Thousands Of Falun Gong Adherents Arrested Throughout China In Run Up To Olympics

Thousands of Falun Gong Adherents Arrested throughout China in Run Up to Olympics
Hundreds of Beijing Residents Held in Detention Centers, Dozens Sentenced to Labor Camps
07 Jul 2008


NEW YORK – With one month to go before the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, Chinese security agencies continue to arrest Falun Gong adherents throughout China in large numbers. In Beijing alone, hundreds have been arrested and dozens sentenced to labor camps without trial.

In recent months, the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI) has received regular reports from adherents and their families inside China of door-to-door searches and arrests. According to statistics compiled from these reports, there have been at least 8,037 arrests of Falun Gong adherents across 29 provinces, major cities and autonomous regions since December 2007.The largest monthly total of 1,819 known arrests occurred in June, followed by 1,799 known arrests in May.

In Beijing alone, there have been at least 208 arrests across all 18 of the municipality’s districts and counties since December 2007. The majority of those arrested in Beijing are currently being held in detention centers in the city’s various districts. However, 30 are known to have already been sentenced without trial to “re-education through labor” camps for up to 2.5 years.

“The long terms show that these arrests are not about ensuring a ‘harmonious Olympics’ as Party officials claim,” says FDI spokesperson Erping Zhang. “Falun Gong adherents pose no threat whatsoever to the games. The Olympics are being taken as an excuse to put them behind bars for years.”

The Center released today a list of names and details of 141 newly reported cases of individuals detained in Beijing since January 1, 2008 (list). Those detained include lawyers, accountants, retired workers, and parents of young children. There are dozens of others not listed here because the Center was unable to obtain sufficient details to allow for full verification.

The Center also released an update on the status of 67 individuals who were detained between December 2007 and March 2008 and whose arrest the Center had previously reported. (news) Since their detention, 16 individuals—almost one quarter of this group—have been sentenced to labor camps without trial. (list)

In addition to the large percentage sentenced to labor camps, other features of the campaign include:

Door-to-door arrests: More than half of the 208 individuals in Beijing were arrested either from their homes, the homes of acquaintances, or from their workplaces. Local police or security agents typically detained the person unannounced and then, without a warrant, conducted a search of their home for any Falun Gong-related materials. The systematic nature of the arrests suggests the authorities are using a previously compiled list of local adherents. Many of those arrested had been detained previously for practicing Falun Gong.

“Olympic” geography of arrests: 36 adherents were arrested from Chaoyang District, home to the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, set to host the soccer and swimming events among others; 28 were detained in Haidian District, location of the headquarters of the Beijing Olympic Committee as well as events such as basketball and volleyball. These two districts alone accounted for more than half of those sentenced to labor camps (16 out of 30).

Short timeline: While the exact date at which a person was sentenced to a labor camp is not always known due to the lack of formal procedure, it is evident that the authorities are following a short timeline in doing so. In one case, a woman was arrested in mid April and sentenced to a labor camp for 2.5 years by mid-May; however, her family was only informed of the decision in June.
“A large percentage of people have already been sent to labor camps. The dozens currently filling Beijng’s detention centers are at grave risk of wrongful sentencing and torture,” says Zhang. “It is now imperative that the international community leverage real pressure and stop these deplorable actions. The legacy of the 2008 Olympics must not be thousands of Chinese citizens languishing in labor camps.”

The Center is demanding the immediate release of all Falun Gong adherents, and calling upon foreign media stationed in China, particularly Beijing, to investigate these arrests.

Top 10 Things You Should Know About The Beijing Olympics And Falun Gong

Top 10 Things You Should Know about the Beijing Olympics and Falun Gong
(6/10/2008 12:32)

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1. China’s Olympic Committee President was found liable for torture
2. To prepare for the Olympics, Chinese security ordered a “strike hard” against Falun Gong.
3. Falun Gong practitioners are being killed in custody faster and more frequently than before.
4. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners around China have been arrested “in preparation” for the games.
5. Falun Gong practitioners are officially excluded from the Games because of religious belief, in clear violation of the Olympic Charter.
6. Falun Gong has never taken a position on an Olympic boycott.
7. A “clean up” of districts hosting Olympic venues has included the arrest of local residents who practice Falun Gong.
8. Despite ostensibly freer regulations for foreign journalists, Falun Gong remains taboo.
9. Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners will experience the Olympics from inside labor camps, where they are often tortured.
10. Most Chinese are unaware of any of the above because independent information about Falun Gong remains blocked inside China.

