Liu Zhirong was a 42-year-old schoolteacher at Tuanjie
Elementary School in the Xifeng District of Qingyang City in
China. He practiced meditation and aspired to embrace and
manifest truthfulness, compassion and tolerance in his daily
life. His life was brought to an end prematurely by those who
did not have the same lofty ideals to guide them.
Zhirong enjoyed the practice of Falun Gong. For more than six
years, the Chinese Communist Party has embarked on a campaign to
eliminate this peaceful meditation practice and Zhirong was a
victim of the CCP's goal.
It is claimed that he was tortured to death in the Tianshui City
No 3 Prison on or around January 14th 2006 in Prison Ward number
1. The address of the prison is No 196 Jianshe Road, Tianshui
City, Gansu Province. The phone number there is 86-938-8278849.
What was Zhirong doing in prison? In most countries around the
world, elementary school teachers are not imprisoned for
meditation. Things are a little different under the rule of the
Chinese Communist Party. Stories such as Zhirong's are not at
all uncommon.
The Clearwisdom website records these abuses. They have
documented over 2800 deaths like Liu Zhirong's since 1999. Other
organizations have also documented this ongoing persecution. The
methods of torture utilized include so many different varieties
that it is difficult to remember them all.
Records indicate that the CCP also persecutes a wide range of
groups and individuals. Christians and Tibetan Buddhists as well
as those who support various freedoms are among the Party's
victims.
One may question why the Chinese Communist Party engages in or
permits torture. It is hoped that the reader recognizes that
there is no rational justification for torture and even less so
in the case of peaceful, non-violent meditators like Zhirong.
Why all this violence? Why all this hatred? Sadly, the Chinese
Communist Party has been a brutal entity since its very
beginning. History has documented the millions of Chinese people
that the CCP has killed since it took power decades ago. The
tally far exceeds the number of people killed by Adolf Hitler.
Why is it that much of the world, despite the excellent
documentation, continually fails to recognize this as a major
problem? Is it the lure of big business? Is it that China seems
too far away to make a difference to us? Hasn't history
adequately demonstrated that what we ignore ends up on our back
porch sooner or later?
Whatever the reason, we must not turn a blind eye and sit idly
while innocent men, women and children are brutalized by the
Chinese Communist Party for practicing meditation or having a
belief. Each of us can stand up and provide a voice for those
who have been silenced by the CCP.
Shining the international spotlight on the atrocities may help
to reduce them. Writing letters and raising awareness are an
important beginning.
About the author:
Dave writes to expose the brutality of the Chinese Communist
Party perpetrated against Falun Gong practitioners among other
groups and individuals targeted by the CCP. To learn more, visit
http://practitioners.blogspot.com
