[NTD.com] US Calls on Beijing to ‘End Its Abuse’ of Falun Gong Practitioners After Death of Jailed Journalist

NTD.com

By Eva Fu

February 23, 2023

An undated photo of Pang Xun. (Chinese social media)

The State Department has condemned the Chinese Communist Party following the death of a jailed journalist who wouldn’t give up his faith.

The victim, Pang Xun, a radio host for state-owned Sichuan Radio and Television, died at the age of 30 in December in a Chinese prison notorious for its brutality toward adherents of the spiritual practice Falun Gong—the target of the Chinese regime’s systematic persecution for more than 23 years.

At death, scars and bruises covered Pang’s emaciated body, contrasting with prison authorities’ claims that he had died of hyperthyroidism.

“Since 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to eradicate Falun Gong, a spiritual practice originating in China, and its peaceful practitioners and human rights defenders who have fought for their right to practice their beliefs. Extensive evidence shows the PRC government continues to repress and abuse this community to this day,” a State Department spokesperson said in a written statement to The Epoch Times, using the shorthand for the People’s Republic of China.

“We call on the PRC government to immediately end its abuse and mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, release those imprisoned due to their beliefs, and address the whereabouts of missing practitioners,” the spokesperson said, adding that the department “continues to consider all appropriate tools to promote accountability for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses in the PRC and elsewhere.”

An undated photo of Pang Xun. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, encourages adherents to live by the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance and teaches a set of meditative exercises.

Pang, who died serving a five-year prison sentence for handing out informational pamphlets about his faith, was one of an unknown number of adherents who died in the past two decades, during which millions have faced wide-ranging abuses, such as harassment, torture, heavy fines, and forced organ harvesting.

Jiazhou Prison in southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, which held Pang, has been noted for its torture methods.

Gu Zhiguang, a Falun Gong adherent from the provincial capital Chengdu, was allowed up to 20 seconds to finish meals for over 10 months. The guards forced him to stand for 10 hours motionless each day—under the scorching summer sun and the freezing cold winter. They also sprayed tear gas into his eyes, asking how he felt about it and claiming that it posed no harm to him. The experience left him all skin and bones, according to Minghui, a U.S.-based website that keeps track of the persecution’s toll.

David Curry, a commissioner for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, has called for the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions with international allies on Chinese officials and entities “responsible for these horrific abuses” upon hearing about Pang’s case.

So far, the United States has sanctioned three Chinese officials involved in the eradication campaign, including one who presided over the persecution in Chengdu.

Pang’s case adds to the thousands of deaths Minghui has verified. Still, the website and analysts say the actual tally is likely vastly higher, considering the CCP’s strenuous efforts to censor any related information.

In 2022, Minghui recorded more than 100 adherent deaths and hundreds of sentencing due to their faith. It also identified another 41 deaths that were unreported in 2021.

From The Epoch Times

Source: https://www.ntd.com/us-calls-on-beijing-to-end-its-abuse-of-falun-gong-practitioners-after-death-of-jailed-journalist_903245.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

---

WATCH: Warning >>> 30-Year-Old Radio Host, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Jiazhou Prison, Video Points to Torture in Custody

(https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fkjngk70r47cTIz7AjAm2WNt1c91c)

Click on the photo to view the video

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Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

[NTD.com] 30-Year-Old Chinese Radio Host Dies in Prison After Being Jailed For His Belief

Undated Photo of Pang Xun. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

BY DOROTHY LI, NTD.COM

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

His lips were streaked with dried blood. His chest was covered with bruises and scars, his legs battered.

Footage of a 30-year-old man’s corpse, recently circulated on Twitter and confirmed by The Epoch Times, offered a glimpse of what had happened to him in a Chinese jail cell.

Pang Xun, a Falun Gong practitioner, died in the early morning of Dec. 2, 2022, while serving a prison sentence for his belief in southwestern China, according to a person close to the man. Pang was arrested in July 2020 for his faith in Falun Gong, the person added.

Relatives of Pang, a radio host, are demanding authorities of the prison in Leshan city of Sichuan Province to explain the cause of their loved one’s death and allow them to conduct an independent autopsy, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of the communist regime’s retaliation.

The prison’s officials attributed the young man’s death to hyperthyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland produces too much hormones, the person said. The Leshan prison couldn’t be reached for comment despite repeated calls.

But given the many bruises covering Pang’s body, that claim appears to have convinced nobody.

“My friend was beaten to death in the Chinese Communist Party’s prison. He was Pang Xun, 30, a very sunny and handsome young man,” a user recently said on Twitter, with a video of Pang’s body.

“He was detained because he practiced Falun Gong …. this is by no means a reason for the Chinese Communist Party to kill him!”

Daughter Li Xiaohua and mother Ju Reihjong attend a candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of the 23-year-long persecution of Falun Gong in China, held at the Washington Monument on July 21, 2022. Ju holds a photo of her husband and Li’s father, Li Delong, who died in the persecution. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice consisting of moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, along with a set of meditative exercises. Since its introduction in China in 1992, the practice has attracted individuals from all walks of life—from high-ranking officials to rural villagers—leading to an estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents across the country by the end of the decade.

