타운게시판

Candle light vigil in SF

Bonnie 0 7046
One day Hunger Strike for Fiancée’s Birthday
- Prisoner of Conscience Detained One Year Ago in China -

(San Francisco) January 22nd, 2004 marks one year since the arrest of American citizen and Californian resident Dr. Charles Lee in China. In addition, this year, it is also the Chinese Lunar New Year, which happens to be Dr. Lee’s birthday. Family and friends of Dr. Lee urge the international community to help free Dr. Lee from the Chinese jail.

WHAT: 1. Ms. YeongChing Foo, Dr. Lee’s fiancée stages a one-day hunger strike and 12 hours sit-in appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate
2. Candle light vigil and rally: Free Charles Lee and Stop the Genocide

WHEN: 1. Sit-in Appeal 10:00 am – 10:00 pm,
2. Candle light vigil: 8:00pm – 10:00 pm, Thursday, 1/22/04

WHERE: In front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, 1450 Laguna St. (crossing Geary St.), San Francisco.

CONTACTS: YeongChing Foo 408.203.6202, Dr. rry Zhang 415.845.5295
w.faluninfo.net, www.rescuecharles.org

****************************************Background***********************

1. What has happened - brief summary:

Dr. Lee was arrested as soon as he got off the plane at the Guangzhou Airport on January 22, 2003. He was rushed through a one-day show trial on March 21, 2003 and sentenced to a 3-year prison term for his “intention” to expose the human rights violations suffered by Falun Gong practitioners. Dr. Lee committed no crime, nor did he intend to: he only wanted to show the Chinese people the true situation of the persecution that the government has hidden from them.

In this one year of detention, Dr. Lee has suffered both physical and mental abuses: he has been beaten, force-fed, deprived of sleep and handcuffed for days at a time, and forced to watch anti-Falun Gong brainwashing videos. This is part of an attempt to break his will, dissolve his spirit and eventually make him give up his belief in lun Gong. It is clear that the persecutn on Dr. Lee is directly targeting his belief in Falun Gong.

Dr. Lee’s family and friends have held many rescue activities in this past year. US congressional representatives have spoken out on Dr. Lee’s behalf. The U.S. consulate in China has protested against the abuses Dr. Lee has received.

2. Important points to remember about the case:

1)Charles Lee was arrested for his intention to expose a genocide, which was nonviolent and for the benefit of the Chinese public who have a right to know what is happening to their own fellow citizens.

2)Charles Lee was rushed through a show trial, which demonstrate the law in China is only a tool to be used in the persecution against Falun Gong. It has nothing to do with safeguarding justice.

3)Charles Lee is currently undergoing physical and mental torture because of his unselfish intentions. No human being should be subjected to this type of treatment.

4)The persecution on Charles Leis clearly directly targeting his belief in Falun Gong.

5)arles Lee is a US citizen and deserves the full support and assistance from the American government and people.

3. What has Charles experienced since the arrest?

Since the time of his arrest, before and after his trial, Dr. Lee has been subject to both extreme physical and mental torture. Here’s a list of some of the things Charles has had to endure:

-As soon as Dr. Lee got off the plane on January 22, 2003, he was arrested and beaten up, and for the next three days remained handcuffed and deprived of sleep while Chinese authorities took turns interrogating and beating him.

- In the period before his trial Charles’ captors forced him to watch anti-Falun Gong propaganda.

-On March 21, 2003, Dr. Lee was rushed through a one-day show trial and sentenced to 3-years in jail. Charles had to defend himself due to the fact that the Chinese lawyers appointed by the court cannot truly represent him. Many of the so-cled witnesses and evidence of his “crime” were fabricated.

-Between March 27th April 2nd, Charles spent 130 hours handcuffed. Despite extremely hot weather, Charles was forced to remain in his winter clothes that had began to reek after three months of wearing them.

-In May, Charles’s appeal was rejected by Jiang Su’s high court. He was then taken to the Nanjing prison to serve his 3-year jail term.

- Starting in Late June, Charles was forced to attend brainwashing sessions, and if he refused, they beat him in order to make him to participate.

-He has had between four and nine inmates monitoring him 24 hours a day to make sure he doesn’t practice the Falun Gong exercises. If he does, they beat him up.

-July: During a hunger strike to protest his unjust treatment, he was force-fed by having a hard plastic tube shoved down his nose, into his stomach. Afterwards, the tube was left in for 33 hours, causing extreme pain.

-By August, Charles was forced to go to daileducation class, which intended to break his belief in Falun Gong.

-In November, Charles was forced attend to anti-Falun Gong brainwashing classes that occupy almost all of his time every day. This mental torture is perhaps the worst, as it aims to break one’s belief and one’s will.

-In December, Charles was forced to do labor in jail.

4. Why do Falun Gong Practitioners tap into the Chinese state-controlled television?

Charles intended to broadcast information from human rights organizations and other media sources on national Chinese television showing the government’s persecution of Falun Gong. These programs are readily available elsewhere in the world, but may be the first real glimpse the Chinese people have of the atrocities carried out against Falun Gong practitioners in China. The persecution so far has led to the deaths of thousands and the imprisonment of over 100,000 others.
글쓴이에게 쪽지보내기
0 Comments
제목