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FECRIS Elc 2005 A toA Special Message the Council of Europe PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY FECRIS’s Condoning of Religious Persecution in China Mandates Denial of its INGO Application ou are currently considering an application for INGO (interna- Y tional non-governmental organi- sation) status from an organisation called the European Federation of Research Centres against Sectarianism (FECRIS). You should reject this application. To do otherwise would be to under- mine the very principles that the Council of Europe stands for and expose the Council to severe political embarrassment. FECRIS claims to be a network made up of “anti-cult” organisations in various states of the Council of Europe. In fact, it is mostly a French body and receives more than 90% of its funding from the French govern- ment. The French anti-cult organisa- tions, UNADFI and CCMM are both government funded and are leading members of FECRIS. They tend to dominate FECRIS’s agenda. Because of pressure coming from certain quarters in France, FECRIS’s application for INGO status is on course to be approved by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly some time in January. This would be a severe blow to human rights, how- ever, as FECRIS and its member groups have condoned the campaign Many Falun Gong practitioners have died from police beatings, including 19-year-old of torture, death and persecution of Chu Congrui inset. Arrested in December 2000 at the Haidian District Police Substation, the Falun Gong by the Chinese gov- after travelling to Beijing to protest the persecution, she was dead four days later. The doctor who examined her body told her family that her nose was broken, her face and lips severely ernment. This is a campaign so swollen, her body bloody all over and both ears plugged with blood-soaked cotton swabs. destructive that the UN Special Her fiancé and mother are now in hiding. Continued on page 8 JANUARY 2005 1 decided to organise an “international symposium on destructive cults.” FECRIS: CCMM proudly announced that “the French delegation invited to the sym- Condoning Brutalities in China posium received a warm welcome and were listened to attentively” and that in China “France is often mentioned as an example because of its large and coherent moves against the danger of the cults.” CCMM gave four separate presentations at the conference. “During the time they were there, the French delegation met with many political or religious authorities con- cerned with sectarianism,” the newslet- ter stated, adding “The Chinese have told us that they want to create a non- government organisation with aims and structures similar to CCMM.” In fact, such an association, called the Chinese Anti-Cult Association, was formed just a few days after the confer- “In order to force feed me, the doctors at the Harbin City Detention Centre used a metal ence, and exists to this day, with its clamp to pry open my teeth and then pushed a thick rubber tube down to my stomach…. own website (www.anticult.org). In They would beat us to the point where we were almost unconscious before tying our arms March 2001, representatives of the and legs down and forcing the tubes through our noses and down into our stomachs. We association came to France and visited were tied up to prevent us from pulling the tubes out because of the excruciating pain”— Falun Gong member Wang Yuzhi. UNADFI and CCMM. UNADFI’s current president, former MP n November 2000, Mr. Jean-Pierre 2002, the president of MILS resigned Catherine Picard, has also admitted to Bousquet traveled to Beijing on amidst controversy and was subse- meeting with the Chinese govern- Ibehalf of both FECRIS and its lead- quently criticised for his polemics and ment’s leader of religious affairs to dis- ing French member group CCMM to counter-productive actions by the cuss their handling of “cults.” attend an “International Symposium French Minister of the Interior. The on Destructive Cults.” He was accom- French government disbanded MILS Mass Human panied by the director of CCMM, in November 2002. Rights Violations Patricia Casano, CCMM representa- CCMM afterwards published a It is inconceivable that FECRIS tive Hayat El Mountacir, and the pres- detailed and highly favorable report of and CCMM representatives could ident of the French government’s for- the conference in its newsletter. have been unaware at the time of the mer “Interministerial Mission to Fight CCMM’s report concluded that “the Against Sects (MILS).” French delegation returned with the The Chinese government’s official feeling that beyond the real differences newspaper, People’s Daily, boasted of of approach, there is a real possibility this conference in a November 9, for constructive dialogue between our 2000, article. The People’s Daily arti- worlds faced with sectarian deceit.” cle, whose rhetoric is strikingly similar CCMM also included in its newslet- to that disseminated by FECRIS itself, ter an article excerpted directly from may be found at http://english.peo- Chinese