• US to Introduce China Resolution at U.N. Commission on Human Rights Meeting
• European Union Nations Raised the Issue of the Persecution of Falun Gong in the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue
• Switzerland: Falun Gong Practitioners Promote Falun Dafa in Bern - Compassion Appeals to Public Opinion
• The World Psychiatric Association Is Trying to Investigate Psychiatric Abuse against Falun Gong Practitioners in China

• Germany: International Society for Human Rights Speech during a Rally to file a Genocide Lawsuit in Germany, against Jiang Zemin
• Amnesty International Press Release: China: Constitutional amendment on human rights must be backed by concrete action
• Message from UN Delegate from "Association of World Citizens" Affirms Solidarity between NGO's and Falun Gong
• Washington State Senators Stand Up to the Consul General of PRC in San Francisco
• Canadian MP Keith Martin Asks Minister of Justice to Press China for the Release of Falun Gong Practitioner

• China: 30 Torture and Severe Abuse-related Deaths of Falun Gong Practitioners Reported in February
• China: Former National Security Ministry Official Persecuted for Practicing Falun Gong
• The High Cost of China's Forced Labor
• Jiang's Group Extends the Persecution to Nepal: A Falun Gong Practitioner from Taiwan is Followed and Threatened

• Radio Free Asia Reports on UNHRC Meeting: Falun Gong Practitioners Call for an End to the Persecution and to Bring Jiang and His Followers to Justice
• The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Falun Gong -- Practice emphasizes improvement of mind, body
• RFA: Falun Gong Practitioners Appeal in Front of United Nation Headquarters in New York to Call Attention to China's Human Rights Violations
• Japan: Sankei Shimbun News Reveals that China Used All Possible Means to Stop Falun Gong's Registration as a Legal Organization

• Falun Gong Brought Me Back to Life

• A Policeman Takes His Family to my Home for knowing the Truth
• A Voluntary Distributor of Falun Gong Truth-Clarifying Materials

News and Events from Around the World

US to Introduce China Resolution at U.N. Commission on Human Rights Meeting

The United States will introduce a resolution regarding China's human rights practices at the 2004 U.N. Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva, which began on March 15 and will conclude April 23.

A press release from the U.S. Department of State reads, "Our goal in sponsoring this resolution is to encourage China to take positive, concrete steps to meet its international obligations to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Chinese people.

On March 23, a day after Washington made the above announcement, China's Assistant Foreign Minister threatened that China will suspend dialogues and exchanges on human rights with the United States if the resolution is made.

Chinese officials accuse the United States of failing to recognize its actions regarding human rights, which included a decision at this year's National People's Congress to include, for the first time, the term "human rights" in China's constitution.

However, according to a report from Voice of America, organizations such as the Human Rights in China group say they doubt Beijing's resolve to improve its rights record. Nicolas Bequelin at the group's Hong Kong office said the government's definition of "food and shelter" as human rights is a narrow one. He also said compliance with the terms of international rights accords has been uneven.

"When it is favorable to the government of China to appear to be engaging with the human rights mechanism, they are doing it," said Mr. Bequelin. "At other times, when it is convenient and whenever they want to avoid public criticism of their human rights record, they retract to this narrow definition."

According to reports from Associated Press and Associated Foreign Press, the United States has voiced concern over China's arrests of democracy activists, alleged extrajudicial executions, and the torture of and mistreatment of prisoners. The reports also highlighted the repression of the Falun Gong practitioners, a spiritual group who number approximately 100 million in the Mainland.

The reports stated, "Chinese officials have reportedly spoken by telephone several times with their U.S. counterparts in recent weeks, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and President George W. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to discourage Washington from seeking the resolution."

The State Department's spokesman, Richard Boucher, stated in a press release, "The United States has been disappointed by China's failure to meet the commitments made at the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue in December 2002 as well as its failure to follow through on its stated intention to expand cooperation on human rights in 2003. We are also concerned about backsliding on key human rights issues that has occurred in a variety of areas since that time."

He continued, "We call on other members of the international community, especially members of the Commission on Human Rights, to join with us in supporting a resolution. We also call on members of the Commission to vote against procedural no-action motions that seek to prevent debate on resolutions and, as such, are not consistent with democratic principles such as freedom of speech. Such no-action motions prevent the only global body charged specifically with human rights from fulfilling its mandate."

According to the AP and AFP reports, human rights groups welcomed the U.S. resolution, stating that the American government could not ignore its own Department of State's annual human rights assessment, which last month highlighted the arrest of democracy activists and the suppression of religious [spiritual] groups in China.

"This resolution criticizing China's human rights record is an important step in attempts by the international community to promote the development of human rights in China," said Human Rights in China, an advocacy group based in New York. "Although China has made some progress in its social, economic and cultural rights over the past year, there has actually been a marked deterioration in civil and political rights."

European Union Nations Raised the Issue of the Persecution of Falun Gong in the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue

In early March, the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a conference to inform Irish non-governmental organizations of the result of its human rights dialogue with China. "The EU-China Human Right Dialogue" in the first half of 2004 was held for two days at the end of February in Dublin, Ireland, the capital of the incumbent EU President's home country. The conference was presided over by Mr. John Bigger, head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Amnesty International Ireland, The Frontline Human Right Defense, the Tibetan Human Rights Organization and the Irish Falun Gong Association were invited to the conference.

John Bigger reported on China's human rights issues raised in the dialogue and the responses by the Chinese side. The Irish government brought up a series of China's human rights issues in the dialogue, including the persecution of Falun Gong, Tibetan issues, capital punishment, etc. Mr. Bigger said that when mentioning various human right issues such as freedom of speech and freedom of belief, the Irish government repeatedly touched on the matter concerning the persecution of Falun Gong. The individual cases pertaining to the victims of the persecution raised include Liu Feng and Yang Fang, the Chinese students who used to study in Ireland. Liu Feng and Yang Fang returned to China on vacation at the end of 1999, but were arrested and their passports were confiscated because they practice Falun Gong. They have not been allowed to return to Ireland to continue their studies so far. As to China's responses to the issues regarding Falun Gong, Mr. Bigger didn't elaborate on it. Mr. Bigger's comment on the result of this dialogue was: "achieve limited results in limited areas."

