Liu’s body was cremated seven hours after
his death
with neither an autopsy performed nor the family’s consent.
(AFDI)Australian Falun Dafa Information Centre – Mr Chengjun Liu, a Falun Gong
practitioner in Jilin Province of north east China confirmed died last Friday
in Jilin University hospital after 21 months of torture in jail. He was the
first person who tapped into the state-run Chinese TV and broadcast a video
revealing the persecution of Falun Gong in Changchun China in March 2002. This
TV broadcasting reached hundreds of thousands of Chinese and was reported by
world media.
It was reported by an eye witness that there was a large quantity of blood around
Liu’s nose, ears and thighs, and the body was cremated seven hours after his
death with neither an autopsy nor his family’s consent.
EVENT:
Memorial for Mr. Chengjun Liu
11.30am – 12.30pm, Wednesday 31st December 2003
In front of the Sydney Chinese Consulate, Elizabeth Street
Background:
|
On March 5th, 2002, Mr. Liu participated in tapping into a cable T.V. The programs provided information gathered from human rights organizations, |
 |
|
An
April 1, 2002, photo of Mr. Chengjun Liu in police custody. Liu is unable to sit up on his own and there are blood stains on his shirt. |
Inside sources report that the March 5th broadcasts in Changchun infuriated
the then-Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, who immediately ordered a series of executions
targeting all persons involved in the broadcast and other practitioners of Falun
Gong throughout China. Over the next few days, more than 5,000 people believed
to be practitioners of Falun Gong were detained in a vast and unprecedented
police sweep in Changchun, as the city was reduced to near-martial law.
On March 15th, Amnesty International headquarters in London issued an Urgent
Action statement for Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun, in which Liu was
mentioned by name. “Dozens of suspected members of the Falun Gong spiritual
movement have reportedly been detained during a security crackdown in Changchun
City, Jilin Province,” the Urgent Action stated. “Amnesty International
believes they are at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment […] police
‘stop-and-search’ checkpoints have reportedly been established across
the city and dozens of alleged Falun Gong practitioners have been detained.”
In September 2002, Liu was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and sent to the
Jilin Provincial Forced Labor Camp.
Throughout Liu’s imprisonment, sources say he was subjected to severe
torture and abuse. According to eyewitnesses who saw Liu in October 2003, he
was incapacitated and “hard to recognize” from the torture. Despite
an October 24 diagnosis of “acute kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmia, critical
condition,” repeated attempts by Liu’s family to secure his medical
parole were denied by Chinese authorities.
At 4 a.m. on December 26, Liu died from his injuries. According to eyewitnesses,
there was blood in Liu’s nose, ears, on his legs and other parts of his
body.
Liu’s body was cremated seven hours after his death with neither an autopsy
performed nor the family’s consent.
The speedy cremation follows of pattern of dozens of reported cases where Falun
Gong practitioners have died in police custody, and where then cremated before
family members could identify the body. According to informed sources in China,
Jiang has issued orders to record all deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in
police custody as “suicides” and to “immediately cremate”
the bodies, in an apparent attempt to destroy any evidence of torture or other
wrong-doing.
Mr. Liu’s death in custody is testimony to China’s attempts to keep a tight
grip on the information blockade and Jiang’s campaign to eradicate Falun Gong
before the 2008 Olympics. To date, 8 practitioners have died because of the
TV insertion.
__________________________________________________________
CONTACTS: John Deller 0416 302 314 Kay Rubacek 0409 743 832
Website: www.falunau.org Email: news@falunau.org
