Information Centre
BEIJING, Nov 30 (AFP) – Amnesty International on Saturday issued
an appeal on behalf of a Japanese-based follower of the Falun Gong
spiritual group detained in China, warning she was seriously ill and
could have been tortured.
A group of Finnish Parliamentarians sent an appeal to the Chinese President
on Thursday calling on the country’s Government to end its suppression of
the Falun Gong movement, as well as other violations of human rights.
It is our great honour to invite you to attend “The World Needs Truth-Compassion-Tolerance” Day, which will be held on 30 November 2002 from 9:30pm to 4:00pm in Cnr. Ware St. and Spencer St. Fairfield.
The Chinese government firmly denies that Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured. Ms. Yuzhi Wang, a Falun Gong practitioner who was incarcerated in Wanjia Forced Labour Camp and was rescued from the United Arab Emirates by the Canadian government, exposed the persecution facts to this Voice of America correspondent.
Members
of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, banned in July 1999 as a ‘heretical
organization’, have used the Internet and e-mail to circulate information
about repression against the group. Some have been arrested as a result. The
Chinese authorities have now shut down the group’s websites and blocked
overseas websites. At least 14 Falun Gong practitioners have been detained
and imprisoned for Internet-related offences, several have died in custody
reportedly as a result of torture.
Mei Zhao woke up soaking wet in the freezing wind, shivering from the buckets of icy cold-water police guards were pouring over her head to revive her.
She had passed out from the torture.
It said two of those detained for Internet-related offenses, both of
whom
were members of the outlawed Falun Gong movement, died in custody —
apparently as a result of police torture or ill-treatment.
The London-based human rights organization detailed the cases of at
least 33
people who have been detained or imprisoned for offences related to
their
use of the Internet.
They ranged from political activists and writers to members of
unofficial
organizations, including the Falun Gong spiritual movement, Amnesty
said.
US ambassador to China Clark Randt vowed Monday to
bring China to task over its dismal human rights record, despite a recent
warming trend between Beijing and Washington.
The US diplomat also demanded substantive results from a December 16
US-China dialogue on human rights in Beijing.
“Look. People who practise Falun Gong look so energetic, not so lethargic like you.” The other said with a laugh, “Everyone should follow, ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.’ If everyone does so, the society would be much better.”