One thing strange to those from non-governmental organizations was that "The EU-China Human Right Dialogue" turned out to be proposed by the Chinese side. According to international custom, a dialogue is supposed to address both sides' issues, but this dialogue only discussed China's human right situation. When looking at it from the Chinese perspective, it was an unfair dialogue. To the condemnation of China's human rights situation by international society including the U.S., the Chinese Government has always maintained a denying position. However, on the contrary, it proposed to proceed with an unfair dialogue this time. It will inevitably make people feel very strange. In his comment, the representative of the Irish Falun Gong Association, Zhao Ming, who attended the dialogue said: "This cooperative human rights dialogue will make sense only after China has the sincerity to improve its human rights. Nonetheless, the cruel persecution participated and inflicted by all levels of the entire Chinese government system on Falun Gong has lasted more than four years. The facts showed that the Chinese government doesn't have any sincerity to improve its human rights." Another fact is that since the EU started to have human rights dialogues with China, the governments of the EU countries have basically ceased to openly condemn China's human rights situation. At present, more and more human rights organizations have perceived the limitation of this kind of human rights dialogue, and urged the EU to improve its human rights dialogue with China.

Prior to this dialogue, FIDH and HRIC wrote an open letter to the EU, along with a twenty-six-page evaluation report on "The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue." In the letter, these two human rights organizations stated: "The human rights dialogue can and must be more effective and more transparent, and it should be related to China's human rights situation. We believe that these indicators are an effective means for evaluation. The application of these indicators is of help to create a more 'result-oriented' dialogue, and generate 'noticeable improvements.'"

Switzerland: Falun Gong Practitioners Promote Falun Dafa in Bern - Compassion Appeals to Public Opinion

On March 17, 2004, Swiss practitioners introduced Falun Dafa in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We set up our stand downtown. The neighborhood around the train station is the end of the line for all kinds of vehicles, and it is also situated on Bern's main thoroughfare. Crowds of people passed through one after another. The first things that everyone could see were the five big eye-catching Chinese characters: "Falun Dafa is great." They attracted a lot of attention and people with predestined relationships stopped and watched the Dafa practitioners sending righteous thoughts and practicing the five sets of exercises. They stopped to watch us doing the exercises and some followed the movements intently and wanted to learn how to do the practice. Some also asked us where the exercise site was and voluntarily asked for truth-clarification materials.

A lot of people looked carefully at the display boards and chatted about their contents as they watched the practitioners. They were deeply shocked by the pictures detailing cruel torture. They felt sympathetic and said to Dafa practitioners that they would like to know more about Falun Gong and asked for information. A lot of people signed their names on a petition form immediately after seeing the display boards and voluntarily asked for information in different languages.

One elderly gentleman was happy to find us and said, "I've read a lot of Falun Gong materials. I conclude that the Communist Party will fall because of the persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is just a belief in which people are encouraged to be unselfish, to ask for nothing, and it is guided by 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance'. The way Falun Gong practitioners' act to stop the persecution is peaceful and without violence. Compassion can win public opinion much more effectively and compassion is the most powerful. You are bound to succeed."

The World Psychiatric Association Is Trying to Investigate Psychiatric Abuse against Falun Gong Practitioners in China

According to the latest news, China has told WPA to postpone the trip for 3 months.

The previous message sent out through an NGO, China Psychiatric Watch, said WPA would visit China in April for interviewing patients and their families or doctors who were involved in the examination of those patients after obtaining their consent and access to what was required for those cases that allegedly were subjected to psychiatric abuse.

1. This delegation will be a technical, independent, unbiased taskforce

China Psychiatric Watch pointed out that in July 1999, the Chinese government under Jiang Zemin's leadership started a nationwide suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. During this political campaign in the past four years, with the goal of changing people's belief, the government resorted to its propaganda machinery, to financial control, terror and violence to savagely persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China. During this period, the government's use of mental hospitals and psychiatric misuse in the abuse of Falun Gong practitioners was the cause of great concern for international human rights groups, mental health organizations and professionals who are concerned with the development of psychiatry in China. The American Psychiatric Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrics in UK and the World Psychiatric Association passed resolutions to request China to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and political dissidents through psychiatric means, and sent delegates to investigate the situation.

This delegation will be a technical, independent, unbiased taskforce, totally supported financially by the WPA central fund, aiming to achieve the appropriate answers for the alleged abuse of psychiatry on Falun Gong practitioners. Accomplishing this mission successfully will close a long-standing conflict and will lead to formulate recommendations to be presented to the general assembly during the XIII WCP in Cairo, Egypt from September 10-15, 2005.

2. Currently, people do not fully understand the Chinese government's psychiatric abuse of Falun Gong practitioners

China Psychiatric Watch further stated that The Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry, an organization that played an important role in ending psychiatric abuse of political dissidents in the former USSR, jointly published the book Dangerous Minds with Human Rights Watch, which describes in detail China's psychiatric abuse of Falun Gong practitioners. However, the average person is not yet aware of the scope and extent of cruelty carried out in this persecution.

The torture methods include forcibly locking healthy Falun Gong practitioners up in mental hospitals and injecting them with strong psychiatric drugs, which severely damage their central nervous systems, their liver functions and even lead to death. Large groups of Falun Gong practitioners are sent to drug rehabilitation centers, mental hospitals or labor camps, where they are isolated from the outside, deprived of sleep, forced to watch brainwashing videos and tortured to "reform" their minds. The government also passes off violent and sadistic psychiatric patients as Falun Gong practitioners on TV and in newspapers in order to mislead the public and incite hatred against Falun Gong. The government orders "experts" and "scholars" who lack professional ethics to make up theories and deceive the public in order to justify and cover the persecution.

