FDI: Falun Gong News Bulletin

May 04, 2005

CHINA: 223 DEATHS REPORTED IN THREE WEEKS
223 torture and persecution-related deaths of people who practise Falun Gong in China were verified and reported over the past three weeks, marking the single largest number of reported deaths over a three week timeframe since the violent suppression of Falun Gong began in 1999. While some of the deaths reported occurred recently, many are from months or even years ago, but are only now being uncovered and reported due to Chinese authorities' tight control over information about Falun Gong practitioners in custody.

CHINA: MARTIAL-LAW CONDITIONS IMPOSED IN LARGEST ARREST CAMPAIGN SINCE 1999
Martial-law conditions were imposed in areas of Shandong Province as police and public security officials launched a massive hunt for people affiliated with Falun Gong. Similar campaigns have begun, or are being planned, throughout China - the largest operation since tens of thousands of Falun Gong adherents were detained in July 1999. According to numerous sources in China, the nation-wide operation is targeting Falun Gong because authorities believe the Chinese meditation practise is behind the publication of "The Nine Commentaries." Published by the U.S.-based Epoch Times newspaper, "The Nine Commentaries", or Jiu-ping in Chinese, are a series of nine essays chronicling the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power and tyrannical reign over the Chinese people in the last century. The publication of the Commentaries has triggered a growing movement in China where CCP members are publicly withdrawing at a rate of 20,000 on average per day. To date, more than one million have posted their withdrawal on a website established for that purpose. (www.tuidang.org)

HARVARD: NINE COMMENTARIES - MOST FEARED BY CHINA'S INTERNET CENSORS
Testifying before a U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, Mr. John Palfrey, the Executive Director for the Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, provided an overview of the state of Internet censorship in China. According to Mr. Palfrey, the two most restricted types of websites were those referring to the "Tiananmen Square massacre" and The Epoch Times' "Nine Commentaries" - a series of nine essays providing an historical analysis of the Chinese Communist Party and the effects on China over the past century. (theepochtimes.com) 900f websites with content relating to these two topics were found to be blocked from inside China. Mr. Palfrey also said that most major news sites, such as BBC and CNN, are blocked within China. Despite claims by the CCP that its Internet censorship targets mainly undesirable content, such as pornography, less than 100f websites containing pornographic or "sex" content were found to be blocked by China's Internet controls. Mr. Palfrey's report called China "head and shoulders" above all other nations when it comes to blocking and censoring Internet content. Full text of testimony:
http://www.uscc.gov/hearings/2005hearings/written_testimonies/05_04_14wrts/palfrey_wrts.pdf

COMMUNIST CHINA, SINGAPORE: TWO COUNTRIES, ONE SYSTEM?
Singapore Arrests Two Falun Gong Practitioners for Exposing the CCP's Persecution in China
On April 27 in Singapore, two women were found "guilty" on seven counts, including "assembly without a permit" and "possession and distribution of illegal VCDs." Their crime? Handing out materials to passers-by in a public park that document the human rights atrocities inflicted upon those who practise Falun Gong in China. These same materials are handed out to the public on a daily basis in nearly every major city across North America, Europe, and Australia as well as parts of the Middle East, South America, and Africa. The arrests are the latest incident of CCP suppressive policies being imposed on foreign nations, either through direct pressure from CCP officials or self-motivated actions in an apparent attempt to curry favour with the regime in Beijing. The two women refused to pay the fines imposed on them, and went on hunger strike in protest before being released yesterday. An appeal on the case is underway in Singapore as well as before the United Nations. Full story: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-5-2/28359.html

DEMONSTRATIONS WORLDWIDE MARK APRIL 25TH APPEAL IN BEIJING
Last week, demonstrations in dozens of cities throughout North America, Europe and Asia were held in front of Chinese Embassies and Consulates to mark the April 25th appeal in 1999 where more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners brought a formal appeal to the State Appeal's Office in Beijing. The gathering has often mistakenly been cited as the catalyst for the systematic suppression of Falun Gong in China, with many describing the event as a "protest" outside Zhongnanhai - the Central Government compound. The appeal, however, was actually brought about by Chinese authorities who told Falun Gong practitioners in near-by Tianjin City that they would need to take their appeal concerning unlawful treatment by Chinese police to the State Appeals Office in Beijing, located down the street from Zhongnanhai. Full story: ,a href=http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/5/4/60289.html target=blank>http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/5/4/60289.html

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