(1) China’s Olympic Committee President was found liable for torture
In 2004, a U.S. federal court found that Liu Qi, the man heading Beijing’s Olympic Organizing Committee, was responsible for the torture of Falun Gong adherents during his tenure as Beijing’s mayor from 1999 to 2002. According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, which publicized the case in April 2008:
“In an extensive legal opinion, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco determined in 2004 that Liu Qi was responsible for the illegal detention and torture of two Chinese nationals and a sexual assault against a French woman in China.”
The plaintiffs, who were represented by the Center for Justice and Accountability, presented evidence that as mayor, Liu directed security forces to violently crush Falun Gong. In addition, police under his command subjected the plaintiffs and other Falun Gong adherents in Beijing to severe beatings, sexual abuse, and ‘electric shocks through needles placed in [the] body.’

For more information visit: http://centerforinvestigativereporting.org/node/3625
For a summary of the case and relevant legal documents visit: http://www.cja.org/cases/liuqi.shtml

(2) To prepare for the Olympics, Chinese security ordered a “strike hard” against Falun Gong.
According to Amnesty International, in preparing for the Games, Former Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang issued the following order in the context of “successfully holding the 17th Communist Party Congress [in October 2007] and the Beijing Olympic Games”:
“We must strike hard at hostile forces at home and abroad, such as ethnic separatists… and ‘heretical organizations’ like the Falun Gong."
See: http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Ind...&of=ENG-2S2

(3) Falun Gong practitioners are being killed in custody faster and more frequently than before.
Within the first three months of 2008, the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDIC) documented six cases of practitioner deaths occurring within merely 16 days of arrest and in some cases, within hours. By comparison, in 2007, it was over the course of the entire year that the same number died within such a short time in custody. In several of the recent cases, family members were able to view the body before its cremation and saw signs of torture, including strangulation marks or bruises from electric shock batons.

One of the most prominent victims was Mr. Yu Zhou, 42, a musician who was arrested with his wife Ms. Xu Na at the end of January on their way home from a performance by his band. Eleven days after their arrest, the authorities notified their family members to come to Qinghe Emergency Center, where they found Yu already dead. He had been in good health before his detention, but the hospital refused to conduct an autopsy. Ms. Xu, who was released in 2006 after serving five years in prison for practicing Falun Gong, remains in custody.

According to The London Times, which reported on Yu’s death:
“[T]here has been lively discussion among music fans on Chinese websites over the fate of the singer Yu Zhou, 42. “Another beautiful soul has left the world,” commented one distraught fan….Yu won a following among young Chinese for his mellow folk ballads. His group, Xiao Juan and Residents from the Valley, released two successful CDs and appeared on the Phoenix television channel.
For more information on the recent surge in deaths in custody, see:
http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9518

For The London Times’ coverage of Yu Zhou’s case, see: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle3779899.ece

(4) Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners around China have been arrested “in preparation” for the games.
Following orders such as Zhou Yongkang’s (see #2 above), Chinese security agencies have been conducting large-scale arrests of Falun Gong adherents throughout China in recent months as authorities step up efforts to “stamp out” the practice in advance of the Olympic Games in August.

Since January, the FDIC has been receiving regular reports from adherents and their families inside China of door-to-door searches and arrests. According to statistics compiled from these reports, there have been at least 2,000 arrests across 29 provinces, major cities, and autonomous regions. In Beijing alone, over 150 arrests are known to have taken place.

See: http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=9517
NOTE: A follow-up report with up-to-date statistics and details will be released shortly.

(5) Falun Gong practitioners are officially excluded from the Games because of religious belief, in clear violation of the Olympic Charter.
Throughout 2007, several statements by top officials, as well as an internal document, indicated that Falun Gong adherents from both inside and outside China will be excluded from participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as athletes, coaches, journalists or spectators. Such a policy that discriminates on the basis of religious belief contravenes both the Olympic charter as well as the code of ethics signed in Beijing in April 2007.

One official admission of the intent to exclude foreigners who practice Falun Gong from the games was provided by Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center, in November 2007.

While rejecting allegations that the Chinese authorities intended to limit the entry of Bibles for personal religious use, Li singled out Falun Gong texts as an exception. As reported by the Associated Press: “We don't recognize it [Falun Gong]… So Falun Gong texts, Falun Gong activities in China are forbidden.”

