Czech Republic: Displaying the Suffering of Falun Gong Practitioners in China on the Streets of Prague

On Saturday the 11th of September, Falun Gong practitioners from Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom organised an exhibition in Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, to expose the torture methods used to force practitioners in China to give up their belief in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

In one of the busiest streets in Prague, hundreds of citizens and a never-ending stream of foreign visitors stopped to see the exhibition. Eight shocking poster boards depicting the atrocities taking place in China flanked the tortures at the forefront of the exhibition, which included a small cage, hanging by the wrists, burning with red hot irons and force-feeding.

Re-enacting the brutal torture methods

Force feeding is such a dangerous torture that it had been banned in Chinese jails and labour camps prior to the start of the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Jiang Zemin brought this practice back to use on Falun Gong practitioners. Most often administered by untrained police or common prisoners, force feeding sessions are extremely brutal. The detainee’s mouth is pried open using metal pliers or a crow bar, often tearing the lips and mouth and breaking teeth. A tube is then stuffed into the mouth and down the throat, or if the detainee’s mouth cannot be pried open, the tube is stuffed into the nose and down the throat. The tube is often hard plastic and dirty. Stuffing the tube down the throat of the victim often damages the oesophagus, or punctures the lung or the stomach, with disastrous results. Once the tube is inserted, a concentrated corn-meal and cold water solution or highly concentrated salt-water solution is pumped into the detainee. Many reports indicate that other substances are used, including hot peppers and, in at least one instance, boiling water. In Gaoyang Labour Camp the guards use faeces. The staff there were given an award by the 6-10 Office for their actions. We can confirm the deaths of dozens of Falun Gong practitioners from force feeding.

Behind each torture victim, portrayed by a practitioner in "bloody" clothes and with realistic make-up, stood Czech and Slovak practitioners dressed as Chinese police with batons in their hands. In the background three yellow red and black banners gave sombre messages: "This is Taking Place in China Right Now", "Stop the Genocide against Falun Gong in China" and "Help Stop the Genocide Against Falun Gong in China" Practitioners dressed in yellow, red and white traditional Chinese practice suits continuously demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and meditation to the sounds of Falun Dafa music. The beautiful and peaceful exercises created a stark contrast to the adjacent anti-torture exhibition, making it even harder for people to comprehend why practitioners are subject to such abuse just because they want to improve their health and become kinder through practising Falun Gong.

Representatives of the media, including the main press agency CTK and a radio journalist, came to take pictures and interview practitioners for newspaper articles and radio broadcasts. The city police also listened to the radio broadcasts and came to see the exhibition.

At the exhibition practitioners were distributing leaflets in several European languages and constantly telling everyone about Falun Dafa, the persecution in China and the tortures used on Falun Gong practitioners. Many people wondered why practitioners have chosen such a form of protest. When they explained that what was being re-enacted on the street that day is really taking place in China now, they were shocked, asked how they could help, signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution and interestedly discussed the matter with other bystanders.

Many people signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution

One gentleman looked at the poster boards for a while and then refused a leaflet saying, "I already know what is taking place there. I do not buy anything from China because there is a chance it could come from a forced labour camp." Another lady was horrified and after she listened to the history of the persecution and said, "I have to tell more people. How could something like this take place today?"

Again and again practitioners heard people who read the leaflets say, “I wish you all the best," or, "I Hope things turn out well for you," and, "Excuse me please, may I ask how I can help you?" Many people expressed sympathy and support. The anti-torture exhibition was very successful in raising awareness about the human rights abuses being inflicted on Falun Gong practitioners in China.