(Clearwisdom.net) Clearwisdom Net correspondent Li Hua reports from Vancouver -- June 26, 2004 marked the 7^th United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The World Organization to Investigated the Persecution of Falun Gong and Friends of Falun Gong jointly conducted an anti-torture exhibition entitled, "Persecution Meets Principles." They called upon people to pay attention to the ongoing persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China and to stop torture in the 21^st century. In front of the downtown art museum, Vancouver Falun Gong practitioners reenacted the tortures endured by fellow practitioners in China. The demonstration shocked people.

Ms. Wang Yuzhi relating the tortures she personally experienced in China

Live torture reenactment

Passersby signing petition calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong

Spectators watching the torture reenactment

Spectators watching the torture reenactment

Onlookers shocked at the tortures demonstrated by practitioners

Under the bright sunshine of June, in the plaza in front of the downtown art museum, seven methods of tortures were demonstrated. These included "Hanging up and beaten," "Tiger bench," "Tightly tying," "Digging bamboo sticks underneath practitioners' fingernails," "Force-feeding," "Dead person's bed," "Confined in a small iron cage." The side of each reenactment gave detailed description of each torture method and the real cases of practitioners who suffered it. Some practitioners unfurled large banners with words, "Falun Dafa is great!" "Today is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture," and "What's happening in China," which were very eye-catching. Other practitioners took turns to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises, send forth righteous thoughts, distribute truth-clarifying materials and collect petition signatures.

Local citizens were shocked at the tortures endured by Falun Gong practitioners in China and expressed their indignation. Many people asked questions to practitioners to find out more. Some asked, "What can we do to help you?" Some said, "I will write to Parliament Members and request the government to urge China to stop the persecution."

Some said that people should not invest in China and they should not financially support a government that persecutes its own people. An elderly Chinese gentleman told this reporter, "Although I don't quite know about Falun Gong, I completely believe the persecution of Falun Gong in China is true, because I escaped from that den of demons and I know too much about the Party." He also expressed his will to practice Falun Gong in the future.

Practitioners who participated in the live demonstration understood more about the persecution encountered by fellow practitioners in China. Mr. Zhang who had been practicing for less than a year said, "It feels terrible sitting on the 'Tiger bench'. Just after a while, my legs and hands started feeling numb and painful as if I were cut by knifes. Later, my entire body seemed to lose feeling. When I felt that I was unable to bear it, I thought that this was to allow more people to learn about the facts and I was therefore able to persist. In fact, what practitioners in China have endured are ten times, hundred times and even thousand times worse of what we demonstrated here."

Ms. Cao, another participant of the demonstration, said that as long as she could reduce the pressure on fellow practitioners in China, whatever she endured was worth it. When demonstrating the torture endured under the scorching sun, it really felt terrible. But I maintained righteous thoughts in my heart and I was able to persist no matter how hard it was."

Ms. Wang played a pregnant lady who was hung up and beaten by police officers. Her heels did not reach the ground. But the practitioner who played the police officer could not bear to have her suffer, and lowered the hanging pole. Ms. Wang Yuzhi who had personally experienced the torture for more than 100 days in Wanjia Labor Camp told this reporter, "In fact, in labor camps practitioners' feet are suspended in the air. I witnessed a 6-7 month pregnant woman being tortured this way. Her hands were tightly tied to a horizontal girder and then the stool under her feet was kicked away. Her entire body was hanging in the air. The girder was 3-meters high. One end of the thick rope was tied to the pulley on the girder, and the police officer held the other end. If he pulled the rope, the practitioner would be hung in the air and if he released the rope, the practitioner would fall down rapidly. The pregnant lady was thus tortured this way and had an abortion. At that time, it was hard to describe in words the pregnant practitioners' suffering, but the police officers were not moved at all. What even more vicious was that the police officers even asked her husband to stand by her side and watch her being tortured.

Ms. Wang Yuzhi pointed towards the "force-feeding" demonstration and said, "I suffered this torture almost everyday when I was in Wanjia Labor Camp. The police officers made one end of the gas conduit pointy, and then several people tightly pressed me down in a chair or on a wooden board. One officer then pried my mouth open and inserted the tube into my throat. I felt extremely painful in my throat and I felt nausea and choked. Because the tube was too thick, it was very hard to insert even after many tries. What was even more horrible was that they were very violent when doing this. Four or five officers pressed me down and insert the tube into my throat and then an officer stood on the table and then impulsively force-fed me from 2 meters above my body. It felt even more painful this way."

No matter what roles they played, the victims or the ones who conducted the tortures, there was a common experience: The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China is too inhuman. What they demonstrated were only symbolization to the actual torture. Even so, we felt hard to endure and one could imagine how much pain that practitioners in China have endured. Live torture reenactment was not only to allow people to learn about the truth, but it also let overseas practitioners further understand the nature of the persecution. Ms. Wang said that through the anti-torture demonstration, she felt more effort should be made to clarify the facts to the Chinese people so as to end this persecution as soon as possible.

Green Party Parliament Member candidates Don Perry and Dana Miller as well as the president of Friends of Falun Gong, Ms. Sadie Kuehn, attended the press conference of this anti-torture exhibition and delivered speeches. They mentioned in their speeches that the Canadian government should put human rights above the economic interest and urge the Chinese government to immediately stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners. Don White from Amnesty International also sent a fax expressing that all those who had tortured Falun Gong practitioners should be brought to justice.

Posting date: 6/29/2004
Original article date: 6/29/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/6/28/78133.html

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