For more information see: http://faluninfo.net/downloads/FDI_Press/F...TSHEET-OLEX.doc

See also: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/08/...jing-Bibles.php

(6) Falun Gong has never taken a position on an Olympic boycott.
As a spiritual practice, Falun Gong in and of itself does not take a stance on issues such as whether or not to boycott the Olympics. Yet, individual adherents are entitled to take their own positions and make statements accordingly. Nevertheless, such views represent the opinion of that particular individual, rather than Falun Gong as a whole.

What the FDIC is concerned about is the escalation of abuses and extrajudicial killings of practitioners ahead of the games, and indeed, because of the games. There is ample evidence, including points presented in this document, that shows how China’s communist leaders are using the Olympic games as a reason to intensify the campaign to ‘eradicate’ Falun Gong.

(7) A “clean up” of districts hosting Olympic venues has included the arrests of local residents who practice Falun Gong.
Between December 2007 and March 2008, at least 16 Falun Gong adherents had been arrested from Chaoyang District alone, which is set to host the beach volleyball and tennis events, and 10 from Shunyi district, the site of the Olympic rowing and kayaking venues. In total, over 156 practitioners in Beijing and at least 1,878 nationwide have been rounded up during this time period.

According to reports received by the FDIC, many of the arrests have followed a common pattern. Officers from the local police station or Public Security Bureau (PSB) branch come to the adherent’s home or workplace, conduct a search for any Falun Gong-related materials, and take the individual into custody at the district detention center. In some cases, family members or co-workers who do not practice Falun Gong have been taken into custody as well.

The systematic nature of the arrests suggests that authorities are using a previously compiled list of local adherents – a common practice of the PSB. According to former PSB agent Hao Fengjun, who currently resides in Australia, authorities in the city of Tianjin, where Hao formerly worked, had a database of 30,000 Falun Gong practitioners’ names.

For a list of 67 adherents detained in Beijing as of March 2008, including the above-mentioned 16, visit: http://www.faluninfo.net/downloads/FDI_Pre...0-%203-12-1.pdf

(8) Despite ostensibly freer regulations for foreign journalists, Falun Gong remains taboo.
The Chinese government issued temporary regulations for foreign journalists in January 2007. The directives, in place until October 2008, reduce travel restrictions and the need for pre-approval of interviews. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), however, in practice “the government continues to interfere with foreign reporters,” particularly regarding taboo topics like Tibet or Falun Gong.

The following is an excerpt from a recent CPJ report illustrating the official obstacles placed before reporters seeking to cover Falun Gong:
Bracing for the 21,500 accredited and 5,000 to 10,000 unaccredited foreign journalists who will descend on Beijing for the Games, China’s Olympic planners have issued police an English phrasebook.

It gives some indication of the welcome that foreign journalists will receive. In a section titled, “How to Stop Illegal News Coverage,” the practice dialogue features a police officer confronting a reporter who tries to cover a story on the outlawed religious group Falun Gong.

“Excuse me, sir. Stop, please,” says the officer politely but firmly, before explaining in impressively advanced English: “It’s beyond the limit of your coverage and illegal. As a foreign reporter in China you should obey China law and do nothing against your status.” “Oh, I see. May I go now?” says the visiting reporter hopefully. “No. Come with us,” the officer is told to reply at this point. “What for?” “To clear up this matter.”
For the original report from which this excerpt is taken and a full discussion of press freedom violations ahead of the Olympic Games, see “Falling Short” at: http://cpj.org/Briefings/2007/Falling_Short/China/10_2.html

(9) Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners will experience the Olympics from inside labor camps, where they are often tortured.
Sentencing without trial to “re-education through labor” camps remains one of the most pre.valent ways in which the Chinese authorities punish people for practicing Falun Gong. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2007 report on human rights in China: “Some foreign observers estimated that Falun Gong adherents constituted at least half of the 250,000 officially recorded inmates in reeducation-through-labor camps, while Falun Gong sources overseas placed the number even higher.”

Adherents are usually picked up by police from their home, workplace, or while attempting to distribute leaflets about the practice and the persecution against it. After being held in a detention center, they are sentenced to a labor camp. They are never brought before a judge and most are denied the right to employ a lawyer. According to Amnesty International:
“The decision to assign a person to RTL is taken by the police, without charge or trial. People can be detained for up to three years, which can be extended by a further year when necessary…[I]n the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing police have used abusive detention practices such as RTL to 'clean up' the city.”
Once in a labor camp, Falun Gong adherents are beaten, deprived of sleep, and tortured, including with electric shock batons, in order to force them to recant their faith. In 2006, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture reported that Falun Gong practitioners accounted for 66 percent of victims of alleged torture in custody.