Voices of Justice

Germany: International Society for Human Rights Speech during a Rally to file a Genocide Lawsuit in Germany, against Jiang Zemin

Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The truth about the world's most evil human rights abuser, Jiang Zemin, finally comes to light. Jiang Zemin uses state resources and orders Chinese government officials to carry out his atrocities. Fully utilising China's media, Jiang initiated a fabricated propaganda campaign to present fictitious events, deceive people and incite hatred against Falun Gong. The Chinese state-owned national press agency, Xinhua, was used to announce that Falun Gong had to be eradicated for the good of the people and the good of the country. Murder, rape and torture of innocent people are the persecutory and destructive means used in this suppression.

The time has come when people awaken and are ready to take Jiang, given his crimes against humanity, to court. The proverb, "lies are short-lived," says it all.

Jiang's terror governance has produced an endless list of suffering. Jiang rose to power over the "blood" and death of the Chinese students on June 4th 1989.

In the near future, the world will see Jiang's scheming from the obliteration of the democratic movement. The mothers and friends of the students that were killed will assure disclosure of this incident to everyone, as they cannot forget this crime.

[...]

The truth about China's pressure regarding the enactment of Hong Kong's Article 23 will be acknowledged by people in China and worldwide.

The truth about the persecution of the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners will be acknowledged by people in China and worldwide.

The list of Jiang's crimes against humanity is endless. The world community is finally awakening and will no longer tolerate his gruesome crimes. A global coalition was founded to bring Jiang to justice. A lawsuit was filed against Jiang in the German high court in Karlsruhe last November. He was charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, torture and life threatening bodily injury. Lawsuits were also filed against Jiang Zemin in other countries.

It will not be long for the day to arrive when Jiang Zemin's crimes will be exposed to the people in China and worldwide.

It will not be long for the day to arrive when Jiang Zemin will have to face the courts for his crimes.

During this historical moment, humans of the world will join together and stand united for universal human rights.

Amnesty International Press Release: China: Constitutional amendment on human rights must be backed by concrete action

The following is a press release from Amnesty International:

Amnesty International today welcomed the recent announcement by China's National People's Congress that it would enshrine human rights in the Constitution, but cautioned that these steps must be backed up by legal and institutional reforms to ensure the protection of human rights in practice.

"We welcome this amendment as an indication of greater political willingness to address the serious and widespread human rights violations that continue to be perpetrated across the country," Amnesty International said. "But fine words are not enough, they must be backed by concrete action."

China's Constitution already lists a number of freedoms, including freedom of speech, press, assembly, procession, demonstration and religious belief. Yet in practice these freedoms have been seriously restricted throughout the country, leading to widespread abuses, including the detention and imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of people in violation of their fundamental human rights.

"Even as the National People's Congress discussed the human rights clause, hundreds of peaceful petitioners and other activists were reportedly being detained in Beijing for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, freedoms protected in international standards and included in China's own Constitution," Amnesty International said.

The detainees included Hua Huiqi, a house church leader and campaigner against forced evictions, who was reportedly detained by police on 5 March and taken to Fengtai police station in Beijing where he was severely beaten by several police officers.

While the Constitution is an important statement of principle, its role is largely symbolic and its provisions are rarely invoked in court.

"If the amendment is to have any practical effect, it must be reinforced by a fundamental review and overhaul of other laws, including the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Laws, as well as other legal and judicial reforms," Amnesty International said.

The amendment to the Constitution states simply that 'the State respects and protects human rights'. "These rights must be defined and upheld in line with international human rights standards," Amnesty International said, noting that China's record in implementing its international human rights obligations remains extremely poor.

China has ratified several international human rights instruments, including the Convention against Torture; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, yet has failed to take the practical measures necessary to implement many of their provisions. Another key human rights instrument, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been signed but not ratified by China, although the authorities have indicated their intention to ratify this treaty as soon as possible.

"Ratification of human rights standards is an important first step, but it must be accompanied by practical measures to implement their provisions at the domestic level," Amnesty International said.

To date, the Chinese authorities' cooperation with international mechanisms of human rights monitoring and investigation has been limited and highly selective. Several UN human rights monitoring mechanisms as well as international human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, continue to be denied access to China to conduct effective research.

"We urge the Chinese authorities to build on this Constitutional reform by showing a greater openness and willingness to engage with independent human rights monitors," Amnesty International said.

"A good start would be to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to conduct visits to China in line with their own terms of reference."

Message from UN Delegate from "Association of World Citizens" Affirms Solidarity between NGO's and Falun Gong

The following is a message Ren Wadlow, United Nations representative of the non-governmental organization "Association of World Citizens", sent to Falun Gong practitioners appealing during the United Nations Human Rights Commission:

I'm not able to be with you now, but I'm with you in heart and spirit.

The repression of Falun Gong by the Chinese Government began in July 1999. Since the sub commission of Human Rights in August 1999, our NGO Association of World Citizens in the United Nations has denounced the repression of Falun Gong practitioners without trial as a direct violation of article 18 of the International Pact on civil and political rights that China has signed; it's a violation of the spirit of the declaration on elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or conviction.

The repression against Falun Gong and other spiritual groups demonstrates the insecure feeling of the leaders of the Party. The Chinese Communist Party feels threatened by any group, for example: students, the unemployed, farmers troubled by the changing economy and members of Falun Gong.

In her discussion with China, the former High Commissioner of Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, denounced the violations against Falun Gong many times.

Special Rapporteurs of the Commission of Human Rights continue to report on the importance of the violations.

At the present time, the Chinese Government does not abide by the international law, as it uses different means to prevent the Commission from discussing the topic of Falun Gong.

We hope that the solidarity of the NGOs with Falun Gong practitioners will help to change the attitude of the Chinese Government, and we hope that the new Chinese leaders will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

It's very important to follow closely this Commission of Human Rights in order to witness the first signs of improvement.

Washington State Senators Stand Up to the Consul General of PRC in San Francisco: "We Will Decline Your Invitation Due to the Ongoing Persecution of Thousands of Innocent Falun Gong Practitioners by Your Government."

