Wiping Out "Wrong" Beliefs before the Olympics

Full report PDF version is at here.

Within a few days the world's attention will be focused on Beijing. The Olympics has been granted to China. Through 5000 years of history, China has contributed its rich culture to the world. While many millions will enjoy this one time ceremony, sadly, millions of others will not share the same joy as the rest of the world. In the name of "stability," they are suppressed for having the wrong belief. They are Tibetans, Christians, dissidents, the poor and dispossessed, Uighurs, and, the largest affected group, Falun Gong practitioners and their families.

We still have time to help them. If we truly understand what they go through, and let our hearts be touched, we can do something about the torture Falun Gong practitioners and others have suffered at the hands of the CCP. We bring you just a few summaries to demonstrate the nature of the persecution of these Falun Gong practitioners.

1. A Healthy Woman Dies after Only Thirteen Days in Custody
   Police officers from the Pudong New District, Shanghai arrested Ms. Gu Jianmin on March 1, 2008, because she practiced Falun Gong. She was in excellent health. On March 13, 2008, the police asked her husband to come in and sign some papers so they could grant a medical parole, as she was not well. When he found her, he saw that she was dying, but no one was taking care of her. He begged for help, but she passed away right in front of him. Ms. Gu's husband realized that the police tricked him into agreeing to a medical parole so they could avoid responsibility for her dying while in their custody.
   
2. Police Arrested Thirty-Four practitioners in Linyi Townsihp before the Olympics
   In Linyi, Shandong Province, the police arrested thirty-four Falun Gong practitioners following receipt of a secret document that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politics and Law Committee distributed to 40 provincial Politics and Law Committees and to the nationwide "Office of Provincial Prevention and Handling of Falun Gong." Its title: "Suggestions about Vindicating Society's Stability and Insuring the Safety of the Beijing Olympics."
   
   The text provides for a mandatory campaign from March through September, 2008, to "Determine and neutralize conflicts with concentrated energy and manpower," "Tighten the handling of overseas reporters who report on the Olympics in China," and "Tighten the handling of the Internet and short cell phone messages." The document also stressed the need to "Strictly prevent and suppress" Falun Gong.
   
   They broke into and ransacked the thirty-four practitioner's homes, confiscated cash and their personal belongings, including satellite receivers that enabled them to receive NTDTV, the only television station broadcasting into China independent of the CCP. They sentenced the practitioners without trial for up to three years in forced labor camps or prison.
   
3. A Mother's Heartbreak in the Masanjia Labor Camp
   Ms. Guo was shocked and heartbroken when she saw what had happened to her daughter, Ms. Li Hongshu, after she was sentenced to three years in the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp for practicing Falun Gong. Her daughter's eyes were bruised, she was skin and bones, and walked with great difficulty. Ms. Guo cried so hard, she is now blind in one eye and her worrying has affected her health.
   
4. Shandong Province Women's Prison Used Unknown Drugs on Ms. Meng Lijun
   In a secret trial, Ms. Meng Lijun was sentenced to 10 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong. The police admitted that they used unknown drugs on her because practicing Falun Gong meant she was mentally ill. After only 4 months in prison, she wailed uncontrollably and could not even recognize her own child. She doubted that she would be able to survive until her release date.
   
5. The Lawyers were Threatened and Ignored for Representing Falun Gong Practitioners
   When Falun Gong practitioners are arrested, they are routinely prevented from having legal representation. On August 1, 2007, nine practitioners were arrested when they gathered at Beilu Village, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province. Of the attorneys they hired, either they did not dare to appear in court, or the court ignored them; some received threats that their license to practice would be revoked; and some cooperated with the authorities against their own client's interest.
   
6. Ms. Hu Yanrong Tortured to Death within 4 Days of Detention
   When Ms. Hu Yanrong was arrested on August 1, 2007, the police brutally beat her with electric batons and metal rods. Ms. Hu had to be taken to the hospital. Her eyes and mouth were bruised, the area between her temples and eyes was dark purple, and her nose was bruised. After the doctors performed two brain surgeries on her, she passed away on August 5.
   
7. Practitioner Appeals for the Right to Practice and Dies of Torture
   Because he practiced Falun Gong, Mr. Ni Wenkui was arrested in 2002 and sent to the notorious Hongweixing Prison for three years. The guards continually beat and tortured him. Once, 20 of them beat him at the same time. As a result, he was unable to speak clearly and had a slow response time. His weight dropped from 65 kg (143 lbs.) to only 35 kg. (77 lbs). He fell into a coma, never recovered, and died on November 12, 2007.

Mr. Ni Wenkui before persecution

Mr. Ni Wenkui after persecution

Thank you for your kind attention,

Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group
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