For two stories Falun Gong practitioners who had been detained in an RTL, see: Daily Mirror: “Annie Yang reveals Olympic torch guards place her into labour camp”: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/20...89520-20380214/

For information about Bu Dongwei, a Falun Gong practitioner detained in a Beijing labor camp for whose release Amnesty International is campaigning, and to write an appeal letter on his behalf, see: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AS...70522007en.html

(10) Most Chinese are unaware of any of the above because independent information about Falun Gong remains blocked inside China.
For the majority of Chinese people, their only source of information about Falun Gong is the state-run media or government sponsored websites, all of which have been used to vilify Falun Gong and deny rights abuses. Domestic journalists receive specific directives forbidding independent reporting on the topic.

On the internet, Falun Gong and related terms remain among the most highly filtered by the “Great Chinese Firewall.” According to the Committee to Protect Journalists: “A Web search for “Falun Gong,” […] would not draw a blank, but it would yield carefully vetted sites that present the government-approved line.”

Websites such as the FDIC’s, that are run by overseas Falun Gong practitioners and include information about rights abuses, are inaccessible from inside China. So are the sites of independent rights organizations like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch. Even discussion of the issue over Instant Messenger is prevented by filters built-in when Chinese IM software is downloaded (see below).

The only way to access independent information about Falun Gong from inside China is with a proxy server used to circumvent censorship, a technological luxury that remains out of the reach of most Chinese.

As a result, though they live in China, many Chinese remain oblivious to the nonviolent nature of Falun Gong adherents or to the brutality meted out against them.

For a brief explanation of online censorship in China, see: http://cpj.org/Briefings/2007/Falling_Short/China/9_2.html

For a list of censored words integrated into downloadable IM software (20% of which relate to Falun Gong), see: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2004/08/the-w...ese-cyberspace/
(6/10/2008 12:32)

Multiple Arrests Of Falun Gong Practitioners

Multiple Arrests of Falun Gong Practitioners in Liaoning Province Appear Linked to Olympic Games Preparation

(Clearwisdom.net) At 6 a.m. on February 25, 2008, fifteen Falun Gong practitioners from Suizhong County, Liaoning Province were arrested at nearly the same time by the local police. The arrest of Falun Gong practitioners in Huludao, Jinzhou, Chaoyang and other cities in Liaoning Province also happened near the same time.

The fifteen Suizhong Falun Gong practitioners were detained in the Huludao Detention Center and the Suizhong County Detention Center. Falun Gong practitioner Yang Guangwu, who was detained in the Suizhong County Detention Center, was released. Two Jinzhou Falun Gong practitioners are also detained in the Suizhong County Detention Center. Some detained Falun Gong practitioners are going on a hunger strike to protest the persecution.

According information from an internal meeting of CCP officials, the police will follow, monitor and arrest Falun Gong practitioners on a larger scale during the period leading up to the Olympic Games.

Huludao Police Department:
Director Wang Like: 86-429-3170001
Deputy Director Zhang Ying: 86-429-3170003, 86-429-3113698(Home), 86-13904299811 (Cell)

Huludao Detention Center:
Chief Wei Guozhong: 86-429-3171908, 86-429-3155685(Home), 86-13464380008 (Cell)
Deputy chief Zhang Lisheng: 86-429-3171900 ext.818, 86-429-3902698 (Home), 86-13019980118 (Cell)

Huludao Lock-up Center:
Chief Gao Yanhe:86-429-3171913, 86-429-3119829(Home), 86-13504292608 (Cell)
Instructor Gao Hui: 86-429-3171914, 86-429-3993911(Home), 86-13464384800 (Cell)
Deputy chief Wan Caifu: 86-429-3171920 ext.827, 86-429-3186276 (Home), 86-13604295431 (Cell)

Posting date: 3/14/2008
Original article date: 3/14/2008
Category: Eyewitness Accounts
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/3/9/173962.html

Protests Turn Violent In Tibet

Protests turn violent in Tibet
By EVAN OSNOS AND LAURIE GOERING -- Chicago Tribune

(Updated Saturday, March 15, 2008, 8:00 AM)

ADVERTISMENT


BEIJING The largest protests in Tibet in two decades, which have coursed through Lhasa, the capital, and left vehicles and shops in flames, pose a political dilemma for Beijing as it struggles to bring the unrest under control.