Washington State Senate

March 4, 2004

Consul General of the People's Republic of China

1450 Laguna St.

San Francisco, CA 94115

Dear Sir,

We, the undersigned members of the Washington State Senate, would like to acknowledge your invitation to attend a reception on March 10th in Seattle. We regret to inform you that, although we support our country's increasing contract and trade with China, and acknowledge China as a friend, we will decline your invitation due to the ongoing persecution of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners by your government.

The persecution against Falun Gong practitioners has claimed at least 890 lives to date. According to a July 2003 radio interview, former US Ambassador to [Hungary] Mark Palmer estimates that number to be in the range of 10,000. Over 100,000 people have illegally been sent to forced labor camps without trials. More than 500 people have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Hundreds of thousands have been illegally arrested, detained, and tortured since the persecution began in 1999. And more than 1,000 perfectly healthy people have been forced into mental hospitals, an act condemned by the World Psychiatric Association. All this has been part of a comprehensive campaign to make practitioners renounce their beliefs.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Commission on Human Rights and numerous others have thoroughly documented the persecution. Our federal government has also expressed support for Falun Gong and condemned the persecution in China. In July 2003, House Concurrent Resolution 188 was passed unanimously and now House Concurrent Resolution 304---condemning the persecution overseas and attempts to interfere with American government officials---is before Congress. Several state elected officials have also previously expressed concern in letters to Ambassador Yang Jiechi. Again, we must unequivocally say that the harming of innocent people for their beliefs is morally wrong and cannot be tolerated by a civilized society.

Among US residents, four Washington State Falun Gong Practitioners were illegally detained while they were in Beijing in February 2002. American citizen Dr. Charles Li from Menlo Park, California was arrested upon landing in China at Guangzhou Airport in January 2003 and has been in detention for over one year, after a mock trial under the false charge of "sabotaging of radio and television equipment."

Many Falun Gong practitioners are good, hardworking citizens of Washington State. As elected officials it is our duty to listen to their voices and to uphold their rights, including the right to freedom of belief. We sincerely hope that one day soon, these Falun Gong practitioners and all those who may wish to, will be free to practice the exercises of Falun Gong in China and to be free citizens following the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance."

Although China is our friend, we must decline your invitation, and call for an unequivocal end to the persecution of innocent people on the basis of their belief.

Sincerely,

Senator Adam Kline, 37th Legislative District

Senator Ken Jacobsen, 46th Legislative District

Senator Karen Keiser, 33rd Legislative District

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th Legislative District

Senator Brian Murray, 6th Legislative District

Senator Erik Poulsen, 34th Legislative District

Senator Dan Swecker, 20th Legislative District

Senator Shirley Winsley, 28th Legislative District

Canadian MP Keith Martin Asks Minister of Justice to Press China for the Release of Falun Gong Practitioner

On March 15, 2004, Canadian Member of Parliament Keith Martin asked the Minister of Justice, Irwin Cotler, to speak forcefully and publicly against China's abuses of basic human rights, in particular, with respect to practitioners of Falun Gong. MP Martin also requested that the Minister ask the Chinese government to release Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Jiangang Huang.

Dear Minister Cotler:

This concerns Jiangang Huang, a 34 year old communications engineer whose sister Limin Huang is a Canadian citizen. Mr. Huang is a practitioner of Falun Gong who was arrested illegally and put into a labour camp for two years without a judicial process. When his prison term ended in December 15, 2002, Mr. Huang was transferred to the Dafeng Fangquian labour camp for brainwashing. Currently his family does not know where he is but they suspect he is still in the labour camp. They do know that he has not been released from incarceration.

This is another horrible case of outrageous violation of innocent people's rights that the government in China is exercising. I am asking, therefore, that you speak forcefully and publicly against China's abuses of their people's basic human rights, in particular, those who are practitioners of Falun Gong. I would also request that you ask the Chinese government to release Mr. Huang to his family. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Martin, M.P.

Esquimald-Juan de Fucal

Facts of the Persecution

China: 30 Torture and Severe Abuse-related Deaths of Falun Gong Practitioners Reported in February

During the month of February 2004, details of 30 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in China were uncovered despite a continued black-out maintained by Chinese authorities on information about Falun Gong-related cases.

Many of the deaths occurred in the past few months, while some were deaths from 2002 and 2001 that have only recently been uncovered.

The 30 cases represent an increase in reports of killings of Falun Gong practitioners in China. During the prior three months from November 2003 to January 2004, a total of 64 deaths were reported. (news)

"Torture and killings of Falun Gong practitioners remain widespread and authorized by a few high-ranking officials," says Falun Dafa Information Center spokesman, Mr. Erping Zhang. "This is why we welcome actions such as the resolution being put forth before the U.N. Human Rights Commission to censure China...the spotlight must be brought down upon the actions of these individuals within the Chinese Government who wantonly continue to order and encourage these atrocities."

Torture-related Killings Reported as Suicides, Illnesses

For the last four years, sources in China have revealed that police are authorized to report torture-related deaths of Falun Gong practitioners as "suicides" or deaths from "natural causes" or "illness."

Families often receive inaccurate reports for cause of death put forth by authorities.

Mr. Peng Guangjun, age 55 and residing in Bejing, was beaten to death by a policeman and died in an "Intensive Training Unit." Peng was undergoing "transformation" for saying aloud "Falun Dafa is good" while in the Tuanhe Labor Camp. Authorities told family members that Mr. Peng died of an illness and were offered funeral expenses if they agreed to not inquire further into the cause of his death.

Prior to cremation, however, one source who examined Mr. Peng's body discovered multiple electric shock marks on the face, fractured bones, bloodstains and black and purple bruising of the head and body.

Ms. Jiang Chunxian age 34 of Dehiu city was reported by prison administrators to have died at Baiqiuen Medical College Hospital of "sudden" heart failure. Family members say, however, that Jiang never had a history of heart disease. Furthermore, upon examining her body at the Heizuizi prison, her family says they discovered evidence of torture - a large pooling of blood at the back of her body and large red areas in the insides of her thighs.

