December 8, 2004
(Clearwisdom.net) After images and articles about the persecution of
Falun Gong practitioners were published on the internet, the atrocities caused
indignation among Korean people. In Korea, though many people knew about the
brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, the appearance of photos was not
widespread. Seeing the recently published images though, viewers were shocked.
The Korean internet media DCinside reported on December 3, 2004 that
Falun Gong is based on the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, and
Tolerance" and is a traditional Chinese Qigong cultivation system that
includes gentle exercises and meditation. Practitioners attain improved health
and a peaceful heart. Since former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin initiated the
persecution in 1999, those practitioners not giving up the practice have been
imprisoned, beaten, and sent to forced labor camps.
The report stated that there were many means of torturing practitioners.
Shocking with electric batons and burning are common. Electric batons with as
high as 30,000 volts are used to shock sensitive parts, including mouths, ears,
and genital organs. The burning was done with hot iron bars.
Sexual abuse is common, especially towards women practitioners. Police and
prison guards have raped, shocked and beat women practitioners at will. They
even beat and stripped them, and then pushed them into male cells.
Beating, exposure to the hot sun and freezing cold are common. Other tortures
include stripping practitioners, pushing them into dirty water and soaking them
in the dark until rotting occurs over the entire body, poking sharp bamboo
sticks into fingertips, forced abortions, and being dragged by a motor vehicle.
Internet users were shocked after seeing the images. One said, "Why do
they treat innocent people like that?" Another said, "Even after the
world community has put such emphasis on the importance of human rights, things
like this still happen today."
