Vail Trail Issue

Friday, February 6, 2004

Most people would agree that no one should be imprisoned for surfing the web. Yet a recent Amnesty International report indicates that China is holding at least 54 Internet users for expressing opinions or reading banned information from the web. Amnesty's report also mentions four Falun Gong practitioners that died in police custody. The reason for their detention: downloading or posting information about Falun Gong, a spiritual meditation practiced in 50 countries but banned in China. Of the four was a 56 year old woman named Zhao Chunying, who was reportedly beaten to death by police for posting information about being tortured during a previous detention. China's crackdown on the Internet is only part of its strategy to control what people read, hear, watch or think.

As for Falun Gong's case, the state-controlled media hides human rights violations against the spiritual group while spreading slander intended to justify the ban on the practice. With no means to respond to unsubstantiated allegations, educating the Chinese populace has been Falun Gong's biggest challenge. As for those who believe China's one-sided propaganda, the persecution somehow becomes acceptable to an unknowing public. If more people knew that innocent people were being unjustly persecuted, things would turn around. Zhao Chunying lost her life while letting the world know of torture occurring behind closed doors. When Chinese citizens risk their lives to uncover human rights violations, those of us living in free societies should at least acknowledge their plight. Better yet, we should stand by them.

Leejun Ivie Avon

Source: http://www.vailtrail.com/letterdetail.cfm?OpinionID=287