June 22, 2007: Falun Gong News Bulletin

Attorney Sent to Labor Camp for Representing Falun Gong
Guangzhou (Canton) has become an international center of trade and commerce, but remains a city in which lawyers are not permitted to defend clients in politically-sensitive cases; those remain under Communist Party control. Attorney Zhu Yubiao became the first lawyer in Guangzhou to attempt to defend a Falun Gong practitioner when he took the case of Gao Huanlian. For this, Mr. Zhu was arrested on February 10, 2007 and remains incarcerated at the Guangzhou Huadu Third Forced Labor Camp. Other lawyers in China have faced similar consequences for taking persecuted Falun Gong practitioners’ cases, while most choose not to.

Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/19/86909.html

Chen Weijun was Tortured 37 Times – Until She Died (detailed account)
Ms. Chen Weijun of Heilongjiang province was tortured 37 times for practicing Falun Gong and resisting its persecution in China. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison and her husband, who did not practice Falun Gong, was sentenced to 7 years. Ms. Chen was tortured on 37 different occasions until she died on June 3, 2007, at the age of 49.

The following account, originally posted on Minghui.org and translated on Clearwisdom.net, details all 37 incidents: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/16/86828.html

Officials in Chinese Countryside Kept in Check Through Online Exposure
After news of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Jing Yongan, who is from a Kangping county village, was posted on Minghui.org (Clearwisdom.net in English), Party officials complained to the villagers over the international exposure. The local director of public security said, “We will release him if you tell me who told the editors of the Clearwisdom website about this.” Mr. Jing’s case, it is worth noting, is not a particularly prominent one; it is only one of hundreds of similar cases posted on Clearwisdom.net each month. This suggests the power of international exposure and attention to improve human rights in China.

Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/14/86755.html

As Communism Victims Honored, “Quit the Party” Movement Gains Steam
When the new Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC, was dedicated on June 12, Chinese people’s efforts to shake off the Communist Party were prominently recognized. In a speech noting that many around the world are still suffering under communism, Swedish Parliament Member Goran Lindblad recognized the courage of former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin, who defected from the Chinese Communist Party and government. He also spoke of the over 20 million Chinese who have publicly severed their ties to the Party over the last few years, primarily through online postings. President Bush attended the event.

Volunteers from the Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party were present, lining the roads leading to the memorial and holding banners. The movement to quit the Chinese Communist Party is going at a pace of 20,000-30,000 renunciation statements per day.

Following the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (link) in late 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in China and elsewhere have urged Chinese people to withdraw from the Party. They hope to end the persecution of Falun Gong and all Chinese by nonviolently disintegrating its support base.

For more information: http://www.ninecommentaries.com
Sample withdrawal statement: http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-6-19/56654.html

Letter Says Olympics and Persecution Cannot Occur Concurrently
In an open letter dated June 8, a group of prominent individuals called upon Party leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao to end the persecution of Falun Gong within two months, one year before the Beijing Olympics.

The letter is signed by heads of international branches of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), which include a British lord, Australian senator, Taiwanese legislator, and a former Canadian secretary of state.

“We believe that it would be a shame to humanity as a whole if the Olympics and crimes against humanity were to take place simultaneously in China,” the letter states. “Whether or not more calls for an international boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics will occur depends on your decisions on these important issues in the next two months.”

Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/16/86825.html

A Surprise Visit from Chinese Officials in Snoqualmie, Washington
Matt Larson, mayor of Snoqualmie, Washington (population: 7,000), recently received a surprise visit. The day after Mr. Larson issued a proclamation recognizing Falun Gong practitioners’ contribution to the local community, two officials from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco flew over to try to convince him to rescind it. Chinese officials, of course, feel their regime’s efforts to defame Falun Gong are undermined when the group is recognized in a positive way. Not only did Mr. Larson refuse to rescind the proclamation, but had the officials sit down with local Falun Gong practitioners in what turned out to be a historic meeting.

Full story: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/17/86853.html