government literature and pledaily.com.cn/english/200011/09/e entitled “Why Falun Gong is a sect.” ng20001109_54760.html. Declaring that it should be of con- France, it appears, was the only cern to everyone that a country as Western European nation where a large and populous as China has A photograph from CCMM’s newsletter government official was present. The become preoccupied with the Falun describing its attendance at a symposium French government may well have Gong, CCMM’s report stated that the organised by the Chinese government to regretted MILS’ participation. In June Chinese authorities had therefore justify its persecution of the Falun Gong. 2 JANUARY 2005 Chinese government’s repression of on the Question of Torture, religious minorities. Not only had the the Special Rapporteur on facts been widely reported in interna- Extrajudicial, Summary and tional media, but eight months previ- Arbitrary Executions, the ously, Amnesty International had Special Rapporteur on published an extensive report titled Violence against Women, the “People’s Republic of China: The Special Rapporteur on crackdown on Falun Gong and other Freedom of Religion or Belief so-called ‘heretical organisations.’” and the Special Rapporteur on Amnesty International called on the Freedom of Expression. Chinese government to end the “mass An example of the findings arbitrary detentions, unfair trials and is the statement of the Special other human rights violations”, not- Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Three-year old Huang Kaixin holds a picture of her ing, “thousands of other people have Summary or Arbitrary mother, Falun Gong member Luo Zhixiang (right), been detained across the country for Executions: “The Special who she will never see again. In August 2001, Luo, peacefully protesting against the Rapporteur continues to be with her husband jailed and police constantly shad- crackdown. Many have been sent to alarmed by deaths in custody owing her, had to leave Huang in the care of the child’s grandmother. Luo’s husband was later released; labor camps without charge or trial for in China. Reports describe however, both were re-arrested (Luo was pregnant periods of up to three year’s detention harrowing scenes in which with a second child) in November 2002, locked in for ‘re-education through labour.’ detainees, many of whom are two iron cages and tortured. Luo, along with her Others have been detained repeatedly followers of the Falun Gong unborn child, died in late November or early by police, and fined, threatened or movement, die as a result of December 2002. Her husband managed to flee dismissed from their jobs. Many of severe ill treatment, neglect or China and took refuge in Thailand. those detained subsequently reported medical attention. The cru- being held in poor and unsanitary elty and brutality of these alleged acts of Police reportedly botched a violent conditions, and being beaten or other- torture defy description.” attempt to force-feed her when she wise ill-treated in detention.” Of the more than 50 cases listed by went on hunger strike, seriously injur- Defenders of FECRIS have pointed the Special Rapporteur on Violence ing both her trachea and esophagus, to the participation at the conference of against Women, one concerns a leaving her unable to speak.” the Beijing representative of the United University student from Chongqing The book also documents more Nations Development Program, Ms. City: “According to information than 30 torture methods commonly Kerstin Leitner, whose presence is received, on 13 May 2003, several used on Falun Gong practitioners touted by People’s Daily. However, Ms. policemen took her to a cell in throughout China, many of which are Leitner subsequently defined the rea- Baihelin detention centre in demonstrated in photographs taken sons for her attendance as a plea for Shapingba district and forced two by victims inside China. gaining more understanding of the sit- female inmates to strip her. One of the To grant INGO status to an organ- uation of the members of the Falun uniformed policemen reportedly isation that condones such atrocities Gong and a treatment of their follow- pushed her to the ground and raped would be a travesty of the entire I ers “in line with international human her as the other inmates watched. INGO mechanism. rights norms and standards and the best standards of governance.” In the last four years, more informa- tion has come to light regarding the treatment of the Falun Gong in China. The 2004 United Nations Reports on China’s Persecution of Falun Gong is a collection of reports issued by the Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations Human Rights Commission on China’s violent, and often deadly, persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Contained in Before and after photos of Xin Zhao, a 32-year-old assistant professor at the Beijing University of the book are reports issued by Business and Industry, who was arrested in June 2000 for doing Falun Gong exercises.
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