Case CHN 270799.1

Follow-up to case CHN 270799

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in China.

New Information

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by various sources of the further persecution of Falun Gong members in China.

According to the information received, since the ban of the religious movement in July 1999, thousands of followers have been arrested and detained. Many have been charged and even sentenced with "endangering state security and leaking state secrets."

The International Secretariat of OMCT has also received numerous reports of ill-treatment and alleged torture of these detainees who have been placed in labour camps, mental hospitals and detention centres across China. Reports of torture and severe beatings are numerous. In some cases, detainees on hunger strike have been force fed with highly concentrated salt water which has a suffocating effect. Further testimonies include followers being injected with unnecessary medicines with damaging side effects in mental hospitals.

Brief reminder of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT was informed of the concerns over the treatment of detainees following the massive arrest and detention of members and followers of the Falun Gong religious movement.

According to the information, on 22 July 1999, the Chinese authorities banned Falun Gong with the arguments that it was an illegal organization that cheated people and threatened social chaos. Moreover, the Chinese authorities ordered that people attempting to practice in public or disseminate the movement's books would be jailed and communist followers of this movement would be expelled from the Communist Party.

The ban came a day after thousands of members tried to besiege government offices in approximately 30 cities in protest against the arrest of key leaders. During the following days, massive police interventions took place and several thousands of Falun Gong members have been arrested. According to the reports, they would be released once they write a self-criticism and promise to quit. The number of the arrested practitioners has already reached more than 5000.

Human rights groups reported that hundreds of practitioners had been held in detention for hours without food or water.

Remarks

Given the circumstances of the arrests and the prevailing human rights situation in China the International Secretariat must express its concerns for the physical and psychological integrity of those arrested.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in China urging them to:

take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all persons held in detention, and order their immediate release;

order an immediate full and impartial investigation into the above allegations of torture, ill-treatment and arbitrary arrest in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;

put an immediate end to the persecution and harassment of followers of Falun Gong;

guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards

Addresses

Premier of the People's Republic of China, Guowuyuan 9, Xihuangchenggenbeijie,

Beijingshi 100032,

People's Republic of China.

Telexes: 210070 FMPRC CN or 22478 MFERT CN .

Fax : + 86 10 512 5810 (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

President of the Supreme People's Court of

the People's Republic of China,

Ren Jianxin Yuanzhang,

Zuigao Renmin Fayuan, 27 Dongjiao Min Xiang,

Beijingshi 100726,

People's Republic of China.

Fax: +86106 512 5012

Li Loalin Tinzhang,

Director of the Department of Public Security,

Gong'anting, Haila'er Donglu,

Huhehaoteshi 010051,

Nei Menggu Zizhiqu,

People's Republic of China.

Diplomatic Representatives of the People's Republic of China in your respective countries.

Geneva, February 22, 2000

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)

World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)

Organizaci-n Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)

8 rue du Vieux-Billard

Case postale 21

CH-1211 Geneve 8

Suisse/Switzerland

Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39

Fax : 0041 22 809 43 29

E-mail : omct@omct.org

http://www.omct.org