Investigation Report on How Internet Is Used to Persecute Falun Gong Practitioners in China

April 24, 2004

During the past year, the foundation work for Golden Shield Project has been finished. The Chinese security system starts to purchase some complicated surveillance technology from western enterprises. Ultimately the aim is to integrate a gigantic online database with an all-encompassing surveillance network ¨C incorporating speech and face recognition, closed-circuit television, smart cards, credit records, and Internet surveillance technologies.      
 
---International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development in Canada, Oct. 2001

The preliminary work of Golden Shield Project cost US$800 million, equivalent to 6,400 million RMB.
 
---Channel 4 of CCTV, 2002

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of people detained or sentenced for Internet-related offences, such as circulating pro-democratic information or supplying publications that are critical of the Chinese government, an increase of 60 per cent in 2003 as compared to the previous year's figures. Presently, at least 54 people have been detained for sending e-mails, establishing website or exchanging Falun Gong information.
 
---Amnesty International, Jan.28, 2004

According to incomplete statistics, 97 Falun Gong practitioners have been detained or jailed in forced labor camps, and three died of persecution because of browsing on internet, from July 1999 to April 2004. Li Changjun, a Falun Gong practitioner and a Master Degree holder from Huazhong University of Science & Technology, was born in 1968. He was an employee of Wuhan Land Tax Bureau, Hubei Province. On May 16, 2001, Li was illegally taken into custody by police, together with some other Falun Gong practitioners when they were preparing truth-clarifying literature (at least six Falun Gong practitioners, who were also holding Master¡¯s Degrees or even doctorates were arrested at the same time.) After more than 40 days of brutal torture, Li Changjun died at 10:08 p.m. on June 27, 2001. When his family saw his body later, they found it emaciated and seriously disfigured. His face, neck, and many other areas of his body had turned purple and black from bruising. His hands were held tightly into fists, his teeth were deformed, and his back was so severely burned that it looked as though the flesh had been cooked. It was a truly tragic sight. Chen Qiulan, a Falun Gong practitioner, was from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province. In July 2001, she was abducted for pasting Falun Gong literature on internet and tortured to death in Daqing Detention Center on August 24, 2001. She was only 47 years old when she died. Bai Xiuhua, a Falun Gong practitioner from Acheng City, used to work as a census taker, employed by the police substation in Jiancheng Sub-Plant, Harbin City. She was arrested the third time for learning to hook onto internet and to prepare Falun Gong literature which clarifies the truth of Falun Gong on July 2002. She was taken into custody in Detention No.2 of Department No.7, Harbin Public Security Bureau. Later, she was transferred to the Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin City. She was tortured to death on August 28, 2002. Her family was not informed until after her body was cremated.

---World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, May 2004

¡°Air has freedom and water has freedom, why couldn¡¯t the internet be open to all??¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got your software again today and appreciate the development of the technology very much. You provide us with a thread of ¡®fresh air¡¯. Under high pressure, people are close to suffocation. How much we need your help!¡±

--- Messages left on ¡°Garden Website¡± by Chinese internet users after blocking through the internet block

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