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Case reports of abuses committed against some of the detained practitioners
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1. Chun
Lee, female, 23, marketing consultant, resident of San Jose, California,
U.S.A.
On February 14, 2002 Ms. Chun Lee and two friends were walking
towards Tiananmen Square when several policemen stopped them and searched her
friends' bags. Ms. Lee was simply standing and waiting off to the side when an
officer suddenly screamed at her and threw her to the ground. More than ten
uniformed and plainclothes policemen surrounded Ms. Lee and started beating her.
They kicked her with their boots. One of the policemen stepped on her face,
crushing her glasses, and punched her face, causing her nose to bleed badly.
Then, with no explanation or inquiry, the officers tried to take her away. When
Ms. Lee resisted this groundless arrest, the officers threw her back onto the
ground and forcefully stepped on the back of her neck. They smashed her face
into her scarf, smothering her until she was nearly unconscious. Then they
strangled her with her scarf, and stuffed it down her throat. They then lift her
up and carried her to a nearby police station.
At the station they threw her on the floor,
searched her body and confiscated all of her belongings, including her passport.
They then put her in a police van and drove her to a compound. As the van
arrived at the building, the policemen dragged her out of the van by her hair,
threw her down the steps of the bus, carried her inside and threw her to the
foyer floor. Four policemen then cursed and interrogated her for several hours.
One officer twisted her hand to force her to answer the questions.
Ms.
Lee was taken to a room with other practitioners. They requested a translator,
and asked to place phone calls to their embassies. Their requests were denied.
When they questioned the Chinese police about the legal grounds for their
arrest, the police rudely yelled at them "shut up!" The police also brutalized
several female detainees by dragging them into the room.
Ms. Lee was
held for over 24 hours and was deported on February 15. While she was waiting
for transportation to the airport, she was beaten again by a higher-ranking
officer. He slapped her across the face so hard her ears rang and her jaw stuck
open. The policeman continued to hit her in the face, pushed her to the floor,
and to kicked her. She curled up in a ball and screamed. He stopped only because
she continued her loud scream. The police confiscated her MP3 player and CD
player. When she asked the officer to give them back, warning him that she would
report the theft to the U.S. government, he simply replied that this was China
[Apparently, he also thought it was ok to beat an innocent woman in China].
2. Thai Ton, male, 34, a biologist working for the federal
government, resident of Durham North Carolina, U.S.A.
Mr. Thai Ton went
to Tiananmen Square on February 14, 2002 to appeal for Falun Gong. As soon as
the police recognized Mr. Ton as a Falun Gong practitioner, they immediately
pushed him to the ground, stomped on his face, and broke his eyeglasses. They
then took him to a detention center. The police confiscated his Palm Pilot
computer, his wallet, and$1,000. Because the beating, he suffered bruises and a
gash on his hand. Mr. Ton was detained overnight before being forcibly deported.
His belongings were never returned to him.
Related News Reports:
Family Awaits Word of NC Protesters in China? The News &
Observer, February 15, 2002
http://www.newsobserver.com/ncwire/news/Story/910538p-907958c.html
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Signs of battery sustained by Mr. Mark Gardner in
China are clearly visible. | 3. Mark
Gardner, male, 22, student, Orange County, CA, U.S.A.
Mr. Mark
Gardner went to Tiananmen Square on February 14 to display his yellow banner
with the Chinese characters "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance". Before he
could even unfold the banner, the Chinese police threw him to the ground, pinned
him down and kicked him in the face. They picked him up and forcefully placed
him in a police van upside down, with his head to the floor. One police officer
covered his mouth and nose to prevent him from speaking. He could not breathe
until they shut the door and let go of his mouth. The policemen took Mr. Gardner
to his hotel to retrieve his luggage, but confiscate his valuable belongings.
The police then choked and punched him. Mr. Mark Gardner returned home with a
black eye.
4. Hiroyoshi Sawa, male, 27, Computer Science
Engineer, resident of Kyoto, Japan
On January 1, 2002, Mr. Hiroyoshi
Sawa went to Tiananmen Square, where he unfurled a banner that read, "Falun Dafa
is Good!" and proclaimed "Falun Dafa is Good!" in Chinese. Several policemen
rushed over, shoved him into a police van, and grabbed his glasses, watch, and
leather belt. After taking him to a prison, the police stripped Mr. Sawa of his
Falun Gong T-shirt, beat him multiple times, and confiscated all of his Falun
Gong books and materials. Mr. Sawa was locked in a cell from 2 p.m. until 6 a.m.
the next morning, with no food or water. Whenever Mr. Sawa fell asleep or
performed the Falun Gong exercises, the police came in and beat him. The police
also interrogated him for information about Falun Gong practitioners in Japan.
On January 2, the police escorted Mr. Sawa to Shanghai to board an airplane to
Osaka, and forced him to pay an extra of 10,000 Yuan for the flight.
Related News Reports:
Falun Gong follower deported
from China? Japan Times, January 6, 2002
Japanese Falun Gong follower
deported after protest in Beijing? ODJ (Japan), January 4, 2002
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Ms. Connie Chipkar man-handled while being arrested
in Tiananmen Square. | 5. Connie Chipkar,
female, 61, a former teacher from Welland, Ontario, resident of Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada
On January 23, 2002, Ms. Connie Chipkar went to
Tiananmen Square to express her deep concern about the mounting persecution and
murder of Chinese Falun Gong practitioners and to appeal to the hearts of the
Chinese citizens. She removed her overcoat, displaying the "Falun Dafa SOS" sash
she had worn across Europe, and began to softly sing a song about Falun Gong. In
a matter of minutes, a policeman grabbed Ms. Chipkar’s arms and dragged her
away. He forcefully dragged her across the square and violently ripped the sash
off of her clothes. He then forced her into a police van.