Sources familiar with her case confirmed that Jiang had been force fed, beaten and shocked with electric batons.

Mr. Ma. Xingxing age 40 of Shanghai died at home after undergoing torture at the Qinpu Labor Camp. Sources say Ma was released by authorities when he was close to death, and that he was emaciated, bedridden, unable to eat and was no longer capable of recognizing the faces of his family.

The names of practitioners whose deaths were confirmed in the month of February 2004 are: Xie Wenping, Xu Shuxiang, Jin Guanghua, Na Changjian, Song Gang, Liu Ming, Wang Xidong, Song Shijie, Guo Ruixue, Zang Youqing, Li Xuelian, Peng Guangjun, Zhang Bingxiang, You Zhilan, Zhang Shuzhen, Liu Xing, Liu Xin, Zhang Quande, Feng Shizhao, Sun Faxiang, Liu Zhichen, He Ping, Ma Xinxing, Jian Chunxian, Wang Shubin, Yu Xiuchun, Sun Xiumei, Yang Zhongfang, Wang Wenbo.

The name of one Falun Gong practitioner whose case was reported in February remains unknown.

China: Former National Security Ministry Official Persecuted for Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Ma Hongjun, a 37 year-old Falun Gong Practitioner and former section chief in the National Security Ministry, is locked up in Beijing's Zhaoyang Detention Center.

Ma Hongjun was arrested by police and persecuted because he practices Falun Gong. He had to undergo to an extended brainwashing program that lasted 3 months and where he was continually tortured. Only when he fell unconscious and was near death did they send him to the hospital.

After two days and nights in the hospital he woke up from unconsciousness. Many of his ribs were broken. Presently he has already been sent many times to the hospital to have his life saved. Currently, Ma Hongjun's body is in critical condition. His whole body has edema and he has already been to the hospital twice for procedures related to his condition.

In the detention center, he often rolls on the ground because of unbearable pain induced by torture. He has been sentenced to eight years in prison, but because his life was in danger, after the detention center police took him out of the hospital to send him to prison, the prison would not accept him.

Mr. Ma Hongjun was a former section chief in the National Security Ministry. It was because he persisted in practicing Falun Gong that he suffered persecution and has now been devastated to the point where his life is in severe danger.

The High Cost of China's Forced Labor

With his teeth cracked and hands bleeding, Wan Guifu struggled to split one more watermelon seed with his teeth. For him working outside in the freezing cold over 10 hours a day came with little choice--it was either work to produce Hand-picked Melon Seeds for the labor camp or be beaten until unconscious. At 57 years old Wan worked until he could no longer accomplish this brutal task, and was beaten to death by his fellow inmates at the Lanzhou No. 1 Detention Center in China.

The seeds Wan was forced to produce, Zhenglin Hand-picked Melon Seeds, are now currently exported throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Through the use of this type of slave labor Lanzhou Zhenglin Nongken Foods Ltd. has become the largest producer of roasted nuts in China with sales reaching 460 million Yuan. (US $55 million)

Free and Endless Supply of Workers

China's booming economy continues to increase through its use of slave labor or Forced Labor camps. Forced Labor means "reform through labor." It's a system of prison factories and detention centers set up by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong during the 1950's as a means to re-educate through labor and increase economic gain for the People's Republic of China. As of 1979, there were apparently only several thousand people being forced to work in the Forced Labor system. Today it has become an enormous source of free labor and financial profit for the Chinese government. According to estimates from the Forced Labor Research Foundation, there are 6.8 million people incarcerated in China's 1,100 labor institutions.

For those incarcerated in these facilities, the reality they face is long hours of brutal treatment with little sleep or food to sustain themselves. Reports of 20-hour work days and violent oppression force some detainees to choose suicide instead of being beaten, starved, or worked to death according to a paper by Stephen D. Marshall, "Chinese Forced Labor: a hidden role in 'Developing Tibet." Others mutilate or injure themselves in an effort to avoid the work. Inmates who fall behind or refuse to work are shocked with electric batons, beaten, sexually assaulted, or thrown into solitary confinement. Among those that make up the population in these labor camps are criminals, political prisoners, and practitioners of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, who reportedly now make up to half of those detained in the forced labor system.

Who Uses Slave Labor?

Forced labor has become both a form a torture and a source of great profit for China. With the enormous amount of free labor that comes from forced labor, China has lured many overseas businesses into its profit-through-slave-labor system. With ridiculously cheap wholesale labor costs many cannot resist the bait and unknowingly come to support this illegal practice.

Common everyday products ranging from artificial Christmas trees, Christmas tree lights, bracelets, tools and foodstuffs, et cetera are among some of the products manufactured and exported from these facilities. According to a 1998 House Committee on International Relations report, companies who reportedly have or had products made in China's Forced Labor are Midas, Staples, Chrysler, and Nestle'. A recent report from one detainee in the Changji Labor Camp in Xinjiang states the Tianshan Wooltex Stock Corporation Ltd., a contractor to Changji Labor Camp, makes products for overseas companies such as Banana Republic, Neiman Marcus, Bon Genie, Holt Renfrew, French Connection and others. Orders from Banana Republic number between 200,000 and 280,000 pieces a year.

The products made in these facilities are produced by people who are forced to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Detainees in Forced Labor have said that because of malnutrition, sleep deprivation and stress they often contract lice, scabies, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other ailments. Sick detainees are still forced to work. Many are not allowed to take showers for long periods of time, allowing all manner of bodily substances to come into contact with the items they manufacture. These products are then shipped all over the world.

Stopping Forced Labor Products

Laws on the books that outlaw slave labor products have not been able to stop the tide of illegally and inhumanely manufactured merchandise from being shipped and traded worldwide. For example, since 1983 it has been illegal to import goods into the United States made through using slave labor. According to the Forced Labor Research Foundation China's government publicly guaranteed to stop the export of slave labor products in October 1991.

