On July 29, 2004, Ms. Dai Zhizhen held media interviews in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. She described how her husband was
persecuted to death in China for practicing Falun Gong. The following
report is the interview of Dai Zhizhen with Zhengjian / PureInsight
reporter Li Qingyun.
Li: Could you talk about your feelings after visiting the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia?
Dai:
The Liberty Bell represents democracy and freedom. All my family
members practice Falun Gong, and we believe in the principles of
Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Because of that belief, my
husband was persecuted to death. Nowadays, thousands of Falun Gong
practitioners in China are suffering from the same persecution and
hardship that my family has experienced. The reason why my daughter and
I are able to survive is because we hold Australian passports. I deeply
treasure the opportunities to speak out on behalf of other
practitioners.
Li: From a news
report, I read about your husband being persecuted to death in China.
Could you talk about your circumstances and experience upon your
hearing about the news?
Dai:
Three years ago, on July 26, 2001, my roommate read the news about my
husband’s death on the Internet. She was afraid that I could not bear
it. At around seven o’clock on the next morning, before she went to
work, she finally decided to tell me. She asked me to come with her and
take a look at an article on the Internet. At that time, my daughter Fa
Du was still sleeping. I went over and looked at the article. I went
into shock and began to tremble uncontrollably as soon as I read the
news. It said that the decomposed remains of my husband had been found.
The authorities called my husband’s sister to identify the body. When
she got there, she was arrested and sent to a forced brainwashing
class. I turned to look at my daughter, who looks a lot like her
father. I could see my husband in her. My heart was broken. I locked
myself in the room and did not want to see anyone. My hair turned white
in just one night. The pain was beyond description. I am really
grateful that Falun Gong teaches me to consider others first. After I
immigrated to Australia, I had gone back to China and lived there for 8
years. Many of my good friends there are in jail because they practice
Falun Gong, and their children suffer from the pain of losing their
parents. I decided that, as a mother, I must speak up for those
children. If I didn’t do it, who would do it? So in 2002, I took my
daughter to attend the International Human Rights Conference in Geneva,
calling for all mothers around the world to help stop the torture of
Falun Gong practitioners. From Geneva, I began to travel around the
world urging people everywhere to help end the persecution against
Falun Gong.
Li: Do you remember how many countries and cities you have visited?
Dai:
We have been to 38 countries. I have lost count of how many cities we
have been to. The Chinese government has been spreading hatred and lies
against Falun Gong. I must tell more people about the truth in order to
stop the persecution as soon as possible.
Li: In those countries that you’ve visited, what is the reaction from their people and media?
Dai:
Every country has published media reports about us, including many
newspapers, radio and TV stations. Wherever we go, we speak to the
country’s foreign affairs departments, human rights organizations and
other non-government organizations. Many are surprised to learn that
such a gruesome persecution is taking place in the 21st century, especially one that is so organized.
Li:
You are one of the plaintiffs who has filed a lawsuit against the
Chinese dictator Jiang. Some people think that it is a useless thing to
do. Do you think filing the lawsuit is a worthwhile thing to do?
Dai:
Of course it is very worthwhile. Many famous lawyers throughout the
world have taken part in it. Why are they (the Chinese officials)
afraid of it? Last month, my good friend David Liang was shot in the
foot in South Africa and he was seriously injured. He once helped me a
lot when I was going through an extremely difficult period of time. At
that time, I wanted to go back to China to collect my husband’s ashes.
But the Chinese Consulate General rejected my visa application to visit
China. Liang drove six hours and took me from Sydney to Canberra, the
capital city of Australia, so that I could meet with Australian
government officials and talk about my plight. After eight months, the
Australian government finally brought my husband’s ashes back to me.
When I heard about David’s being shot, I brought my daughter with me to
South Africa to confront the terror. The Chinese regime has spread its
terrorist activities overseas. If we do not stop it, what other things
will happen in future? I really do not want to see other children and
mothers experience the heartbreak of losing a family member that I’ve
experienced. Isn’t my suffering enough? Why did the Chinese regime
shoot Liang? It is because they are afraid of the lawsuit that we were
planning to file there. We have filed the lawsuit in the U.S., Belgium,
Germany, Spain, Finland and many other countries. The head of the 610
office (the organization responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong)
Zeng Qinghong went to visit South Africa and Falun Gong practitioners
went there to take legal action against him. So he hired goons to kill
Falun Gong practitioners. He did it because he is afraid of the lawsuit
that we were about to file. That is why I think filing the lawsuit is
very important.
Li: Some people think that it is getting involved in politics. What do you think?
Dai:
When people get involved in politics, they demand things. But we don’t
have any demand. All we want is to be able to practice Falun Gong in
public parks and read Dafa books at our homes. These are the most basic
human rights, and this is not getting involved in politics. But in
China, if you do these things, you will be put into brainwashing
classes, labor camps or psychiatric hospitals. Practitioners are
tortured in a variety of despicable, inhuman methods in attempts to
force them to give up their beliefs in Falun Gong. The Chinese
authorities also try to brainwash them. You are left with only two
choices: to either let your physical body die or your spirit die. When
I reflect on my husband’s death, I ask myself why he didn’t give up his
belief in Falun Gong even at the very end. It is because the principles
of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are rooted in our hearts
and no external force can take it away from us. Although my husband has
passed away, my daughter and I want to trek around the world and tell
all people that the principle of Truthfulness, Compassion and
Forbearance cannot be wiped away. When we take a look at history, we
can see that Christianity was persecuted for 300 years. But it remains
to this day. History can show people that people’s beliefs can’t be
taken away.
Li: Are there many families in China who have suffered the same experience as yours?
Dai:
Some families have suffered even worse than my family. I often tell my
daughter that she is very lucky already, because she has a mother in
Australia. But in China, many little children have lost both their
fathers and mothers. Nobody looks after them. They are forgotten by the
rest of the world.
Li: What is your greatest wish now?
Dai: To stop the persecution in China. To stop the terrorism of the Chinese regime from spreading overseas.
[To be continued…]
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/7/30/28466.html
Posting date: 31/Aug/2004
Original article date: 16/Aug/2004
Category: World News
