GENEVA (April 9)Falun Gong practitioners from Europe and North America held a press conference inside the United Nations to report cases of severe abuse, torture and rape committed against women who practice Falun Gong in China.
Falun Gong spokesperson May Bakhtiar from Geneva addressed a full newsroom to disclose new reports of sexual violence allegedly committed by Chinese police and security officers. Included was a report that a Falun Gong practitioner from Hunan Province had been arrested, detained and gang raped by security officers in a detention center. In the Masanjia Labor Camp of Liaoning Province, 18 women of various ages were reportedly stripped of their clothes and forced into a cell with violent male criminals. Also cited was a case from Shandong Province where a Falun Gong practitioner was forced to have an abortion while over eight months pregnant.
In recent months, Chinese police and detention officials under direction from the central government have escalated violence against Falun Gong practitioners who continue to make appeals or refuse to renounce their beliefs. Falun Gong practitioners of all ages, including women, are often forced into labor camps and mistreated without legal representation.
In an open letter, female Falun Gong practitioners in China issued an appeal to world leaders: "We look forward to your help in upholding human rights and justice for those of us who cannot help ourselves."
The statement describes additional sexually motivated acts of violence, torture and humiliation inflicted upon women of various ages by Chinese police, guards and prison inmates. "To allow this evil to exist is not only a source of shame for the Chinese people, it also shames the whole human race, and even more so the future development of human civilization," the letter continued. "We are waiting in pain and looking forward to hearing from you..."
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights remains in session through April 26, while a much anticipated vote on the United States' resolution to censure China for human rights violations is scheduled to take place on April 18. In recent weeks, the Chinese leadership has come under increasing fire from western governments and human rights advocates for allowing or perhaps even encouraging the use of rape and sexual assault as a means to oppress female dissidents.
Falun Gong is a spiritual meditation practice that emerged in China beginning in 1992. It has gained popularity worldwide as a means of improving health and has become increasingly well known as a result of the Chinese government's often violent suppression. According to human rights groups, over 50,000 practitioners have been arrested and detained without legal representation and at least 160 people have died as a result of torture and police brutality.
A high-ranking official from the Chinese mission to the United Nations made strong attempts to cancel the press conference. Representatives of Chinese state media attended the conference and caused some disruptions, but were stopped by other attending media.
Further Information:
Contact Marianne Grangier, Geneva, 022-311-8871 or 079-225-4165 (cell phone)
Please visit the Falun Dafa Information Center,
For information about the practice of Falun Gong, please visit