(Clearwisdom.net) On September 25, 2005, the Spanish newspaper El Correo published a three-page article in its Sunday edition about the persecution of Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the withdrawal of 3 million people from the CCP.

Chinese Torture

Nearly 2,800 people have been killed since 1999, more than 200,000 are currently locked up in forced labor camps, and 100 million have been illegally denied freedom of belief. Why? It is because that they believe in Falun Gong, a practice of meditation and exercises that is based on a millenary oriental tradition that improves health and personal values, something that the Chinese Communist Party does not allow for its people.

Falun Gong is an ancient traditional cultivation practice. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are Falun Gong's principles. Since Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong to the public in 1992 for the first time, the miraculous healing and fitness effect and its teachings of well-being allowed the practice to spread widely in a short time across China and later throughout the world. One does not need to pay any fees to learn Falun Gong. At present, Falun Gong is now practiced in 78 countries in the world. Except for China, you can freely practice Falun Gong in all other countries. For instance, in Parque del Retiro in Madrid, a group of people practice and teach Falun Gong every Sunday morning. More and more people are coming to learn the practice. (We can find more information from the websites: www.falundafa.org and www.faluninfo.net)

In addition, many governments and renowned people have recognized the practice's benefits for people. Unfortunately in China, its country of origin, Falun Gong encounters persecution. In 1999, the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party decided to eradicate Falun Gong. Then the Chinese communist regime especially established the 610 Office, which is dedicated to suppressing Falun Gong. The 610 Office directed hundreds of labor camps to wantonly torture and kill Falun Gong practitioners. Increasing world condemnation of such barbarities brings ever more hope that change will come.

The Chinese Governments Tortures Falun Gong Practitioners

Ms. Gao Rongrong, 37, originally worked as an accountant at the Luxun College of Fine Arts in Shenyang City. Because of her affiliation with Falun Gong, she was fired in 1999, soon after the suppression of Falun Gong began. Gao then lodged legal appeals with authorities in Beijing calling for an end to the wrongful persecution. Authorities then, with total disdain for the law, detained Gao and locked her up for several months.

In July 2003, Gao was sent to Longshan Forced Labor Camp. During her detention there, Gao was physically beaten by camp personnel, sources familiar with her case report. Nearly one year later, on May 7, 2004, at approximately 3:00 pm, Tang Yubao, the deputy head of the No. 2 Brigade along with team leader Jiang Zhaohua, summoned Gao to the duty office and began to torture her with electric batons. Sources report that the torture lasted for 7 hours. Those detained with Gao in the labor camp say her face, head and neck were completely burned. Gao's face was covered with blisters and her hair was matted with pus and blood. The injuries were so severe that people could hardly recognize her. Details of her case were submitted to the United Nations and related government offices of different countries.

In a desperate attempt to escape her torturers, Gao jumped from the 2nd floor office window of the facility, sustaining multiple fractures. She was subsequently hospitalized. While taking medication, Ms. Gao was still under police's surveillance. The authorities claimed that Gao would be sent back to the labor camp upon her release from the hospital. On October 5, 2004, with friends' help, Gao Rongrong avoided the police's surveillance and successfully fled from the hospital.

After Gao's escape, Shenyang Municipal Police Department (State Security Division) began tapping the phone lines of all Falun Gong practitioners in the region. They attempted to discover who had helped publicize Gao's case and helped her escape from the hospital. A regional manhunt enfolded. All individuals suspected to have facilitated Gao's hospital escape were arrested. One of the individuals abducted, Mr. Feng Gang, was sent to Masanjia labor camp after thirteen days of hunger strike protesting his unlawful abduction. Another individual, Mr. Sun Shiyou, was severely tortured by authorities, in particular, the authorities shocked his private parts using electric batons. Mr. Sun's family members were also abducted.

On March 6^th, 2005, police once again arrested Gao Rongrong and detained her. Her family never heard from her again until a few days before she died, in July this year, in the Emergency Room of the Medical University Hospital.

