EFGIC: American Beaten and Force-Fed in Chinese Prison

UK practitioners hold hunger strike in front of Chinese Embassy in London to draw attention to the extreme danger he is in

Forced-feeding is commonly employed as a means of torture, and has resulted in more than 70 confirmed deaths.

LONDON (EFGIC) – According to sources in the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, an American being held in a Chinese prison, now on his eigth day of hunger strike, was beaten and force-fed while in custody. Practitioners in the UK are holding a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Embassy to draw attention to the extreme danger that he is in

Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen and practitioner of Falun Gong, has been on hunger strike since May 27, and was force-fed since May 31 in a hospital inside the Nanjing Prison.

“Dr. Li is now being subjected to some of the very same human rights violations that Chinese officials allege he was “preparing” to expose, as they use a ‘show trial’ to imprison him, isolation to try to break his will and pressure tactics to force him to give up his beliefs,” says UK Falun Gong Information Centre spokesman, Mr. Peter Jauhal.

“Faced with no rule-of-law,” continues Mr. Jauhal, “it appears Dr. Li has chosen the only way that may be available to him to peacefully protest this injustice.”

Specifically, a U.S. official has said that Dr. Li initiated the hunger strike for three reasons:

1. His illegal detention by the Chinese regime.


2. The Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.


3. The unlawful treatment he has received from prison guards and officials.

U.S. citizen Dr. Charles Li is on the 7th day of a hunger strike protesting his illegal detention in a Chinese prison. Reports indicate he has been beaten and force-fed in custody.

Officials at the Nanjing Prison where Dr. Li is being held have denied him all contact with his fiancée, Ms. Yeong-ching Foo. Chinese officials have also refused to allow U.S. consulate representatives to visit him, citing the severe spread of SARS in the region where the Nanjing Prison is located.

While imprisoned, Dr. Li wrote a 96 page document to the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. According to a U.S. consulate official, however, Nanjing Prison officials removed 8 pages out of the document that contained specific information regarding Dr. Li’s request to become a plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit against former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, which was filed in U.S. District Court in October, 2002.

More than 10% of all deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese custody have resulted from force-feeding.

Mr. Stuart Patt, a spokesperson for the Consular Affair Bureau of the U.S. State Department, said in an interview with the Epoch Times Chinese-language newspaper: “If Charles Li is injured because of his hunger strike, we will hold the relevant Chinese officials responsible.”

Upon hearing about Dr. Li’s situation, a U.S. consulate official drove from Shanghai to the Nanjing Prison to see Dr. Li, but prison officials would not allow the visit.

Dr. Charles Li was imprisoned in China after being ushered through a “show trial” in April for allegedly “preparing” to tap into Chinese state-run T.V. and broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

According to recent United Nations Human Rights Commission annual reports, many Falun Gong practitioners have been killed as a result of force-feeding while on hunger strikes in Chinese prisons and labour camps. The European Falun Gong Information Centre has confirmed 720 cases of Falun Gong practitioners’ deaths from torture and abuse in Chinese police custody. 74 of those died from force-feeding while on hunger strike.

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Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practise of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance.” It is a practise that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practises such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practised in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practising Falun Gong, China’s President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practise in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang’s regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practise while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practise it.

The European Falun Gong Information Centre has verified details of 720 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600, while expert sources estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTRE – Peter Jauhal 44 (0) 7739 172 452