Photographer Captures Brutality against Falun Gong Practitioner on Tiananmen Square

A Falun Gong practitioner, apparently knocked unconscious, lays on Tiananmen Square as hundreds of onlookers gather around. According to an eyewitness, the police officer is carrying the banner which the practitioner had unfurled in a peaceful demonstration on the square before being beaten to the ground.

A Falun Gong practitioner raised a banner on Tiananmen Square on
China’s National Day, October 1, and was immediately beaten to the ground by policemen,
according to an eyewitness who captured the event on film.

The
practitioner, who was apparently knocked unconscious, was left lying in the middle
of the square as hundreds of onlookers gathered around. Moments later, a police
van arrived on the Square. The Falun Gong practitioner was then hauled into the
van and taken away.

An eyewitness says police confiscated
numerous cameras and arrested a number of people who were taking pictures.

The practitioner is hauled into a police van (top photo) and taken away, while the hundreds of onlookers move in for a closer look (bottom photo).

Chinese
officials restrict and control information about Falun Gong, and Chinese citizens
see only anti-Falun Gong propaganda in the state-run media. However, a grassroots
campaign with millions of participants inside China is gradually exposing atrocities
committed against those who practice Falun Gong. As a result, many in China have
read home-made flyers or Internet postings discussing widespread abuses against
the practice.