrath on a group of kindhearted people who practiced Falun Gong.
Policeman Who Knows the Truth about Falun Gong: "I'm Sure I Will Become a Falun Gong Practitioner!"
While I was detained in a labor camp, there was a police chief who went all out to deceive Falun Gong practitioners in order to gain personal interest.
Later through conversing with him, I found he was a man who liked to think and he seemed to have quite a deep understanding of many things. In the eyes of his supervisors and colleagues, he was a very smart man. When Falun Gong practitioners clarified the truth to him, we found he still had a conscience. Later he changed gradually and started to understand that Falun Gong is good.
His direct supervisor was very envious of his capability and tried all means to inhibit him. Thus conflicts occurred and he was not allowed to participate in many of the activities aimed at persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. As I saw it, it was in fact Teacher who was helping him not to commit too many crimes.
One practitioner gave up his belief under the persuasion of this police chief, but his direct supervisor wanted to take credit. He arranged to shoot a video clip of the practitioner showing that he had indeed given up cultivation. At that time, the police chief had realized that practitioners should not give up their belief. So during the videotaping, he raised three questions for the practitioner to answer. His intention was in fact to prompt this practitioner to declare in the video that his so-called transformation was nullified.
Later, this police captain tried not to directly participate in the persecution of Falun Gong. He even helped to protect some practitioners.
After I was released from the labor camp, I paid him a visit. He said, "Jiang has committed too many evil deeds. Who would want to be his accomplice? I'm sure Falun Gong will receive justice in the end." A deputy director had wanted to brainwash practitioners and this policeman managed to stop the brainwashing.
Later I started to talk about the teachings of Dafa and he listened attentively. I kept asking him, "Do you understand what I'm talking about?" He said, "Yes, yes! Please go on!" I said, "You need to truly practice cultivation." He replied, "Rest assured! I'm sure I'll become a Falun Gong practitioner."
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
Woman Arrives In a Wheelchair and Pushes It Home Herself After Practicing Falun Gong
When I just started practicing Falun Gong in 1995, I met a middle-aged female practitioner at a practice site in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Her mother had to ride in a wheelchair due to her illnesses. She asked her mother to read Falun Gong books. Her mother also thought Falun Gong was very good, and wanted to come to the practice site with her.
Early one morning, the middle-aged practitioner pushed her mother's wheelchair to the practice site. At the very beginning, her mother could only gesticulate the movements of the practice, and I didn't pay much attention to her. After a few days, I noticed that her mother slowly stood up to do the exercises. A few more days later, after I finished my practice, I watched the mother push the wheelchair herself, walking behind it as she went home.
At the time, I was extremely surprised by the miracle of Falun Gong. The practice site coordinator told me that it was not so shocking to see people arriving on wheelchairs and pushing them as they left. Many people have told me experiences of people being miraculously healed in their Falun Gong practice.
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