Call for Conscience and Courage: Stop the Ongoing Tragedies in China

Dear Fellow Chinese People,

We are deeply shocked by the news that Mr. Liu Chengjun was tortured to death on December 26, 2003 in a prison in Jilin Province, China. Mr. Liu is the seventh Falun Gong practitioner confirmed dead as a result of maltreatment by Chinese authorities related to the Changchun TV Broadcast Incident in which a video program exposing the persecution of Falun Gong was broadcast through local cable TV.

It was reported that on March 24, 2002, when Liu Chengjun was abducted by authorities, the police intentionally shot Mr. Liu twice in the legs when he was already handcuffed and shackled, severely wounding him. At the beginning of May 2002, Mr. Liu was transferred to Tiebei Detention Center where he was interrogated under cruel torture. He was forced to sit for 52 days on a special bench designed for inflicting severe unremitting pain (called a 'tiger bench'). Because of the brutality inflicted on him, Liu Chengjun had to be carried into the courtroom for his show trial. In the middle of September 2002, Liu Chengjun was sentenced to 19 years in prison and was put in Jilin Prison. After enduring nine months of extreme torture in prison, Liu Chengjun left this world at 4 a.m. on December 26, 2003 (last Friday). Witnesses found him bleeding from the nose, ears and legs. On the same day, the authorities at Jilin Prison, ignoring Liu's family's requests for an autopsy, flagrantly forced the cremation of Mr. Liu's body at 11 a.m. on that same morning.

The righteous action Mr. Liu and his brave companions took by inserting human rights video programming into a local cable TV channel in Changchun City was a truly heroic action to reveal to the public the genocide occurring against millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China, to prevent the persecution and murder of more innocent lives, to keep the conscience of the Chinese people from being corrupted, to return to the Chinese people the right to know the truth, and to stop this disaster for the nation. Under the circumstance in which appealing to higher authorities has been forbidden, there is no place to file a legal complaint, and Falun Gong practitioners are facing persecution and death from torture and maltreatment, so Mr. Liu and his compatriots, together with millions of Falun Gong practitioners, risk their own safety and lives, and rely on all kinds of peaceful ways, including inserting truthful video programs into TV broadcasts, to reveal to the Chinese people the brutal persecution against Chinese people as well as the conspiracy and shamelessness of the persecutors. What they are doing is to 'break' 'illegal laws' in the face of a brutal dictatorship, and more importantly, they are peacefully fighting for the Chinese people's basic human rights, such as the freedom of belief and speech, and for protecting the conscience and dignity of all Chinese people, not only Falun Gong practitioners. The great conscience, courage, rationality and wisdom demonstrated by their righteous actions have shocked both heaven and earth and made both gods and ghosts weep. Their optimism, honesty and great responsibility for all humankind are exemplary for hundreds of generations.

At the same time, we would like to remind our fellow Chinese people and people around the world that Falun Gong practitioners are still being persecuted in China. There is news about innocent people being tortured to death every day. It is reported that another practitioner of Falun Gong, Mr. Liang Zhenxing, who also participated in the Changchun TV Broadcast Incident, was abducted by the police and taken to Tiebei Detention Center before he was illegally tried in September 2002. He was interrogated every two or three days. Every time, he was taken away with his eyes covered by a piece of cloth and was brought back with injuries all over his body. There is still no information on his current situation. American citizen, Dr. Charles Li (his Chinese name is Li Xiangchun), is being held captive in Nanjing Prison, subjected to brainwashing and tortured for his attempt to clarify the facts about the genocide against Falun Gong to the Chinese people through TV.

It is very urgent that we stop the persecution and murder of innocent and kind-hearted people conducted by Jiang Zemin and his gang of followers. The Chinese people have the right to know the truth about their own countrymen being maltreated and wrongly persecuted. They have the right to know through TV and other public media the truth about Falun Gong practitioners being tortured to death. The Chinese people have the right to require the end of the vicious lies about Falun Gong spread by Jiang's roguish group and the complete end of the persecution. They also have the right to enjoy the freedom of belief and speech proclaimed by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the Chinese Constitution. They certainly should have the right to protect their own conscience and dignity.

We would like to ask all kind-hearted people to pay close attention to the torture and death of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Use your conscience, courage, rationality and wisdom to oppose and stop this genocide against Falun Gong practitioners and the accompanying butchering of the human conscience of the Chinese people who are being forced to participate in these crimes against humanity. We ask all righteous people within the Chinese government, the majority of which have been keeping silent due to the pressure from above (like every Chinese, your conscience is also being persecuted), bring out your conscience and courage that has been sealed off for a long time, take responsibility for your actions and obligations, and put the basic interests of the vast majority of people and the future of our nation first, and immediately investigate and punish the murderers and those who are directly involved in Liu Chengjun's case. Bring to justice all the murderers and ferocious authorities who have broken the law wantonly during the past four years of persecution. Bring to justice Jiang Zemin and his followers, the arch-criminals of this persecution. We also ask every government, every nation, and every international organization to act together to stop the on-going genocide in China.

The persecution in China has not only greatly harmed Falun Gong practitioners and all Chinese people, but also deeply wounded the conscience of all humankind and impeded the progress of civilization around the world. This persecution is doomed to fail in shame, for all human history is reiterating this one fact--the righteous will eventually defeat the wicked. Let us appreciate the sacrifice of Mr. Liu Chengjun and his compatriots, and follow their example, fulfilling our responsibilities and obligations for a bright future for the Chinese people and the progress of human civilization. Let us act together, use our conscience, courage, rationality and wisdom, and emulate the great example and devotion of Mr. Liu Chengjun and his fellow practitioners. This is also a further practice and realization of righteousness.

Sincerely Yours,

Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners
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Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners (Global Rescue/GMRPFGP) is a U.S.-based, independent and non-profit international human rights organization. Its mission is to call for and awaken conscience as well as morality and courage. It is devoted to coordinating and cooperating with all nations, organizations, and social groups around the world as well as all righteous forces, including those inside China, to reveal the genocide of Falun Gong practitioners in China, to rescue Falun Gong practitioners being jailed and persecuted in China, and to stop the huge disaster to the Chinese nation and to all humankind and the unprecedented persecutionof the human conscience.

English version of this article is to be forwarded to:
UNHRHC (United Nations Human Rights High Commissioners)
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch, USA
WOIPFG (World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong)
Fa Wang Hui Hui
Other International Organizations
Non-Official Organizations
International Media
Chinese version of this article is to be forwarded to:
Committee of the Representatives of the People and its Standing Committee of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China
The Supreme Court of the People's Republic of China
The Supreme Procurator of the People's Republic of China
The Department of the Judiciary and the Bureau of Forced Labour Reeducation of the People's Republic of China
Chinese Media overseas