HONORING THE MEMORY OF ZHAO JINHUA and ZHU SHAOLAN

KILLED FOR PRACTICING HER BELIEFS:
Chinese Practitioner Tortured and Murdered in Prison

CRACKDOWN OBVIOUSLY NOT WORKING:
China Imposes More Restrictions Because of "Lingering Nervousness."

PRACTITIONERS SENT TO MENTAL HOSPITALS, FORCED TO "CONFESS"

MURDER IN CHINA:

PRACTITIONER KILLED DURING "EDUCATION"

HONG KONG, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Chinese police have beaten to death a woman follower of the banned Falun Gong spiritual practice, a Hong Kong human rights group said on Monday. Police in Zhaoyuan city, Shandong province, informed the family of Zhao Jinghua of her sudden death on October 7 but did not disclose the cause, said the Information Centre of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China. However, her family saw extensive injuries on her body before the police cremated it on October 9, the centre said. The centre, which asked a public security official if police had beaten Zhao to death, quoted the official as saying: "Since you know why she died, why do you still ask me?" Earlier, police said that she was just being 'educated.'

ANOTHER DEATH:

Falun Gong practitioners in China report: Zhu Shaolan, 50, of 29 Fudeli, Unit 4, Apt 66, Jingzhou city, died during a hunger strike.

RESISTANCE AND SACRIFICE:

AFP, the French News Agency reports on just one of many similar cases: "Despite being beaten during two weeks in jail, Falun Gong follower Huang Hongqi says he will stay faithful to the banned spiritual practice. 'I want to continue to practice Falun Gong publicly to show that our beliefs are true,' said Mr Huang, 29. 'I am very angry with the Government. We don't get involved in politics. We just want to do good and become better people. Where is the evil in that?' His future - he was about to be awarded a doctorate at Dalian Mechanical University in Liaoning province - was turned upside down on July 22 after the government ban.

MORE RESTRICTIONS IN CHINA; BLAMED ON "LINGERING NERVOUSNESS"

In late August, Chinese media was reporting that the crackdown on FalunDafa/Falun Gong practitioners was almost totally effective. Now, new restrictions are being imposed -- clearly a sign that the official banning has not been as effective as claimed. The Washington Post reported September 24: "China has issued new restrictions on exercises on which the Falun Gong movement is partly based, underscoring the government's lingering nervousness about the banned Falun Gong practice. Under the restrictions, published yesterday in the Health Ministry's official newspaper, the widely practiced slow-motion exercises called qigong may not be performed in government or military institutions, embassies, airports, train or bus stations, ports, streets or other 'important public places.'"

CHINESE PRESS ACCOUNT ADDS DETAILS ON TRIALS TO COME

From ChineseWorld -- a Chinese newspaper (report on 10/5): "After 10/1, the Chinese government in Beijing will launch a new wave of attacks on Falun Gong. Those arrested main contact persons will be sued and prosecuted on account of "disturbing public order", "jeopardizing the country's security" and other criminal charges. The most severe prison term could be over 10 years. However, practitioners from all parts of mainland China still try to resume group practices, hold hunger strikes and act in various ways to challenge Beijing's ban on Falun Gong."

HOW THE NEWS GETS OUT:

Practitioners Risk Lives to Tell the World About Torture and Repression in the People's Republic of China (Transcript of phone conversation between an American and Chinese practitioner) This morning, a practitioner from northeast China, with her baby crying in her arms, called me in the US. She knew she was risking her life by calling me and that the phone bill would be a great burden on her. But she still called:

...
US: I haven't contacted you for a long time. I didn't dare to call you. I was afraid to bring you trouble.

China: Doesn't matter. I have been arrested many times. I am calling you today because I have something to tell you. Hundreds of practitioners are being held in the prison of Changchun city (in Jilin province). Some of them have been cruelly tortured. Regardless of whether they are male or female, they are being beaten up with all their clothes stripped off. Wounds can be found all over their bodies. Even pregnant women haven't escaped such inhumane treatment. Ms. Xu (a practitioner) was handcuffed, hung up by a rope, and beaten. There are wounds all over her back (choking with sobs). I wasn't beaten up. I guess the test for everyone is different. They asked me why I went to Beijing. I said because the government doesn't understand us. If the government actually understood us, they wouldn't be making this kind of decision. They asked me whether I would continue practicing. I said I would.
...

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE REPRESSION:

Practitioners in China are comparing government tactics against Falun Gong to those used during the Cultural Revolution. One reports: "In Guangzhou, many veteran practitioners were asked by their working units to undergo political study. They were forced to watch the fabricated video shows and write a promise to give up Falun Gong. If they did not write it, they would be tortured. It really is a recurrence of the historical tragedy of the Cultural Revolution." Another adds from Jiaozhou city, Shandong province: "To force them to confess, some were not allowed to sleep for five days and nights, and not allowed to eat for three days. After they were badly beaten, police threatened them and told them not to talk about the situation they faced in custody. In the countryside, many practitioners were force to submit large amounts of money as a deposit to guarantee that they would not go to appeal to Beijing. Some practitioners were sent to mental hospitals and locked up with mental patients. Wei Huayu, who works for the Jiaozhuo Accounting Firm, and Tan Guihua, who works for the Third Shoe Factory of Jiaozhuo, were forced to accept tranquilizer injections (or sedatives) for more than 20 days in a mental hospital."

APPEAL TO THE UN CONTINUES:

In the aftermath of Falun Gong's press briefing to the UN Correspondents' Association, Falun Gong has written again to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan seeking a meeting and opportunity to brief him...One senior UN human rights official has met with some practitioners to discuss procedures at the UN.

VIGILS IN AUSTRALIA AND MAJOR CITIES IN THE US:

Falun Gong practitioners around the world are holding candlelight vigils in memory of those who have died for their beliefs. They have been held in front of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, and other Chinese Consulates in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago on October 13.

NEW DOCU-VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE:

For Personal Viewing and Public Access TV "Falun Gong: The Real Story" -- an in-depth exploration of Falun Gong's global growth and the inside story of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, featuring many practitioners, with comments from Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi.

Weekend Gathering in Central Park in New York City 10-16-99 East Meadow (btw 97th St. and 5th Ave) Saturday 9:00am-11:00am Estimated 500 practitioners from the tri-state area and other cities will demonstrate 5 exercises and have a public introduction. Photo op. and interviews available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call Gail Rachlin at 212 501-8080 or visit www.falundafa.org