The Chinese government, already facing international pressure to improve its human rights record before the summer Olympics in Beijing, confronts two unappealing options: permit protests to continue and risk broader unrest, or clampdown and face scrutiny and censure from the world.

Varying accounts suggest that Tibet's three main monasteries have been surrounded by police and troop carriers, foreign tourists are confined to hotels, and ethnic Chinese-run businesses have been targeted for damage from angry Tibetans. Some Buddhist monks reportedly are on hunger strike and, in two cases, have attempted suicide to protest police handling of the demonstrations.

The scale and details of the events, however, remain hard to verify. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing "has received first-hand reports from American citizens in the city who report gunfire and other indications of violence," according to an advisory sent Friday. The embassy urged Americans in Tibet and especially in Lhasa to "seek safe havens" and "remain indoors to the extent possible."

As of late Friday, much of Lhasa was under a curfew. With only scattered reports of gunfire, Tibet experts said it appears, for the moment, that public scrutiny may have stalled or prevented a more forceful crackdown, though it's not clear how protesters will be dealt with after the initial violence subsides.

"I think we are seeing (public relations) considerations and I think that's helpful. They haven't used much shooting," said Robbie Barnett, the program coordinator in Modern Tibetan Studies, at Columbia University. "It's progress, but we're not yet seeing signs that it translates into open-mindedness and not notions of punishment and retribution."

China has sent stern warnings that it will not permit unrest to undermine the Olympic games. "Anyone who wants to sabotage the Games will get nowhere," Qiangba Puncog, the top government official in Tibet, was quoted as saying this week in state media.

With nearly five months remaining before the opening ceremony on Aug. 8, the clashes in Tibet deal another blow to Chinese leaders already struggling to defuse foreign criticism that threatens to taint what China hopes will be a showcase of the nation's integration with the world.

Activists have brought pressure on corporate sponsors, foreign heads of state who plan to attend, and celebrities involved in planning. Last month, Britain's Prince Charles said that he would not attend the games in protest of China's treatment of Tibet, and Steven Spielberg withdrew as an artistic advisor, blaming China's continuing support of the government of Sudan, which has failed to quell violence in its Darfur region.

China considers foreign support a critical measure of a successful games, and a crackdown in Tibet could risk the prospect of international condemnation or a boycott.

The tension in Tibet comes just days after the U.S. State Department removed China from a list of the world's worst human rights violators, despite objections from human rights groups. However, China's "overall human rights record remained poor" in 2007, according to the State Department's annual human rights report released Tuesday, which cited stricter controls on the Internet and the press, and limits on the freedom of religion in Tibet and the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

In a statement that also may reflect, unintentionally perhaps, the prospect of a wider uprising, president Hu Jintao told party officials this week: "Stability in Tibet concerns the stability of the country, and safety in Tibet concerns the safety of the country."

The protests have steadily widened since Monday, when police scattered and arrested protesters celebrating the anniversary of the Tibetan rebellion against Chinese rule in 1959. The protests in Lhasa - which began as part of a coordinated day of rallies in Nepal, India and elsewhere - have become the largest political demonstrations there since 1989, when Beijing quelled demonstrations by imposing martial law.

Tibet activists abroad are steeling for a major confrontation. Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth League based in Dharamsala, northern India, said Tibetan exiles are determined make Tibet a major international focus as the Olympics approach in August.

"We are taking chances. We know how the Chinese have treated Tibetans in the past," he said. "But with the spotlight on them with the Olympics, we want to test them. We want them to show their true colors. That's why we're pushing this."

Speaking by phone from Dharamsala, where Tibet's government-in-exile is based, Rigzin said Tibetan exiles were particularly annoyed at China's plans to take the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest prior to the games.

The world's highest mountain "belongs to Tibet, not China," Rigzin said. "They're trying to show the world Tibet is part of China, so we're shining a spotlight on the brutal occupation."

Rigzin suggested that Tibetan protesters had expected a Chinese crackdown in Lhasa. "Freedom comes for a price," said Rigzin, a native of Washington state who moved to Dharamsala in October to take over his organization's presidency. "We realize we can't achieve our goals overnight but we have to start raising the issue."

Rigzin has this week been participating in a protest march from Dharamsala to Lhasa, part of a series of international protests. Indian authorities, fearful the march could upset officials in neighboring China, on Thursday arrested more than 100 of the Tibetan exile marchers after they ignored protests not to leave the district around Dharmsala.

