Jia Qinglin, who is a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party and mainly responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong in the Chinese capital Beijing, was scheduled to visit Austria on August 31st 2004. In connection with his visit, the Falun Dafa Information Centre in Austria held a press conference and sent out the following press release.
Press Conference
Tuesday, August 31st 2004, between 10am and 11am
Café Eiles, Josefstädterstraße 2, 1080 Wien
High ranking visitor to Austria
At the beginning of next week, Jia Qinglin, the former party secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and former mayor of the city of Beijing, will visit Austria for two days. He has been a member of the standing committee of the CCP’s Politburo since 2002. Since 2003 he has been the chairman of the 10th country’s committee of the Political advisory board of the Chinese people. Jia Qinglin is a very influential man in China.
The world’s citizens are aware of the human rights situation in China. However, it is often forgotten that high-ranking functionaries of the CCP and the Chinese government often personally order and execute the persecution of Falun Gong.
During Jia’s administration, Beijing generated one of the worst records among many cities with respect to the persecution of Falun Gong (see examples below). As the Party’s General Secretary in Beijing, and in his capacity as Central Committee member of the CCP from 1999-2002, Jia Qinglin has been responsible for the persecution. He demanded a ‘clear position’ from all CCP members at all levels and their decisive commitment in favour of the so-called ‘fight against’ Falun Gong. In addition, Jia participated actively in the persecution of female Falun Gong practitioners. During the conference for the mobilisation of the 16th National Congress, Jia declared the persecution of Falun Gong to be one of the ‘top five objectives’ in Beijing.
Jia’s administration in Beijing
The Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp in Beijing is infamous for its cruel torture of Falun Gong practitioners in order to ‘reform’ them. Many different torture methods have been applied to practitioners there, such as prolonged standing or squatting, electric shocks, prolonged sleep-deprivation and forced feedings (food, poison or fecal matter is forced into the stomach through a tube inserted into the nose). In addition, a special torture method was developed there: Practitioners are fettered to the ladder of the bunk beds and forced to bend over until the face presses against the legs. Their hands are shackled to the back and cleaning rags are stuffed into their mouths. Then the practitioner is forced under the beds, which are barely forty centimetres high, with the feet pointing out and resting on a stool. Their socks and shoes are removed and their soles are beaten.
Ms. Zhao Xin, a 32-year-old university lecturer at the “University for Economics and Industry of Beijing” was brutally beaten by police at the Haidan police substation in Beijing for practising Falun Gong. She suffered a severe fracture of her neck and died from her injuries after suffering extreme pain for six months. Her dignified demeanour has earned great admiration among many people around the world, and her death caused great grief. Numerous Falun Gong practitioners travelled to attend her funeral on December 13th 2000 although police blocked access to the cemetery and only allowed family and close friends to take part.
Mr Zhao Ming, a Chinese Falun Gong practitioner residing in Ireland, was arrested in 1999 while he was visiting his family in China at Christmas and was subjected to cruel torture and mistreatment in the Xinan and Tuanhe labour camps in Beijing. Falun Gong practitioners, people from all walks of Irish society, many human rights organisations, as well as people from around the world, ceaselessly petitioned the Irish government for more than two years until he was finally released in March 2002.
In August 2004, Mr Zhao said, “Even two years later, my lower legs are still numb and hurt whenever I walk a lot. I always reckoned that it must be due to the torture method called ‘squatting like a soldier’ which I was forced to do while I was in Xinan labour camp. However, later many additional memories returned, which made me realise that it could have been caused by neurotoxic substances they administered to me” (see accompanying report).
More information regarding the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the role played by Jia Qingling, will be forthcoming on Tuesday, August 31st at 10am at the press conference at Café Eiles.
Background
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional practice of meditation originally from China, which is practised in sixty countries around the world. In addition to exercises, special emphasis is placed upon self-cultivation of one's character and moral values according to the principles of Truth, Compassion and Tolerance, values that are deeply rooted in Chinese culture for thousands of years.
Since July 20th 1999, at the instigation of former head of state Jiang Zemin, Falun Gong has been irrationally persecuted in China. Hundreds of thousands have been arrested since July 1999. More than 100,000 practitioners have been sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps, usually without due legal process. The persecution in China touches every facet of life: the loss of job and home, the expulsion of students from schools, forced abortions and forced divorce. The Falun Dafa Information Centre has obtained information about more than 1023 deaths due to torture in police stations and labour camps. The true number is probably several times higher.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE, CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTRE AUSTRIA -
Contact person: Martin Schrott 0699-12122025; Igor Jancev 0699-19564282
Email: [email protected]
Websites: www.faluninfo.at - www.faluninfo.net - www.clearharmony.de
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