February 11, 2002

BEIJING, Feb 11, 2002 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- An American Falun Gong follower was arrested Monday in Tiananmen Square after unfurling a banner and protesting China's treatment of the banned group on the eve of the lunar new year.

Chinese police arrested Levi Browde, 29, within seconds of the start of his protest. Last year, on the eve of Chinese new year, five people [...] set themselves on fire in Tiananmen. Two people, including a 12-year-old girl, died from their burns.

Broude, before the protest, said he worked for a Wall Street software firm and was in Beijing to denounce what he called the lies of the Chinese government about last year's fiery protests. China's state-run media used the incident to revitalize a campaign against the [group], but Falun Gong said the five were not members of the group.

[...]

Human right's groups say tens of thousands of Falun Gong adherents have been jailed and more than 150 have died in detention due to mistreatment.

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