(Clearwisdom.net) The 30^th G8 annual summit is currently taking place at Sea Island, Georgia from June 8-10. To let the leaders of the G8 member nations and the media know about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong happening in China, which has lasted for nearly 5 years, and thus help end this tragedy, approximately 150 Falun Gong practitioners from all corners of the U.S. came to Georgia for a peaceful appeal. In a public park in the city of Brunswick, next to Route 17, a major road to Sea Island, several practitioners staged a torture exhibition to reveal the torture methods employed by Jiang's regime in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The torture exhibition received much attention from local governmental officials, the police and the media.

In the early morning of June 8, the Mayor of Brunswick came to the torture exhibition and looked over the real-life models, as well as large photos and illustrations showing more torture methods. The mayor then immediately went on air on a talk show at a local radio station to introduce the exhibition to the citizens of Brunswick. After his introduction, several city officials, including the city administrator, the city lawyer, the director of public relations and many police officers all came to visit the exhibition. The mayor later came to the exhibition again with several more officials. He talked with practitioners and had photos taken with the practitioners. The mayor said that he also needed to practice the Falun Gong exercises to release stress.

By visiting the torture exhibition and talking with practitioners, many city officials gained a better understanding of the persecution of Falun Gong in China and they in succession expressed their appreciation to practitioners for bringing the information of Falun Gong the city of Brunswick. A police officer who is charge of public information said that he would introduce the exhibition to the media and local residents in a talk show on a local TV station that night and encourage people to come to the exhibition. Through the introduction of the police officer, many city officials and other police officers, including the policeman's wife, came to the exhibition later. After seeing the torture models and learning of the brutality of the Chinese police, a police officer expressed that the situation in China is inconceivable and very disappointing. He told practitioners that the Brunswick police will support Falun Gong practitioners wholeheartedly and they would write to the Chinese police and ask their counterparts in China to stop this kind of brutality.

The torture exhibition attracted more than 30 media representatives

Appeal to the G8

Exhibition of forced slave labor in labor camps

Many police officers expressed their support for the Falun Gong practitioners

Local officials and residents came to visit the torture exhibition

Local officials and residents came to visit the torture exhibition

More than 30 media representatives including newspaper, radio and TV stations from Atlanta, Brunswick, Jacksonville and Savannah came to report on the exhibition and interview practitioners. A reporter told practitioners, "I have seen some information about torture against Falun Gong practitioners, however, I didn't realize the brutality of this persecution. Today, I see these real-life models of torture methods and I am deeply touched."

Passing vehicles often sounded their horns to voice their support. A tourist from Spain gave us a Heshi (hands pressed together in front of the chest) many times to greet practitioners while saying "God bless you." A local resident said, "I will remember this shocking moment and I will tell my friends about this..."

A nearby Chinese restaurant allowed practitioners display banners, do the exercises and display the torture exhibitions in front of her restaurant's main entrance. The proprietor is an elderly lady in her 70s. After she learned the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution, she said, while holding a practitioner's hand, "You all are good people. I know, you are all good people. I support you."

Falun Gong practitioners practiced the exercises in the park quietly, with many eye-catching banners displayed. Under a large banner that read, "This Is Happening in China," several practitioners acted as real-life models and modeled some of the torture methods. Several practitioners demonstrated a scene in which practitioners were held in a cage with both hands handcuffed; some showed a brutal force-feeding with the practitioner's legs bound to a bench, and some showed practitioners being forced to work as slaves in labor camps to produce products such as light bulbs and toys. Other practitioners distributed Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials to passers-by and answered questions.

Practitioner Sam Lu demonstrated a scene in which practitioners were held in a cage with both hands handcuffed. He managed to crouch in the cage for 3 hours and his wrists developed red marks from the handcuffs. He said, "Though I was held in the cage for 3 hours under the sun with both hands handcuffed while I had to bend over and was bitten by ants, my suffering is far from the sufferings endured by Falun Gong practitioners in China, including my wife. Practitioners in China have been afflicted with more than 40 types of torture methods. Moreover, they have also been subjected to mental tortures including brainwashing, which are even more painful than the physical tortures."

According to an investigative report by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), the following torture techniques have been used against Falun Dafa practitioners in China: shocking with electric batons; forcing the practitioners to stand for a long time; using the "Tiger Bench" (1); branding the practitioners' bodies with red-hot irons; pouring boiling water on the practitioner's backs, then scrubbing the wounds with a toothbrush, followed by smearing salt into the wounds; forcing the practitioners to kneel for long periods of time, handcuffing them, burning their bodies with fire, burning their muscles and private parts with cigarettes; releasing guard dogs, snakes and scorpions to bite the practitioners; forcing the practitioners to stand on a red-hot iron rod; exposing practitioners to toxins and poisonous gas, hanging them up by their handcuffs; force-feeding with hot pepper water and human waste; stuffing used women's sanitary napkins and filthy cleaning rags into the practitioners' mouths; raping the women and carrying out other forms of sexual assault; injecting practitioners with nerve-damaging drugs; subjecting them to sleep deprivation for over 20 days at a time; electrically shocking female practitioners on the mouth, genitalia and anus; tying four toothbrushes together with brushes facing outward and inserting them into female practitioners' vaginas, and turning and rubbing the toothbrushes in the vagina; confining practitioners in water dungeons; "five horses split the body" (2); freezing punishment (3); forcing practitioners to stand under the scorching sun in the summer; whipping them with various whips (including leather whips, a whip made of steel wire, and clubs covered in rubber); insertion of bamboo slivers under practitioners' fingernails; long-term slave labor, and many other forms of brutal physical and mental torment.

Falun Gong practitioners Mr. and Mrs. Gong demonstrated practitioners being forced to work as slaves in prisons to produce products such as light bulbs and toys. Mrs. Gong said that she was illegally detained in a labor camp in which she was subjected to all kinds of torture including being forced to produce chopsticks.

According to a WOIPFG report published on November 7, 2003, and supported with concrete evidence, it was demonstrated that Falun Gong practitioners have been forced to work as slaves, making product in labor camps. According to Clearwisdom.net, in the past 5 years, thousands of practitioners have been illegally detained and forced to do labor, including packing chopsticks, making toys for export and wigs for Rebecca Hair Products Joint Stock Company in Xuchang City, Henan Province. Related evidence indicates that many of the products made with forced labor are exported to European, American and Asian markets and sold at very low prices.

Ms. Yeong-ching Foo of California described the plight of her fiancée, U.S. citizen Dr. Charles Lee, to the media and residents. Dr. Lee has been illegally detained in China by Jiang's regime since January 22, 2003, where he has been tortured and forced to do slave labor in a prison.

Practitioners said that their activities in Georgia would continue until Thursday.

Notes:

(1) "Tiger Bench": Practitioners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead. They are not allowed to turn their heads, close their eyes, talk to anyone or move at all. Several inmates are assigned to watch over the practitioners and force them to remain motionless while sitting on the bench. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioners' lower legs or ankles to make it harder for them to tolerate this abuse (see illustration on http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html).

(2) "Five Horses Split the Body": Forcefully pulling the practitioner's body into five different directions.

(3) "Freezing Punishment": Showering the practitioners with cold water in the winter, stripping them naked and forcing them to walk or stand barefoot in the snow.