FALUN GONG NEWS BULLETIN
Weekly news about Falun Gong in China and around the world
(7/27/2005 11:52)


MEMBERS OF CONGRESS JOIN RALLY TO CONDEMN PERSECUTION IN CHINA

AS SKATEBOARDER FLIES OVER THE GREAT WALL, TERROR CONTINUES ON THE GROUND

FORMER CHINESE DIPLOMAT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS

CHINA: 97 NEW TORTURE- AND ABUSE-RELATED DEATHS REPORTED
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS JOIN RALLY TO CONDEMN PERSECUTION OF FALUN GONG IN CHINA
Exactly six years after Chinese authorities launched a violent campaign to eliminate the Falun Gong, more than a thousand rallied on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to condemn the persecution, which continues today. Hosted by former U.S. ambassador Mark Palmer, Members of Congress Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) braved sweltering afternoon heat to condemn China’s deadly campaign. Hudson Institute Senior Fellow, Michael Horowitz, described the nonviolent resistance efforts by Falun Gong practitioners as “a sacrifice” made for the future of China.
Full Story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/7/24/63191.html


AS SKATEBOARDER FLIES OVER THE GREAT WALL, TERROR CONTINUES ON THE GROUND
FDI Editorial – Last week, professional skate-boarder and extreme sportsman Danny Way captured headlines with his record-setting jump over China’s Great Wall. A day before Way’s big jump, an article from Sports Illustrated referred to his attempt as a “great leap forward” that would start a “cultural revolution in China.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. For those unfamiliar with recent Chinese history... over 30 million people died [in the Great Leap Forward], most of starvation, and the nation was plunged into an economic abyss... Between 7-8 million people were killed or driven to suicide during the Cultural Revolution... So how could an icon of pop culture, such as Sports Illustrated, readily make flippant references to such horrific historical events as if recalling something as casual as a rock concert or a cultural fair? Has all the hype about China’s economy so divorced us from reality that such references go unnoticed, or worse, ignored?
Full Story: http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9229


FORMER CHINESE DIPLOMAT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS
Epoch Times – “A wolf in sheep's clothing” is what a former Chinese diplomat called the Chinese communist leadership in testimony before Congress last Thursday. “When the Western world looks at China, a lot of people see an emerging economic power,” the diplomat, Mr. Chen Yonglin, told members of Congress. “Western people should not forget that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a dictatorship that has [taken] the lives of 80 million people” in the last half-century… Mr. Chen's testimony centered on details of how the CCP persecutes those who practice or support the Falun Gong exercise and meditation practice. “The persecution of Falun Gong is a systematic campaign,” Mr. Chen said. “All departments in the Chinese central government are involved.”
Full Story: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-7-23/30515.html


CHINA: 97 NEW TORTURE- AND ABUSE-RELATED DEATHS REPORTED
Ninety-seven torture and persecution-related deaths of people who practice Falun Gong in China were verified and reported over the past four weeks. While some of the deaths reported occurred recently, others are from months or even years ago but are only now coming to light. Chinese authorities continue to keep tight control over information related to Falun Gong practitioners in custody and deny all maltreatment of detainees.


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