Pioneer News (Chicago, USA): A Fight for Peaceful Practice

Zhiwei Xu, a resident of Mount Prospect, is hoping to be reunited with his mother in China someday. Right now that is impossible.

For the last two years his mother — who practices a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief called Falun Gong — has been arrested, imprisoned and tortured in China for her practice of the discipline. Although she has now been released from the labor camp where she was held, his mother is still under constant surveillance by the Chinese government and could be arrested again at any time, said Xu. Xu, 32, is a software engineer at Motorola, and a practitioner of Falun Gong. He says he hopes the United States government will put pressure on the Chinese government officials to stop their inhumane treatment of Falun Gong’s practitioners. The discipline of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) includes exercise, meditation and principles based on truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, he said. Practitioners cite better health, fitness, inner peace and reduced stress as common beliefs. Falun Gong has its roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from religions like Buddhism and Taoism. Introduced to the general public in China in 1992, Falun Gong spread rapidly and was taken up by over 70 million people by 1998.

Changing attitudes

At one time the Chinese government encouraged and supported Falun Gong practitioners, said Xu. In July 1999, the Communist government began criticizing the practice, and arresting the followers of the discipline. Falun Gong is now the target of a vicious campaign by the Chinese government. Jiang Zemin, the head of the Communist Party, and a small group of officials who follow his line, are suspicious of the popularity of Falun Gong and have vowed to “eradicate” the practice, said Xu. In the last 20 months, 170 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death. Several hundred have been sentenced to long prison terms, and over 50,000 sent to detention centers or mental hospitals, according to a Falun Gong Web Site. “In 1997 Falun Gong was a popular practice, but it grew so fast it made some people in the government nervous. That is when the persecution started,” said Xu. His mother, Cui Zhang, began practicing Falun Gong in 1995. Zhang wanted to be able to have the freedom to practice her belief and so she went to Beijing to appeal to the central government. She was arrested and held in a detention center. During her time at the center the police tortured Zhang and other practitioners of the Falun Gong discipline, said Xu. In a letter to Xu, Chi Zhang wrote, “You can imagine how ridiculous it is that the government has invested so much manpower to guard the old ladies like myself. The female officers first took us as devils with dark faces and Dracula-like teeth. Later, they thought we were worry-free old playing children. They said we were all nice.”

Punishments

Despite the harsh treatment at the detention center his mother refused to give up the practice, and went on a hunger strike for 10 days. Soon afterward, she was released. But in May 2001 Zhang was arrested again and her home was ransacked by the Chinese police. Her passport was taken and she was sent to a labor camp for three months, said Xu. “The hardships she endured there are out of our imagination,” said Xu. “My mother doesn’t want to recall her experiences in the labor camp.” Xu was sad that his mother was not able to come to the United States to attend his Ph.D graduation ceremony. He says he cannot return to China to visit his parents because the Chinese consulate has not approved a renewal of his passport. “During the Chinese New Year, families should be together.” he said. Xu said he is telling his story in the hope that the Chinese government will stop the torture and murder of practitioners of Falun Gong. He says he has been encouraged by the support he has received from the U.S. Congress and from resolutions passed in local communities.

Local support

Several municipalities in the Chicago area, including Niles, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights, Skokie, Schaumburg, and Naperville, have issued proclamations denouncing the actions of the Chinese government.

In November 2002, the Chicago City Council issued a resolution in support of Falun Gong practitioners. The resolution states that the United States should use every appropriate and public and private forum to urge the government of the People’s Republic of China to release all Falun Gong practitioners from detention and put an end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment against them.

A resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representative in July 2002 asks that the Chinese government “abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal declaration of Human Rights by allowing Falun Gong practitioners to pursue their personal beliefs.”

“We can tell the truth of what is happening in China,” said Xu, noting that Falun Gong practitioners are being supported by people around the world.

“Publicity about (the atrocities in China) can only help us. We are hoping more people know the truth about what is happening. The truth is a great power.”

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