Gao's story is only one horrifying example among the 2,781 Chinese people - a confirmed number - that have been tortured to death in labor camps. According to information from the NGO Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners, the real death toll could rise to 20,000.

In order to expose all these crimes and stop the persecution, the international community should pressure the Chinese communist regime.

So that all this does not continue in secret and so that international pressure is made on the Chinese Communist Party, thousands of people dedicate, altruistically, their time to generate awareness about what Falun Gong is and what is happening with the practitioners of Falun Gong in China. One of these people is Pia-Maria Sandas - in the photograph on this page - doing one of the meditation exercises- and one of the deputy directors of the previously mentioned NGO.

Sandas is a former fashion model, and is currently the representative for a cosmetic company. She is not Chinese, but Finnish. She learned Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) from a friend. "Today, this practice is practiced in 78 countries worldwide and has been highly recognized. The founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Price, and has received over 800 proclamations and awards from different organizations in the U.S."

Falun Dafa is an ancient cultivation practice which was passed down privately in ancient times. Since Mr. Li introduced the practice to the public in 1992, the practice has been rapidly spread throughout the world. It is a mind-body practice and contains five sets of exercises, similar to yoga, that promote inner peace. In addition, practitioners also follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance in their daily life, with oneself as well as with others.

Around 30,000 people renounce the Communist Party each day

While more and more people begin practicing Falun Gong, the persecution and torture in China is also escalating. The persecution began on July 20, 1999. Nevertheless, the escalating persecution of Falun Gong allows people to know more about the Chinese communist regime's human rights violations. At the same time, the Chinese communist regime is facing more and more pressure. In fact, by July, 2005, more than three million people had quit the Chinese communist party (CCP). Millions of people began standing up and opposing the CCP to protest against the destruction of their families, bodies and minds.

The entire world is condemning the genocide in China

Governments of various countries in the world have condemned the Chinese communist regime's violation of fundamental human rights. The European Parliament stated that they were very concerned about China's human rights record. On July 5, 2001, in a human rights convention in the United Kingdom, a resolution stated that all persecution and suppression against religious belief must be eliminated. The Chinese communist regime must stop the oppression of Falun Gong.

More than 1200 proclamations have been issued to honor Falun Gong for the health and moral benefits it has brought to people.

Because of its great effect in improving practitioners' physical health and upgrading their moral standards, Falun Gong has received more than 1200 proclamations. The National Police of Peru, specifically by the Direction against Corruption, also issued a proclamation to honor Falun Gong for its benefit in improving health and upgrading moral standards.

What is astonishing is that, while governments of other countries continuously honor Falun Gong, the Chinese communist regime is using all kinds of torture and violence against Falun Gong practitioners to force them to give up their belief. Even worse, many children who have been orphaned in the persecution of Falun Gong are still left alone in that country.

In Spain, three lawsuits have been filed against the perpetrators of the persecution.

In Spain, three lawsuits have been filed against officials of the Chinese Government. Carlos Iglesias is the plaintiffs' lawyer.

The first of the lawsuits was filed on October 15, 2003 before the National Audience of Madrid against the former president of China and leader of the Chinese army, Jiang Zemin, and against the vice director of the 610 Office, Luo Gan, for genocide and torture. The lawsuit was filed by a group of fifteen people. One of them is a Spaniard who was beaten up during a trip to Beijing to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong. This lawsuit is now under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, awaiting a verdict.

The second and third legal actions in Spain were filed later against different leaders of the Chinese Government who have been proved to be responsible for the torture of Falun Gong practitioners. They were sued when they visited Spain on different occasions.

Attorney Iglesias warned, "The Spanish Justice system is authorized under the principle of universal jurisdiction to hear these types of cases. In China it is impossible for the crimes of genocide to be indicted, because the defendants have the highest official positions in the Government. If these crimes are not publicized in other countries, like Spain, they will remain unpunished."