Media Summary: The Week in Review, August 16-22, 2004

Radio Free Asia: Report on Liu Feng's Return to Ireland

After Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Liu Feng was released from China as a result of efforts from other practitioners and human rights organizations, RFA conducted an interview with Irish practitioner Ms. Dai Dongxue. Ms. Dai has been prominently involved in efforts to free practitioners from China.

Ms. Dai Dongxue explained that Mr. Liu had been arrested and detained for more than two years in places which included, Yaojia Detention Center and Dalian Re-education School, where he was subjected to torture and brainwashing.

In describing how the practitioners and their support' efforts freed Mr. Liu, Ms. Dai said, "From January to June was Ireland's turn to chair the European Union. This gave us many chances to lobby the Irish Government and there were numerous European Union conferences and some others, for example China's human rights forums which were all held in Dublin. During this period, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Ireland. Ireland's Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned the two students' situation to Premier Wen

Jiabao. After Premier Wen Jiabao left, the Chinese Embassy's Ambassador Mr. Sha

Hailin said that Liu Feng could be freed and be able to return to Ireland. On July 25, Liu Feng came back to Dublin."

In early July, one of the two major Spanish newspapers, El Mundo, well-known for its investigative reporting, interviewed Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Jane Dai. On Sunday the July 18, 2004, the day of the week that the newspaper has the largest circulation, El Mundo used an entire page to report the tragic story of how Ms Dai's family was ruined and her husband was tortured to death.

The article described how Ms. Dai found out about her husband Chen Chengyong's death at the hands of the Chinese police on the Internet. At the time, their daughter Fadu was only 15 months old. Since then, more than three years ago, Ms. Dai has been traveling the world with daughter Fadu to expose the persecution of Falun Gong and to call for help in bringing it to an end.

On August 15, 2004, practitioners held an anti-torture exhibition on a busy crossroad on Broadway Street to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Metro reported on August 16 from Manhattan that practitioners held an anti-torture exhibition yesterday at the corner of Broadway and Houston Street. The goal was to raise awareness about the persecution and torture of practitioners in China.

The report stated, "Some of the protesters were seated on the sidewalk meditating and demonstrating the Falun Gong practice, while others played the roles of either Chinese prison guards or torture victims. Members of the group said that torture of Falun Gong members is common in China, and that the persecution has even extended to Chinatown."

Scoop carried a news release by the Falun Dafa Information Center, reporting on a former Chinese Education Ministry being sued for torture and murder. Chen Zhili was named in a civil suit filed on July 19^th, as she was on a tour of African nations. The charges against her include "a Cultural Revolution-style campaign throughout China's education system - including graduate schools, colleges, middle schools, primary schools, and even kindergartens - ordering teaches and students to undergo ¡®political shaping of thoughts' with respect to Falun Gong."

A Falun Gong spokesman was quoted in the article as saying, "We would like to give credit to the government, the legal system, and the people of Tanzania for accepting this lawsuit and enabling justice to be done. It is a historic contribution to the international community and people in this part of the world can rightly be proud of this."

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0408/S00104.htm

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