In 1992, China and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in an effort to enable the US access to information it needed to control its import ban on prison labor products. According to this MOU the Chinese government had committed itself to investigating all claims of slave labor.

The agreement proved to be worth little in real results, given the profits China stood to lose from its free source of labor the Forced Labor system provides. Brushing aside requests from the US for answers on the issue, China provides "sanitized" camps for inspectors. Other tactics used to ensure production continues include false holding companies, changing addresses, and mixing labor camp output and non-prison businesses together.

"Thus, the commercial exploitation of slaves in China's labor camps is effectively an open secret in the world of commerce," says Harry Wu, founder of the Forced Labor Research Foundation.

This "open secret" Wu speaks of has become more and more difficult to conceal. Survivors of the Forced Labor system continue to publicly speak out about the forced labor and torture they have experienced. In addition, organizations such as the Forced Labor Research Foundation and the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong continue to investigate the Chinese government's use of slave labor as a source for economic growth and to expose the products manufactured in Forced Labor.

Although China continues to currently benefit from its "prison economy," it may ultimately be the world's consumers who control the fate of the Forced Labor. As the world comes to realize the blood, sweat and tears going into the products they buy it might not be so easy to purchase them no matter how low the price.

Jiang's Group Extends the Persecution to Nepal: A Falun Gong Practitioner from Taiwan is Followed and Threatened

A Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner surnamed Hong went to Nepal twice to introduce Falun Gong to the Nepalese, once in July 2003 and again in January 2004. She also exposed the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Yet Ms. Hong was followed and threatened by personnel from the Chinese embassy in Nepal. This is proof that Jiang's group is attempting to extend the persecution of Falun Gong to Nepal, a country with a rich cultural and religious tradition.

This Falun Gong practitioner recollected the situations she experienced in Nepal. "In July 2003 I went to Nepal to visit a friend. He wanted to learn Falun Gong, so I gave him a copy of the English version of Zhuan Falun and taught him the exercises. I also hung up posters about Falun Gong, to tell the public the truth of Falun Gong. I volunteered to teach the Falun Gong exercises at the biggest bookstore in the capital city, Katmandu. Many western tourists came to learn Falun Gong. I also spoke to Chinese tourists regarding the persecution of Falun Gong in China. In January 2004 I went to Nepal again to share experiences with practitioners there. Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal interfered with me and obstructed my movements."

The practitioner continued, "The personnel from the Chinese embassy in Nepal bribed the Nepalese citizens to pretend to show an interest in learning Falun Gong and to visit a practitioner there in order to get materials such as Falun Gong books and exercise instruction tapes. Thereafter, the practitioner in Nepal continuously received threatening phone calls, one of them telling him that if he continued to practice or teach Falun Gong, they would give his personal information to the Chinese embassy. They also otherwise intimidated this person and wanted him to provide information about Falun Gong, adding that they might also do some bad things to hurt him. These people further tried to extort 2,000 U.S. dollars from him as blackmail for their conditional request to stop them from reporting his information to the Chinese embassy. For safety concerns, that practitioner in Nepal has since moved from his residence. He is still continously receiving threatening phone calls to this day."

Ms. Hong indicated that the Chinese embassy also sent people to the hotel where she was staying, to inquire about her personal information. They also discredited and defamed Falun Gong to the hotel staff and used a combination of persuasion and threats to dissuade them from learning Falun Gong. She said, "Before the Chinese embassy's interference, the boss and the hotel staff practiced the Falun Gong exercises together with me every evening, and they had been practicing very well. But on this most recent visit, the boss did not dare to discuss Falun Gong much; it looked like the boss had received a lot of pressure."

"A similar situation also occurred with the bookstore where I had previously volunteered to give classes to teach the exercises," she continued. "I knew the bookstore salesclerks very well before, and some of them even showed interest in learning the exercises. But when I got there this time, some salesclerks looked at me with a strange expression and appeared to be fearful. They were not willing to discuss Falun Gong much." It has also been reported that some people went to the bookstore and bought up all the Falun Gong books in the bookstore so people who wanted to learn Falun Gong would be unable to find any Falun Gong books.

The Chinese embassies and consulates have obstructed Falun Gong practitioners from teaching the practice and prevented them from participating in community activities around the world. This is one of the well-known approaches that Jiang's group uses to extend the persecution of Falun Gong overseas.

Media Report and Opinion

Radio Free Asia Reports on UNHRC Meeting: Falun Gong Practitioners Call for an End to the Persecution and to Bring Jiang and His Followers to Justice

The annual United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting has opened in Geneva. Nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world, together with human rights groups from various countries, assembled at the United Nations building to call for a dialogue concerning the issue of human rights in China and for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Government. Below is a summary based upon a recording by Tian-yi, a special correspondent of Radio Free Asia accredited in Germany.

The 60th annual UNHRC meeting opened on Monday, March 15. Since last Friday, nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners have arrived in Geneva from all over the world to call for a dialogue concerning human rights in China. Reporters at the United Nations building interviewed Ms Zheng Zhihong, a scholar in the field of law who traveled from Berlin.

Zheng: Right now, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world are holding a press conference at the plaza in front of the United Nations building. Victims from Australia and Ireland talked about the torture and mental persecution they suffered while in China. Representatives from some human rights organizations are giving speeches now.

Ms. Zheng Zhihong introduced their appeal of this year: The persecution of Falun Gong has lasted for nearly 5 years. Each year, Falun Gong practitioners have come to the United Nations to call upon the international community to pay attention to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China. Our theme this year is also very clear. We hope that the United Nations will urge the Chinese government to immediately stop its persecution against Falun Gong. At the same time, we request them to bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang, who are directly responsible for the persecution, to justice.

As for the events they will conduct before or after the meeting began, Ms. Zheng said: Just now, we held a grand parade in the downtown area. Today, we will continue our appeal at the plaza and in the evening, we will hold a candlelight vigil. The climate was great yesterday. We were by the lakeside in the downtown area. Many people came to walk by the lakeside. Of course, many human rights organizations also invited Falun Gong practitioners to join their press conferences and seminars in the U.N. building.

