Safety tips
When in China, keep your arms down
When in China, keep your arms down
Falun Gong practitioners have also been illegally arrested, abducted, and sent to
prisons and labors camps. Over 3,000 practitioners have been tortured to death,
according to faluninfo.net. Furthermore, human rights lawyer David Matas and
former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour conducted an independent
investigation on organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and drew “the
regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true.”
Even though Hu’s experience occurred nearly a decade ago, similar cases are still
occurring today. Hu says that her friends in China are still being arrested and
sentenced to long terms in labor camps. She now spends her spare time exposing
the persecution in China.
Zhihui Wen, who came to Madison last year as an exchange scholar, experienced
the threat of losing higher education opportunities for her beliefs. Like Hu, she
devotes herself to raising awareness about the persecution on both a local and
national level.
Wen was one of over 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from 20-plus countries who
traveled to Washington, D.C. this past July to participate in rallies and a
candlelight vigil to commemorate the 10 years of persecution.
“Falun Gong has been brutally persecuted for so long in China, yet many people
don’t even know about this ... I went to D.C. so I could let more people know about
what is truly happening in China today,” said Wen.
The efforts and courage of practitioners like Hu and Wen have not gone unnoticed.
On June 26 this year, eight congresspersons introduced House Resolution 605 to
call for an immediate end to the 10-year long persecution, intimidation,
imprisonment and torture of Falun Gong practitioners.
Wisconsin Representatives Baldwin, Sensenbrenner and Petri are three of the 66
representatives to co-sponsor this resolution before Congress went on its August
recess. Representative Baldwin also co-signed a “Dear Colleague” letter asking
President Obama to “give all possible diplomatic support to Falun Gong
practitioners in China.”
On July 20, Wisconsin Falun Dafa practitioners and supporters rallied on the steps
of the Wisconsin Capitol to commemorate the persecution. Lucy Guan, president of
the Wisconsin Falun Dafa Association, stated, “As long as the persecution hasn’t
ended, our efforts to stop the persecution will never end.”
prisons and labors camps. Over 3,000 practitioners have been tortured to death,
according to faluninfo.net. Furthermore, human rights lawyer David Matas and
former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour conducted an independent
investigation on organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and drew “the
regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true.”
Even though Hu’s experience occurred nearly a decade ago, similar cases are still
occurring today. Hu says that her friends in China are still being arrested and
sentenced to long terms in labor camps. She now spends her spare time exposing
the persecution in China.
Zhihui Wen, who came to Madison last year as an exchange scholar, experienced
the threat of losing higher education opportunities for her beliefs. Like Hu, she
devotes herself to raising awareness about the persecution on both a local and
national level.
Wen was one of over 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from 20-plus countries who
traveled to Washington, D.C. this past July to participate in rallies and a
candlelight vigil to commemorate the 10 years of persecution.
“Falun Gong has been brutally persecuted for so long in China, yet many people
don’t even know about this ... I went to D.C. so I could let more people know about
what is truly happening in China today,” said Wen.
The efforts and courage of practitioners like Hu and Wen have not gone unnoticed.
On June 26 this year, eight congresspersons introduced House Resolution 605 to
call for an immediate end to the 10-year long persecution, intimidation,
imprisonment and torture of Falun Gong practitioners.
Wisconsin Representatives Baldwin, Sensenbrenner and Petri are three of the 66
representatives to co-sponsor this resolution before Congress went on its August
recess. Representative Baldwin also co-signed a “Dear Colleague” letter asking
President Obama to “give all possible diplomatic support to Falun Gong
practitioners in China.”
On July 20, Wisconsin Falun Dafa practitioners and supporters rallied on the steps
of the Wisconsin Capitol to commemorate the persecution. Lucy Guan, president of
the Wisconsin Falun Dafa Association, stated, “As long as the persecution hasn’t
ended, our efforts to stop the persecution will never end.”
By Grace Wu
If you raised your arms in a circle at your local park, passersby may only do a
double take. But in China, raising your arms in public may get you beaten by
police and thrown into a labor camp where more abuse awaits you.
That’s exactly what happened to Wisconsin resident Jenny Hu. Nine years ago, as
Jenny was practicing the Falun Gong meditation exercises at Tiananmen Square,
policemen rushed up to beat her with a metal pipe. They later sent her to labor
camps where she was beaten, force-fed and did slave labor for 16 hours a day.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual
discipline consisting of meditation, gentle exercises, and moral teachings for
daily life based on tenets of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.
Hu said that Falun Gong brought her improved health and uplifted moral
standards. By the mid-‘90s, an estimated 70 million plus Chinese citizens like
Jenny were practicing it. As the popularity of the practice grew, so did the
Communist party leaders’ fear of losing a monopoly of its citizens.
The Chinese communist regime officially banned Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
The regime launched a propaganda blitz against Falun Gong in order to turn public
opinion against the once widely accepted group.
If you raised your arms in a circle at your local park, passersby may only do a
double take. But in China, raising your arms in public may get you beaten by
police and thrown into a labor camp where more abuse awaits you.
That’s exactly what happened to Wisconsin resident Jenny Hu. Nine years ago, as
Jenny was practicing the Falun Gong meditation exercises at Tiananmen Square,
policemen rushed up to beat her with a metal pipe. They later sent her to labor
camps where she was beaten, force-fed and did slave labor for 16 hours a day.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual
discipline consisting of meditation, gentle exercises, and moral teachings for
daily life based on tenets of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.
Hu said that Falun Gong brought her improved health and uplifted moral
standards. By the mid-‘90s, an estimated 70 million plus Chinese citizens like
Jenny were practicing it. As the popularity of the practice grew, so did the
Communist party leaders’ fear of losing a monopoly of its citizens.
The Chinese communist regime officially banned Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
The regime launched a propaganda blitz against Falun Gong in order to turn public
opinion against the once widely accepted group.
(Counterclockwise from top left) Zhihui Wen (second from
left) peacefully meditates with closed eyes at the
candlelight vigil; thousands attend the candlelight vigil in
Washington, D.C. this July to commemorate the 10th
anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong; rallyists at
the United States Capital; Jenny Hu practices one of the
Falun Gong exercises.
left) peacefully meditates with closed eyes at the
candlelight vigil; thousands attend the candlelight vigil in
Washington, D.C. this July to commemorate the 10th
anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong; rallyists at
the United States Capital; Jenny Hu practices one of the
Falun Gong exercises.
Hu could have given up her
practicing Falun Gong to avoid
being repeatedly arrested and
tortured. But she didn’t.
“Without Falun Gong, my life
would feel meaningless,” Hu
said. “I’ve wanted to be a
good person since I was a
child and Falun Gong was able
to provide me that moral
guidance.”
Some tens of thousands
practicing Falun Gong to avoid
being repeatedly arrested and
tortured. But she didn’t.
“Without Falun Gong, my life
would feel meaningless,” Hu
said. “I’ve wanted to be a
good person since I was a
child and Falun Gong was able
to provide me that moral
guidance.”
Some tens of thousands