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8 ■ february 2005 op/ed the stentorian I ncssm The Practice and Persecution of Falun Gong Yan Yan I n the late 1990s, if you had gone for an early-morning stroll aroimd a park almost anywhere in China, you would have foimd a tranquil but power ful scene: the grounds covered with people from all walks of life practicing the gentle move ments of Falun Dafa. Falim Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, has brought better health and inner peace to tens of millions of people in over 50 coimtries. Although not a reli gion, Falun Dafa has its spiritual beliefs. Through practicing, one strives to become a better person who is able to contribute more to society, so the goal is similar to that of religions. However, in Falun Dafa there are not any devotional activities or worship, nor any set doctrine or canon; there is also no membership, organization, or hierarchy. Therefore, Falun Dafa is more properly classified as an ancient form of self-cultivation practice. “Cultivation” refers to the improvement of one's mind through the careful study of uni versal principles based on Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance; “practice” means doing exercises and meditation to energize the body. Learning Falun Dafa is easy and free. The practice is simple yet powerful. Mr. Li Hongzhi, Falun Dafa’s founder, explains the practice’s principles in their entirety in the book Zhuan Falun, and in the beginner's text, Falun Gong. Also essential to the practice are five sets of gentle exercises, including a seated meditation. Mr. Li Hongzhi, as the founder and teacher of Falun Dafa, is often respectfully referred to as "Master" or "Teacher," but he is not accord ed any special treatment, nor does he accept any money or donations. Mr. Li has given lec tures on Falun Dafa in many countries, including Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and the United States. For his contributions to people’s health and wellbeing, Mr. Li is a three time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and has been awarded over 600 honors. A 1998 Chinese gov ernment survey indicated that there were 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China after merely six years since its introduc tion in 1992. Fearing Falun Gong's widespread popu larity was oyershadowing his own legacy, the then- Chinese leader Jiang Zemin issued a nationwide crack down on July 20, 1999. According to a 1999 Washington Post article, "Communist Party sources said that the standing committee of the Politburo did not unani mously endorse the crackdown, and that Jiang alone decided that Falun Gong must be eliminat ed." Groups like Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists, whose beliefs are not controlled by the Chinese gov ernment, are persecuted as well. The persecution, which flew in the face of China’s own con stitution and international laws, called for the “eradication” of the Falun Gong practice and, if necessary, those who practice it. Early jailings and detention soon gave way to sanctioned violence and torture. As many as 2 million people are currently being held captive in forced labor camps. Thousands of eye- everything,” says Dr. Elizabeth Wang, Director of the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners. Many have seen their parents dragged off by police. Others’ parents have been killed. In the worst of cases, the kids themselves are jailed and even abused. While some have extended family to care for them, many are left to fend for themselves. Because of the government’s vilification of Falun Gong, many of these chil- from police torture. According to the coroner’s report, the mother’s neck and knucklebones were broken, her skull was caved in, and a needle was foimd stuck in her lower back. Her baby, Meng Hao, was not spared. He had deep bruises on his ankles, two black and blue spots marked his head, and blood was foimd in his nose. The marks on his ankles, it was reported, likely came from being hung upside down. Police Over 1000people sit in formation of the Chinese characters for "Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance" remembering those who were tortured for practicing Falun Dafa. witnesses and victims have reported severe and systematic tortures used on Falun Gong practitioners to force them to renounce their beliefs. Such methods include shocking sen sitive body parts, such as the genitals, nipples, anus and mouth, with electric batons, vio lent beatings with pipes and red- hot irons as well asgang rape, and other savage sexual assaults. As of January 21,2005, the New York-based Falun Dafa Information Center has verified that over 1288 practitioners have died from the persecution, most of which resulted from torture and extreme violence. However, government sources inside China indicate that the actual death toll could be has high as 7000. Furthermore, human rights organizations have docu mented over 38,000 specific cases of torture or severe abuse. In addition, over a thou- I LtOltl I Ingsf tortures include shock ing sensKive body parts [with electric batonsl, vio lent beatings with pipes, branding with red-hot irons, and savage sexual assaults.” sand healthy individuals have been tortured in mental hospitals, and over 500 Falun Gong practitioners have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Children across China - probably, some say, numbering in the millions - have faired ter ribly in this nationwide suppres sion. “These children have lost dren face alienation. Neighbors or even family who might care for them risk the ire of the Beijing regime. Such “sympa thizing” could cost them their jobs, homes, or free dom. “These children have lost their dignity,” says Wang. “They’ve been dis criminated against and defamed awfully-in society, schools, and even kinder gartens. They are labeled as ‘bad kids,’ or ‘kids of bad people.’ Often they are left with nobody to turn to.” The suppres sion has cut the deepest wounds at home, in the family. Children have been made to bear the trau ma and emotional pain of hav ing their parents taken away to unknown fates. Such was the case, similarly, for two-year-old Wang Shujie, of Shandong Province. Shujie watched in hor ror as police screamed at and beat his father right before him. The sight was so dis turbing that the boy passed out and began a fever. His head for long after was in constant pain and his state lethar gic. He had trouble eat ing and sleeping, and progressively wasted away. He died a few months later. In the most chilling of episodes, Chinese authorities have directed violence at the children them selves. Horrific is the case of Wang Lixuan and her eight- month-old son, Meng Hao. The mother and child were arrested in Beijing in November of 2000, when Wang sought to file a grievance with the government. Within a matter of days, both mother and child were dead ^hi and officials in China continue to deny all wrongdoing, and some, reportedly, have even received promotions for their on MuaJ Through practicing, one strives to become a better person who is able to con tribute more to society. violent measures. Amnesty International noted, “Whereas officials responsible for deaths in custody during normal police operations may be investigated and prosecuted, in all cases [in China] where the victims were Falun Gong practitioners, the government has denied any wrongdoing, even in the face of multiple eye witness testi monies.” To conceal these atrocities, Jiang and the Chinese Communist Party have fabricat ed and spread numerous lies about Falun Gong. The Jamestown Foundation pub lished a report showing that the Party owns or controls nearly all Chinese-language TV stations and newspapers in North America - even overseas Chinese people cannot escape the Party’s long-reach propagan da. With its information stran glehold in China and paid staff in Chinese consulates and other agencies in other countries and state-controlled media, the Communist Party has misled people into believing that Falun Gong is an anti-government cult, when in fact Falun Gong does not advocate superstitions and is by no means political or against the Chinese government. How has Falun Gong respond ed? In the past five years, Falun Gong practitioners in China have continually made appeals to the Chinese government via peaceful, legal channels, and have resisted the persecution with nonviolent public protests. However, these acts have often lead to imprisonment, torture and murder at the hands of Chinese police. Throughout, there has not been a single report of Falun Gong practition ers responding with violence, destroying property, or the like - despite grave injustices. Practitioners and supporters of Falun Gong outside China have taken up long marches, launched letter-writing cam paigns, organized rallies, held press conferences, and docu mented rights abuses - also strictly adhering to peaceful means to raise awareness. What has been the United States' response, and that of the international community? The US government has been unequivocal in its opposition to China's actions against Falun Gong. In November of 1999, the US House unanimously passed resolution 218, with the Senate concurring, which condemned Beijing's actions and called for the immediate release of all jailed practitioners. The even stronger House Resolution 188 was passed unanimously in July of 2002. In late,2004, the 108th Congress unanimously "passed House Concurrent Resolution 304 further condemning the Chinese government’s oppression of Falun Gong. Former President Clinton, President Bush and Secretary of State Powell have spoken out and issued statements the persecution of Falun Gong. Governments around the world have responded with sim ilar force. Human rights groups and other organizations have been outspoken in their support for Falun Gong's freedom of belief. Among these groups are Freedom House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, and the National Organization for Women. Luckily, victims of this brutal persecution can find recourse in functioning legal systems of the U.S. and other democratie nations. Jiang and his accomplices are being sued for genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity in the U.S. Federal District Court in Chicago. Already in the past three years, three other high- level Chinese officials involved in the persecution of Falun Gong have been found guilty of crimes against humanity in the U.S. District Courts of New York and San Francisco. I encourage you to visit www.falundafa.org for more information.
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