Media Advisory: Falun Gong to Go to Malta to Demand that Jiang Zemin stop the persecution

Falun Gong practitioners are going to Malta to highlight the persecution in China while Jiang Zemin visits there. To date, at least 255 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death, 10,000 sent to labour camps, 500 sentenced to up to 18 years in prison, 600 sent to mental institutions; thousands of people have lost their homes, jobs, schools, universities, etc. In June alone, over 35 Falun Gong practitioners were killed by the police. Please see the following information: Around June 20, 2001, at least 15 female Falun Gong practitioners died in a spate of violence and torture at the Wanjia Labor Camp in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China. Over ten male practitioners of Falun Gong were beaten to death at the Changlinzi Labor Camp 9 days later in the same province. Over the last two years, Jiang Zemin's regime has used every possible means to defame Falun Gong in order to 'destroy it completely'. The persecution has gone to an incredible extent. For instance, Chen Zixiu, a 58 year old woman, died after 4 days of constant beatings and torture. Her daughter was sent to a labor camp because she disclosed details about Chen Zixiu's death to foreign media. Su Gang, a 30-year-old engineer, was injected with psychotropic drugs and died soon afterwards. Liu Xuguo, a young man, died from being force-fed. A fatal infection occurred after his lungs were punctured. Zhao Xin, a young lecturer in Beijing, had her neck vertebrae fractured by the police, and died 6 months later. Wang Lixuan and her baby son were both tortured to death: her neck and the bones in her hands were broken, her skull was crushed and there was a needle stuck in her waist. There were two deep bruises on her son's ankles, two black and blue spots on his head, and there was blood in his nose. It was deduced that the bruises may have been caused when the thugs handcuffed little Meng Hao's (a less than 8 month old baby) ankles and hung him upside down. Instances like the above are too many to count! The persecution has extended to practitioners overseas, with many having been arrested, detained, even sentenced to prisons and labor camps. Zhao Ming, a post graduate student in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, has been subjected severe torture in labour camps after being arrested while on holiday in China. His current whereabouts are unknown after he was taken away by the police in May 2001. UK postgraduate student Ms Mo Zengfang's UK born baby still remains stateless because the Chinese embassy refuses to register the baby because of Mo's persistence in practicing Falun Gong. After learning that the Chinese president, Jiang Zemin is visiting Malta, some Falun Gong practitioners have decided to go there to ask him to stop persecuting their fellow practitioners in China. Practitioners from the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US, plus probably two from Italy are preparing to join the candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy, and they will be granting interviews. Among the practitioners going to Malta are Dr. Zimmy Zhou, a US citizen who was arrested and tortured for 6 days while on holiday in China, and Ms Qianling Song, a graduate student in the UK, who was also arrested and beaten by the police during her visit to China in 1999. For more information, please visit www.faluninfo.net, or contact Dai Dongxue at 00353 1 279 7103, 00353 87 9596370, email: [e-mail]