Ms. Chipkar
was interrogated in a police station for 3 hours. She was not allowed to contact
the Canadian Embassy, and was held overnight in a police compound. She was
deported from China the next day.
Related News Report:
[Group] Supporter Detained in China & Canadian Detained in [Group]
Protest,
Associated Press, Wednesday January 23, 2002
6.
Jared Pearman, Male, resident of Orlando, Florida U.S.A.
On
February 14, 2002, Mr. Jared Pearman arrived at Tiananmen Square and attempted
to hold up a banner reading "Falun Dafa Truth, Compassion, Tolerance" in Chinese
characters. He was tackled, kicked, and choked by four or five policemen.
Thinking that he was being kidnapped, and fearing that his life was in
danger, Mr. Pearman tried to run away, but was chased down by military guards.
They punched him to the ground, stomped on the side of his head, and kicked him
in the face, back, groin, and stomach. Then, two military guards picked Mr.
Pearman up and held his arms while others punched his face and head. They took
off his shoes and stomped on his feet with their boots to prevent him from
running away again. They threw him on the ground again. While one policeman
pressed his knee onto Mr. Pearman’s head and twisted his arms, a senior officer
repeatedly kicked him between his legs causing severe pain.
7. Court
Pearman, Male, resident of Orlando, Florid, U. S. A
On February 14,
2002, Mr. Court Pearman went to Tiananmen Square. Although he did nothing, he
found he was followed and surrounded by policemen, military guards, and a police
van. He ran across the square and shouting "Falun Dafa is Good" in Chinese over
and over until somebody tackled him to the ground. He was kicked and thrown into
a van. A policeman then pressed his knees onto Mr. Pearman’s head. He was taken
to a detention center and interrogated. His requests to make phone calls and to
speak with his embassy were denied.
Knowing that he had been arrested
without just cause, Mr. Pearman escaped from the detention center by climbing
down a fire escape. The guards caught him at the rear of the compound and beat
him severely. Two men held each leg, one held each arm, one hit his face, and
all of them kicked him hard. They continued beating him all the way back to the
front of the building, into the elevator, and back to the interrogation room.
They threatened to kill him, took his belt, and terrorized him for about an
hour. Then he was put in a room with other practitioners. When Mr. Pearman was
deported, the police carried him on to the airplane in tattered clothes,
frightening the passengers.
8. Albert Roman, male, 25, a
financial consultant, resident of Los Angeles, California, U. S. A
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Mr. Albert Roman | On
February 14, 2002, Mr. Albert Roman went to Tiananmen Square. He wanted to
kindly help the Chinese people to understand that Falun Gong is a peaceful
spiritual practice and does not deserve to be persecuted. At Tiananmen Square,
Mr. Roman proclaimed, "Falun Gong is good" in Chinese. Within seconds, a
policeman rushed over, pulled him into a police van and began choking and
hitting him. The officer pressed Mr. Roman’s face down to a seat and put him in
a chokehold, which almost made him lose consciousness. The policeman then hit
the back of his neck, his ribs, and his kidney area. When the van arrived at a
detention center, the driver also joined in the assault. He grabbed Mr. Roman by
the hair and jacket, and even ripped out tufts of hair as he forcefully threw
him out of the van.
Mr. Roman was taken to a room and interrogated by a
policeman. When he told his interrogator that the Chinese constitution grants
the freedom to appeal, to assemble, and to express one’s belief, the officer
shamelessly responded, "We don’t follow the constitution."
9. Andre
Hubert, male, resident of Lörach, Germany
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Andre Hubert | On
February 14, 2002, Mr. Andre Hubert went to Tiananmen Square, unfurled a banner
saying "Falun Dafa" with other German practitioners and proclaimed "Falun Dafa
is good". Within 10 seconds, several policemen jumped on him and brutally
knocked him down to the ground. They then threw him into a police van. Some
policemen sat on him and pressed his face to the floor. Others kicked and beat
him brutally. When the van arrived at a detention center close to Tiananmen
Square, the driver joined in and hit his head and neck fiercely with his elbow.
Mr. Hubert was then dragged out of the van and into the detention center,
causing his shoes to fall off, and his belt to break.
Mr. Hubert and
other western practitioners were taken to a detention "hotel" near the airport
and were then illegally interrogated one by one. Mr. Hubert insisted on talking
to officials from the German embassy, and refused to answer any questions as
long as his request was not granted. The policemen then threatened him with
long-term detention, and took him and five others, who refused to answer their
questions, to in a suburb of Beijing.
In the detention center, the
police repeatedly threatened that Mr. Hubert and five others that they would be
sentenced to five years in prison. Practitioners explained that international
laws and United Nations’ conventions have no effect in China. The six
practitioners were forced to submit to a physical examination. The policemen
stripped off their clothes and humiliated them. All of their belongings were
illegally seized. Mr. Hubert and two other Falun Gong practitioners, one from
Sweden and one from Japan, were locked in a cell less than 15 square meters with
7 detainees. Instead of beds, there were only 8sleeping slots in the wooden
floor. A washbasin was at the end of the room, and only cold water was provided.
There was a ditch in the floor, which was used as a toilet. The room was full of
the smell of human feces, and there was filth everywhere. With only 8 sleeping
slots, the 10 detainees could only sleep on their sides. The other prisoners
told Mr. Hubert that this jail had the best conditions of all.
Mr.
Hubert and other practitioners were incarcerated in this jail for two days. They
were forced to sit upright and face the toilet all day. They were not permitted
to go outdoors and get any fresh air.
On February 18, Mr. Hubert was
taken from the prison to the Beijing airport and sent back to Europe.
Related News Report:
AFP: "Three Swedish Falun Gong
Protesters to Leave China," February 17, 2002
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