With the green hills and clear waters of Geneva as a backdrop, traditional Chinese costumes embellished with the bright yellow often sported by Falun Gong practitioners, and the music of the orchestra suggesting springtime, it seems likely that these activities will continue until the United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting comes to an end on April 25.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Falun Gong -- Practice emphasizes improvement of mind, body

By Beth Pratt

LUBBOCK, Texas -- An astounding number of people around the world are persecuted and tortured solely because of the religion or life philosophy they espouse.

The Chinese government is among the worst offenders as it seeks to keep tight control over its citizens. In recent years, a rapidly growing movement called Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) has been a target of repression by the Chinese government, which banned it in July 1999

Adherents of Falun Gong define it as a traditional self-cultivation practice to improve mind and body.

Rooted in ancient Chinese culture, Falun Gong is one of a variety of mind-body-spirit systems [in the Buddha School]. However, followers stress that it is not part of Buddhist or Taoist religions.

Falun Gong was introduced to the public in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, founder.

Spread by word of mouth, the once private practice of Falun Gong has grown by leaps and bounds, especially in China, where its success has alarmed the government and resulted in pressures on individuals to renounce the practice.

Those who have refused to renounce have been persecuted with ransom, forced divorce, social isolation and hard labor as well as various types of imprisonment and torture.

"The Falun Gong Report 2002" provides photos and descriptions of members of the group who have been subjected to various levels of torture, many resulting in death.

"In a 1997 survey, Falun Gong had 70 million, more than (the Communist) Party members," said John Sheen, a Lubbock practitioner of Falun Gong.

Sheen and his wife, Junping Chen, and Barbara Ni are members of the Lubbock Falun Gong exercise and meditation class, which was begun by Cynthia Liu in 2000. She has moved, but the meetings continue. The small core group of four or five welcomes visitors each week. They meet from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays in the community room at Mahon Library.

There is no requirement that they meet, but coming together for the exercise and meditation is helpful. When visitors come, more of the time is devoted to teaching the five exercises.

The purpose of the meditation is to empty the mind of all things, Sheen said.

'The American public is so supportive," Ni said. "I am very moved by the sense of human rights here in the United States."

She emphasized her gratitude to Mahon Library for allowing the group to meet there each week.

Falun Gong is not considered a religion, because there is no worship of anyone involved, Ni said.

Ann Hodges started attending the class around Thanksgiving.

"It's a very easy exercise to pick up and follow up with the basics in one afternoon," Hodges said. "I can take it with me, as little or as much as I want."

Ping said, "The exercise itself can be five, 10, 30 minutes or longer. You can do a set anytime. It improves the physical, adjusts the body to ideal condition, and gets the bad energy out, the good energy in."

The exercise may be done at work or at home.

Although the gentle, stretching movements of the exercise are beneficial to health, the greatest benefit comes from the meditation and development of the principles of Falun Gong, which are truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, Ni said.

Those interested in learning more about the philosophy upon which Falun Gong is based are referred to the organization's Web site at www.falundafa.org. Materials may be downloaded at no cost.

The practitioner of Falun Dafa is expected to study the teachings of its founder and perform the five gentle exercises. Benefits range from improved health and energy to mental clarity, stress relief and peace of mind.

Persecution in China has resulted in the spread of Falun Gong to about 60 countries, as practitioners leave in order to survive. Their great concern is for those left behind.

According to Falun Gong reports, more than 1,600 have been tortured to death, more than 100,000 detained and more than 25,000 sent to labor camps. More than 1,000 have been forced into mental hospitals.

Falun Gong members have participated in demonstrations to raise world awareness about the human rights violations in China, including the arrest at the airport a little more than a year ago of Charles Lee, an American citizen who practices Falun Gong. He remains imprisoned in China.

RFA: Falun Gong Practitioners Appeal in Front of United Nation Headquarters in New York to Call Attention to China's Human Rights Violations

According to Radio Free Asia, Falun Gong practitioners from Washington, D.C. and New York appealed at the United Nation headquarters plaza on March 24, 2004. They rallied to call attention to China's human rights record, particularly the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

A U.S. government spokesman announced on Monday that the U.S. would sponsor a resolution to condemn China's human rights record. Shortly after this, an official from China's Department of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension of China's human rights dialogue with the U.S.

Some Falun Gong practitioners said they had been coming to Geneva since 1999 (when Jiang Zemin began the persecution of Falun Gong) for the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission,. This was their fourth Geneva trip, as the suppression of Falun Gong has not improved. On the contrary, it has been getting worse, and more than 900 people have died as a result of torture.

Other practitioners came to the UN headquarters in New York to echo the appeal in Geneva. Beijing Industry University lecturer Ms. Ye Mingyan had just returned from Geneva from her 5th Geneva trip. In 1998 she went to Geneva and heard Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi's lecture in the Palais des Nations. She was one of more than 40 Falun Gong practitioners attending from Mainland China. Ms. Ye said that since the onset of the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, few practitioners from Mainland China have been able to participate in activities such as the appeal in Geneva.

Asked for her motivation to travel to Geneva multiple times to appeal, she said, "A number of those 40 practitioners have been forced to become homeless to avoid persecution; some have been tortured to death and others were forced to give up their belief. A few have gone to the opposite side and have helped the evildoers do bad things. I felt very sad when I heard that."

Ms. Ye continued, "In the beginning, everybody knew that Falun Gong is good. Falun Gong was spreading very rapidly. Had Falun Gong not been persecuted, these Falun Gong practitioners would all be healthy, both physically and mentally. They helped society to improve its morality, and they would never have done things that betrayed their own conscience against Falun Gong, because they had truly gained benefits from practicing Falun Gong."

The petitioners read the appeal letter, which was addressed to The Honorable Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of United Nation. They requested that the international community investigate the persecution in China and put Jiang Zemin on trial.