The marchers, charged with disturbing the "peace and tranquility" of the area, face 14 days in detention. Facing similar protests in Nepal, police dispersed demonstrators in Kathmandu, and Human Rights Watch says it is "gravely concerned by reports of beatings" of protesters detained in the event.

(EDITORS: END OPTIONAL TRIM)

Tibet has been roiled by periodic unrest since 1950, when Chinese troops invaded. The Dalai Lama launched a failed uprising against Chinese rule nine years later, then fled into exile in India. In 1989, protests were brought to a halt by the local Communist Party leader, Hu, now the President.

The unrest in Lhasa began Monday with a march by an estimated 500 monks from the Drepung monastery. They were followed by protests from monks at the Lhasa-area Sera and Ganden monasteries.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd, according to Radio Free Asia, which also cited "authoritative sources in the region" to report that two monks from Drepung monastery "are in critical condition after stabbing their wrists and chests" in a show of protest against police pressure on demonstrators.

Human rights groups condemned China's handling of the protests.

"Instead of arresting peaceful protesters, why don't these governments meet with them and attempt to address their grievances?" Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Peaceful demonstrations are protected under international and domestic laws and they should be permitted, not violently dispersed."

(Osnos reported from Beijing and Goering from New Delhi.)


Why China claims Tibet is belong to them? Anyone can explain?

Epoch Times Commentaries On The Communist Party - Parts 1 - 9

Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
The Epoch Times
Dec 01, 2004

The Epoch Times is now publishing a special editorial series, “Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party.”

More than a decade after the fall of the former Soviet Union and Eastern European communist regimes, the international communist movement has been spurned worldwide. The demise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is only a matter of time.

Nevertheless, before its complete collapse, the CCP is trying to tie its fate to the Chinese nation, with its 5000 years of civilization. This is a disaster for the Chinese people. The Chinese people must now face the impending questions of how to view the CCP, how to evolve China into a society without the CCP, and how to pass on the Chinese heritage. The Epoch Times is now publishing a special editorial series, “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” Before the lid is laid on the coffin of the CCP, we wish to pass a final judgment on it and on the international communist movement, which has been a scourge to humanity for over a century.

Throughout its 80-plus years, everything the CCP has touched has been marred with lies, wars, famine, tyranny, massacre and terror. Traditional faiths and principles have been violently destroyed. Original ethical concepts and social structures have been disintegrated by force. Empathy, love and harmony among people have been twisted into struggle and hatred. Veneration and appreciation of the heaven and earth have been replaced by an arrogant desire to “fight with heaven and earth.” The result has been a total collapse of social, moral and ecological systems, and a profound crisis for the Chinese people, and indeed for humanity. All these calamities have been brought about through the deliberate planning, organization, and control of the CCP.

As a famous Chinese poem goes, “Deeply I sigh in vain for the falling flowers.” The end is near for the communist regime, which is barely struggling to survive. The days before its collapse are numbered. The Epoch Times believes the time is now ripe, before the CCP’s total demise, for a comprehensive look back, in order to fully expose how this largest cult in history has embodied the wickedness of all times and places. We hope that those who are still deceived by the CCP will now see its nature clearly, purge its poison from their spirits, extricate their minds from its evil control, free themselves from the shackles of terror, and abandon for good all illusions about it.

The CCP’s rule is the darkest and the most ridiculous page in Chinese history. Among its unending list of crimes, the vilest must be its persecution of Falun Gong. In persecuting “Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance” Jiang Zemin has driven the last nail into the CCP’s coffin. The Epoch Times believes that by understanding the true history of the CCP, we can help prevent such tragedies from ever recurring. At the same time, we hope each one of us would reflect on our innermost thoughts and examine whether our cowardice and compromise have made us accomplices in many tragedies that could have been avoided.

The titles of the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” are:

1. On What the Communist Party Is
2. On the Beginnings of the Chinese Communist Party
3. On the Tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party
4. On How the Communist Party Is an Anti-Universe Force
5. On the Collusion of Jiang Zemin with the Chinese Communist Party to Persecute Falun Gong
6. On How the Chinese Communist Party Destroyed Traditional Culture
7. On the Chinese Communist Party’s History of Killing
8. On How the Chinese Communist Party Is an Evil Cult
9. On the Unscrupulous Nature of the Chinese Communist Party

The Epoch Times Editorial Board

(Last Updated on January 10, 2005)