By a Swiss Practitioner

(Clearwisdom.net) The 60th UN Human Rights Commission is taking place in Geneva. A joint action organization, consisting of international and Swiss NGOs, held a special forum at "Family Society" in Geneva: "The Slave Economy in China's Labor Camps". Many Falun Gong practitioners who suffered from the persecution were invited to this forum. They talked about their personal experiences to expose the cruel persecution and crimes of slavery against Falun Gong practitioners in China's labor camps.

Mr. Zhao Zhangji from the United States, who is the chairman of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, gave a general investigative account of how the Chinese labor camps persecute and enslave Falun Gong practitioners. He indicated that in China, there are over 1000 labor camps. They detain about six million eight hundred thousand people, including over one hundred thousand Falun Gong practitioners. These people have become free labor. They have been forced to work overtime to produce various products such as wigs, jewelry, toys, rubber balls, clothing, chopsticks, etc. These are established on the basis of large scale, unacceptable working conditions, violations of human rights and going against international labor organization conventions.

Immunology expert Feng Lili from Texas and artist Zhang Cuiying from Australia introduced their personal experiences of persecution and forced labor in the camps. Feng Lili said that she was forced to do slave labor at Guangdong's labor camp, making metal brushes. The brushes' steel wire is also a tool for cruel torture. The police used them to stab those who are slow in production speed. Zhang Cuiying talked about how in 2002, she was detained for eight months in a labor camp because she appealed for Falun Gong in China. Apart from suffering cruel torture, she was forced to work for over ten hours every day to produce, for example, strings of colored lights for export to Hong Kong and other items. The labor camp's hygienic conditions were terrible. Many victims had various kinds of infectious diseases and skin diseases. They are forced to pack toothpicks and chopsticks.

Well-known human rights solicitor Mr. Chris Nyst from Australia focused his talk on how to use the law to uphold human rights, stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and end the slavery in China's labor camps.

The chairman of Geneva's "Family Society" Mr. De Battista said in his speech, "This slavery economy in labor camps was established and based on the violation of human rights. It came down in torrents into the marketplace with non-comparative prices, threatening other people's businesses and working opportunities." Mr. De Battista hoped that the Swiss Government, as well as businesses, can understand the dangers that come from slavery and ignoring moral standards. He indicated that he will restart the two motions that he raised while he acted as the assemblyman of the Socialist Party of Geneva. These projects were especially requested by the federation committee. They also request not importing any products if China does not follow the international standards of production conditions and international conventions.

Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200404/19074.html

Posting date: 4/18/2004
Original article date: 4/17/2004
Category: Open Forum
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/4/14/72308.html

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