Japan: Sankei Shimbun News Reveals that China Used All Possible Means to Stop Falun Gong's Registration as a Legal Organization

Sankei Shimbun, one of the four major news media in Japan, published an article written by the Tokyo governor on March 8. The article revealed that Falun Gong in Japan submitted an application to the Tokyo State Government to register as a non-profit organization. At the time, the Chinese Consulate in Japan used all possible means to stop the registration.

The article mentioned that, "Historically, it is obvious that a communist party dictatorship, which is based on military force, won't last long. The hysterical suppression of Falun Gong by the Beijing government is one example of this. In fact, when the non-profit organization registration procedure was initially carried out, Falun Gong members living in Tokyo had applied to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for registration as a legal non-profit organization. However, the Chinese Consulate in Japan, publicly and privately, tried to persuade the Liberal Democratic Party members of the Tokyo state assembly to hold back the registration."

Tokyo's governor said in the article, "For a self-cultivation organization, it should have been very easy to get approval for the registration, regardless of differing opinions." "I was somewhat surprised at China's overreaction on this issue."

Later on, Falun Gong in Japan successfully registered in another organizational category.

Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience

Falun Gong Brought Me Back to Life

I am now 78 years old and have been practicing Falun Gong for eight years.

Before I began practicing, I had never led a happy life. My parents passed away when I was 13 years old. Disasters and health problems surrounded me. My health problems were well known by the doctors in my village clinic, the township health center, and the city hospital, since I visited them every year. The key problem was that I was allergic to medicine. None of the doctors dared give me any injections or prescriptions. I believed in hospital treatment then. Because I was poor, whenever I fell ill, I would try hard to go without treatment until I was unable to stand it. Tracheitis and pulmonary emphysema accompanied me for most of my life. Later, I developed rheumatoid arthritis. When I was 71, I nearly died. Lying in bed, I could not even move my hands and legs. I had to be fed by others, and could not go to the restroom. My thinking was also muddled. My elder son returned home to see me. My other children called him "brother." I also called him "brother." When my children called my husband "dad," I also followed and called him "dad," so everyone thought that I did not have much time left to live.

Right at that time, on March 8, 1996, my children started practicing Falun Gong. Soon after, they also gave me a set of Teacher's Fa lecture tapes to listen to. They played the tape to me. While listening, I gradually understood. All the disasters and health problems during my life were just because of my karma from before. I learned that Teacher will lead us home, eliminate our karma and purify our bodies for us. After two months, my brain finally cleared up, and I could sit up and eat meals on my own. I also learned the five sets of exercises. My only problem is that I still have difficulty walking. Gradually, I learned to read. When I was learning, I would ask anyboby I met how to pronounce the characters I didn't know. After more than one year, I, a 70-year-old who had been illiterate before, could read Falun Gong books.

During the eight years since I started practicing Falun Gong, I've never needed to take any medication. Words cannot express my gratitude to Master Li.

The People Awaken to the Truth in China

A Policeman Takes His Family to my Home for knowing the Truth

My husband was imprisoned by the police for clarifying the truth about Falun Gong.

After several days, the police took me to the detention center and asked me, "Do you want your husband to be sentenced or released?"

I said, "Certainly I want him to be released. He did not violate any laws. Why would you sentence him?"

The police replied, "Then you need to inform on another Dafa practitioner and when we arrest that person, we will release your husband."

I saw that one of the police officers there had a little Buddha statuette hanging on his neck. I thought this person might be a believer in religion. I asked him, "Why do you wear an image of the Buddha around your neck?" He didn't know what to say.

I said, "You do not even have a superficial understanding of Buddhism. Falun Dafa is a righteous law and a way to achieve enlightenment."

As soon as he heard that, he said immediately, "Don't talk about Falun Gong. I have to support my wife and child." (He said this because he feared having his pay docked by his superiors for listening to teachings of a banned spirituality.)

I calmly looked into his eyes and sent forth righteous thoughts and recited silently, "Falun Dafa is good. Zhen-Shan-Ren is good." At the same time, I asked Teacher to give me wisdom to be able to clarify the truth to him and save him. The policeman asked, "Why are you looking at me?" I told him, "You have been deceived by Jiang's media."

I explained about the staged self-immolation in Tiananmen Square and about the labor camps persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. I told him how more than 900 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death. I also mentioned the rapid growth of Falun Gong in China and that more than 60 countries overseas support Falun Gong.

Finally, I pointed out the fundamental reason for the persecution of Falun Gong: Jiang's jealousy and his personal agenda. I listed the many health benefits received from practicing Falun Gong in our local area, and especially emphasized that Falun Gong practitioners would never participate in politics or oppose the government. "We clarify the truth not out of hate, but to eradicate the lies that are deceiving people."

While I clarified the truth in depth, the policeman's facial expression changed from anger, hostility and fear and became quite relaxed. Finally, he smiled with understanding. He said, "We've often wondered why so many educated people practice, and why other countries do not oppose it. I also want to practice Falun Gong!"

After we said good-bye, on my way home, he called me on my mobile phone. He said, "You can show me the practice one day."

I said, "You try to find a way to release my husband first."

After my husband was released, that policeman brought quite a few of his family members to my home and they listened to me telling them the facts about Falun Gong.

A Voluntary Distributor of Falun Gong Truth-Clarifying Materials

An elderly retired worker who erected a small, roadside plastic canopy to provide haircuts for passers-by. He greatly values the booklets, pamphlets and flyers distributed by Falun Gong practitioners. Whenever he is free, he goes around to collect all those booklets, pamphlets and flyers that were thrown away, then cleans and keeps them. Not only does he read the flyers, he also distributes them to others and normally briefs his clients about how the Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted.

Those who know him often ask him for news. He says: "Recently, Jiang Zemin was served with lawsuits by Falun Gong practitioners in several countries, and he will be prosecuted one day!" He holds a large quantity of Falun Dafa truth clarifying materials and is often referred to as a voluntary distributor of Falun Gong materials.