After posting on the Internet her account of being tortured in a Chinese labor camp, 56-year-old Ms. Zhao Chunying was arrested and tortured to death by police. (View photos) Warning: graphic material.

NEW YORK (FDI) After being detained and tortured at the Wanjia Labor Camp for practicing Falun Gong, 56-year-old Ms. Zhao Chunying wrote about her ordeal and posted it on the Internet. After local police discovered what Ms. Zhao had revealed, she was arrested on April 15, 2003 and taken to the Jixi City No. 2 Detention Center.

Less than a month later, Ms. Zhao was dead. Photographs taken by her family on May 10th indicate her death was horrifyingly brutal. Ms. Zhaos face and body were covered with dark purple and blue bruises, there was a large open wound in the back of her head, her clothes were covered in blood and four of her ribs were fractured. (View photos) Please be advised that these photos contain graphic material.

According to family members, the police initially forbade any photos of Ms. Zhao's corpse. After a struggle, however, family members were able to capture a few photographs.

Family members say the medical examiner proposed several possible scenarios for Ms. Zhao's death, but refused to suggest any police brutality. When pressed by family members regarding the overwhelming evidence of torture, however, the doctor "went totally silent."

Ms. Zhao's murder and the doctor's subsequent silence are two pieces in a large and complex cover-up in China, which spans from the police force to Communist Party officials to influence over foreign policy. The cover-up stems from a directive issued by former leader, Jiang Zemin, to officials of all ranks to toe the line when it comes to "eradicating" Falun Gong and silence any and all reports on the brutal methods used to do so. (special report)

Reliable sources in China say and dozens of testimonies quoting Chinese police corroborate that Jiang's orders to cover up the persecution have gone so far as to specifically require that deaths from torture be "reported as suicides" and that the bodies must be cremated immediately.

In Ms. Zhao's case, the persistence and struggle of her family allowed them to secure a few photographs as evidence, but many families never have such a chance. Dozens of families in China have reported the deaths of loved ones who practice Falun Gong and were cremated without their consent, and often before they could even identify the body.

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NEWS - Oct. 2, 2003
Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=7885

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's Communist leader Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. To that end, Jiang established the "6-10 Office," a Gestapo-like agency spanning from the Central Government to the local governments. The United States Congress has described the "6-10 Office" as an agency charged with "overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder." (news)

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 793 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. In October 2000, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER
Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-501-4441), Levi Browde (+1 914-720-0963), Erping Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Feng Yuan (+1 917-941-1097).
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email: , Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/