NEWS -- Aug. 28, 2003 Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net

42-year-old Ms. Shiying Deng, faced the Chinese regime's persecution with "dignity and peaceful resilience." She died in a Chinese prison camp after more than 10 months of severe torture, according to reports.

NEW YORK (FDI) -- After ten months of severe torture, a female practitioner of Falun Gong who faced the Chinese regime's persecution of her faith with "dignity and peaceful resilience," died in a women's prison camp on July 19, 2003, according to reports.

42-year-old Ms. Shiying Deng took up the practice of Falun Gong in 1996, and, peers say, remained steadfast in her beliefs even after former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, ordered the practice "eradicated" in July, 1999. (special report)

According to reports from China, Ms. Deng was detained twice. She was first arrested in February 2000 by officers from the Longtan Local Police Station in Jilin City. She was then sentenced, apparently without trial, to one year of "re-education through forced labor" because she refused to write a statement renouncing Falun Gong.

During her imprisonment at the labor camp, the reports say Ms. Deng was repeatedly subjected to electric shock torture, tied down to a metal bed for extended periods of time, beaten with rubber tubes, and violently force-fed. She was not allowed to sleep at night, and forced to do heavy labor during the daytime.

All the while, labor camp guards used various means in an attempt to brainwash Ms. Deng, the reports say.

After she had been detained in the forced labor camp for one year, her term was extended for another 9 months and 8 days before she was released.

Ms. Deng was again detained on September 15, 2002, under suspicion that she had worked to make and distribute flyers and other materials exposing the human rights violations against Falun Gong in China. Although consisting mainly of news and information that is readily available outside China, such materials are considered "state secrets" in China because they document severe and extensive human rights violations against practitioners of Falun Gong.

Ms. Deng was formally arrested by the Yongji County Public and Security Bureau on October 17, 2002, and then sentenced to 7 years in prison on February 18, 2003, by the Intermediate People's Court in Jilin Province.

In the beginning of March 2003, she was sent to the Women's Prison of Jilin Province.

According to the reports, from early March until her death in July 2003, Ms. Deng was severely tortured at the Women's Prison of Jilin Province. On numerous occasions, the reports say, she was beaten by 7-8 criminals, who are often prompted by prison camp officials to torture Falun Gong practitioners. The reports also say Ms. Deng remained true to Falun Gong's principles of harboring no hatred for others, and continually sought to encourage her tormentors to live their lives according to their conscience.

According to the reports, however, as the beatings and torture continued and escalated, Ms. Deng became barely able to remain conscious, and suffered from continuous vomiting and extreme pain in her entire body.

On the morning of July 17, 2003, two police officers from Changchun City, where Jilin Province Women's Jail is located, went to Ms. Deng's home in Jilin City and attempted to extort 3,000 Yuan from her family under the guise of releasing her "on bail for medical treatment."

The next day, police officers at the prison called Ms. Deng's family asking them to take her home immediately. When her family arrived at Changchun City's No. 1 Hospital, Deng was already unconscious and near death.

Ms. Deng died at 1:00 p.m. on July 19, 2003.

"Herein lies the real tragedy of Jiang's persecuting Falun Gong," says Falun Dafa Information Center spokeswoman, Gail Rachlin. "Falun Gong engenders such virtue and goodness in people that it should really be held up as the pride of China. Instead, Jiang targets these people for torture and death."

Ms. Rachlin adds, "Jiang is not only killing people, he is tearing apart the moral fabric of society... he is killing people's faith."

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NEWS -- Aug. 28, 2003

Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 774 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600, while expert sources estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER -- Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Feng Yuan 917-941-1097. Email: [email protected], Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/