FDI: Six-Month Pregnant Falun Gong Practitioner Beaten With a Wooden Rod by Chinese Police

Six-month pregnant woman beaten with a wooden rod in police custody for her Falun Gong practice.

NEW YORK (FDI) -- According to a firsthand account received from China on August 20th, 2003, a Falun Gong practitioner was abducted and severely beaten by police with a wooden rod while she was six months pregnant.

Photographs taken of the woman (whose identity has been withheld for her immediate protection) following her release clearly show that she was severely beaten on the stomach, back and legs.

According to the victim, police kidnapped her and other Falun Gong practitioners from a friend's home and detained them in a local police station. "They jumped on me and again beat me with the stick, while grabbing my hair and punching my face," said the woman. "My face and mouth were covered in bruises and blood, I had loose teeth, and my clothes were bloodstained."

Prior to her release, police extorted 3,000 Yuan in bail money from the woman's husband. (The average monthly income of a Chinese worker is about 500 Yuan a month.)

Expecting Mothers Not Spared Violence, Torture in Persecution of Falun Gong

In recent months other reports have surfaced of pregnant Falun Gong practitioners being beaten while in police custody, resulting in the death of both mother and unborn child in some cases.

On November 22nd, 2002, Ms. Luo Zhixiang was arrested by Tianhe District "610 Office" (about) authorities from her hometown of Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province. Ms. Luo was sent to a brainwashing class in the Huangpu Drug Rehabilitation Center. After going on a 7 day hunger strike, it was discovered that Ms. Luo was 3 months pregnant and she was transferred to the Tianhe Traditional Medicine Hospital. It was under suspicious circumstances on December 4th, 2002 at Tianhe Hospital that Ms. Luo "fell" to her death from the 3rd floor, sustaining a fatal head injury.

More recently in May 2003, a 35 year-old resident of Qi County in Tianjin was arrested by Tianjin police despite the fact that she was found to be 3 months pregnant. After nearly six months of abuse in custody, she was sent home before the birth of her baby was due. However, the baby was born dead and the practitioner was returned to police custody within 20 days.

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NEWS - Sept. 14, 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 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 782 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/

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