NEWS -- Aug. 25, 2003 Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
|
|
36-year-old
Ms. Zhengshu Cui, an ethnic Korean living in northeast
China, suffered severe torture while illegally imprisoned
for her beliefs. Ms. Cui later died from her injuries.
|
|
|
NEW YORK (FDI) -- Ms. Zhengshu Cui, an ethnic Korean living
in northeastern China, died on August 12, 2003, from extended torture and abuse
sustained while imprisoned for her beliefs in a forced-labor camp.
Ms. Cui, 36 years old and mother of one, lived in Chuanying
District, Jilin City. Ms. Cui was a graduate of the Baicheng Finance and Trade
Training School, and a Falun Gong practitioner.
In March 2002, officials from the Jilin City "6-10
Office" (about) and
Chuanying District Police Department arrested her because of her practice. Ms.
Cui was illegally sentenced to three years of forced labor, and sent to No. 4
Division in the Heizuizi Female Labor Camp in Changchun City.
According to reports from China, guards at the labor camp
brutally tortured Ms. Cui because she refused to renounce Falun Gong and she
persisted in her practice. On one occasion, these reports say, she was only
allowed 22 hours of sleep during a 33-day period.
Due to extended torture in the prison camp, in April 2003,
Ms. Cui's condition had deteriorated to the point where she had difficulty
eating and could not take care of herself, the reports say. Afraid that she may
die in the labor camp, the guards released her on April 18, 2003.
|
Ms.
Zhengshu Cui with her husband and young son.
|
|
|
Despite efforts by Ms. Cui's family to restore her health,
she never recovered and died on August 12, 2003.
In the last four years, thousands of testimonies from Chinese
residents report wide-spread, arbitrary arrest in China of anyone believed to
practice Falun Gong -- part of a national-wide campaign ordered by former
Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, to "defame their reputations, bankrupt them
financially, destroy them physically." According to the U.S. State
Department's Human Rights Report 2003, "Mere belief in [Falun Gong] ... has
been sufficient grounds for practitioners to receive punishments ranging from
loss of employment to imprisonment, and in many cases to suffer torture and
death."
Ms. Cui is survived by her husband and young son.
Partial name list and contact information of labor camp
guards responsible for Ms. Cui's death
Heizuizi Female Labor
Camp in Changchun City: main switchboard: 86-431-5384312
No. 4 division:
86-431-5384312 ext. 6104
Head of the labor
camp, Fan Youlan, 86-431-7697329 (home)
Lian Guangri, head of
the administrative section, 86-431-7919799 (home)
Liu Hu:
86-431-2713609 (home)
Zhang Lilan:
86-431-5675939 (home)
Guan Wei, No. 4
Division: 86-431-5705043 (home)
Zhang Guimei, No. 4
Division: 86-431-7965537 (home)
Li Xiaohua, No. 4
Division: 86-431-5682402 (home)
# # #
NEWS -- Aug. 25, 2003
Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
Background
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 President 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.
The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 772
deaths (reports
/ sources)
since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials
inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600,
while expert sources 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 -- Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Levi Browde 914-720-0963,
Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Feng Yuan 917-941-1097. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com,
Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
Yearly Archive
Printer Version