Its surging popularity, however, was deemed by the communist regime as a threat to its control over society. In 1999, then-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin ordered a sweeping campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, resulting in millions of practitioners being thrown in detention facilities, where they are brainwashed, tortured, or even killed for their organs.

Sudden Death and Autopsy Demands

After more than two decades of persecution, the abuses have not abated. Last year, at least 7,331 Falun Gong adherents were harassed, arrested, or detained in various facilities, leading to 172 deaths, according to Minghui, a U.S.-based website dedicated to documenting the persecution of Falun Gong. But that figure is likely only the tip of the iceberg, given the heavy censorship in China.

At around 8 a.m. local time on Dec. 2, 2022, Pang’s parents received a call: their imprisoned son was in critical condition, the person recounted.

But less than two hours later, as Pang’s relatives were rushing to the Sichuan prison that is over 500 miles from their home in Hunan Province, they were informed Pang had died, the person said.

With this sudden death, Pang’s relatives and friends became suspicious, given Pang was in good health before his imprisonment.

“Pang Xun must have been beaten because massive bruises were visible during the last visit,” the person recounted how Peng looked during a visit to the prison six months before his death.

Pang’s family personally asked a forensic odontologist from Beijing to accompany them to the prison. But on Dec. 3, when they finally arrived in Leshan city, the prison authorities refused to allow the odontologist to see Pang’s body, the person said.

Moreover, officials told them that Pang must be cremated in 10 days, the person added.

Pang Xun, a 30-year-old Falun Gong practitioner, died in a prison in Leshan city, Sichuan Province on Dec. 2, 2022. (Screenshot of dbezuqun’s Twitter account via The Epoch Times)

Pang’s parents and aunt, who managed to examine Pang’s remains, were stunned to find a large number of sores on his chest, shoulder, back, waist, and legs. “Pang Xun’s body, just as the video shows, was covered with bruises,” the person said.

“Of course, the families would demand an explanation,” the source said. Pang’s relatives wouldn’t cremate Pang before they got an independent autopsy, the person said, adding they have sought help from human rights lawyers.

Pang Xun

Pang worked as a host at Sichuan Radio And Host, a local radio station, after graduating from the Communication University of China, the country’s top broadcasting college.

Pang Xun in a file photo. (Screenshot of dbezuqun’s Twitter account via The Epoch Times)

“He is very pure and sunny,” said the person, who knew Pang from college. The person emphasized that Pang was unlike what the CCP’s propaganda had claimed.

The CCP launched a far-reaching propaganda campaign aimed at demonizing Falun Gong and enlisting the Chinese public’s support for the persecution. The disinformation was typically spread through the education system and state media.

To counteract the regime’s pervasive smear efforts, Falun Gong practitioners formed a massive grassroots resistance effort to expose the persecution of the spiritual practice. The peaceful resistance involves distributing informational materials about the practice and the persecution and speaking directly to citizens.

In July 2020, when Pang was putting up informational posters with another Falun Gong practitioner, an elderly lady, the police spotted them through surveillance cameras, the person said.

On July 27, Pang was arrested, according to the person and a report on Minghui.

Pang was later sentenced to five years in prison and was sent to Leshan’s Jiazhou Prison, one the country’s most brutal prisons for Falun Gong adherents, the report said.

Previous reports on the website painted a portrait of appalling conditions at Jiazhou Prison. Former prisoners of conscience said they were frequently beaten, suffered electronic shocks, forced to stand over 12 hours a day for several days, and given less than 15 seconds to consume meals. The guards would also spray pepper water into their noses and eyes and stop them from washing their faces afterward.

Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in Washington on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

On Feb. 12, a close friend of Pang shared on Twitter photos of the young man teaching children in a class. “He is the simplest and kindest person I know,” he said.

“Sadly, his young life forever ended in early December, in the CCP prison,” he said.

Pang’s ordeal ignited outage online.

“It’s tragic. [The CCP] treats people like dirt. Who dares to be sure that this kind of tragedy will not happen to us? The more I think about it, the more scared I get,” a Twitter user said.

Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times

Source: https://www.ntd.com/30-year-old-host-beaten-to-death-in-prison-because-of-his-faith_901467.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

---

WATCH 30-Year-Old Radio Host, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Jiazhou Prison, Video Points to Torture in Custody

(https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fkrg5j128o7GoF18njA7obJY1041c)

———————————————————————

Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html

CCP Persecutes Radio Host Pang Xun to Death— a Pure Boy Who Does Not Seek Fame and Fortune

Translated from 庞勋案发酵 生前好友忆：不求名利的干净男孩

[NTDTV, February 18, 2023] Over the past few days, the case of Pang Xun, who was persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for practicing Falun Gong, has continued to attract international attention. 

On Feb 17, Pang Xun’s friend came forward to speak out for the first time. He told NTDTV every bit of contact he had with this kind-hearted boy. 

Pang Xun’s friend told NTDTV: “On February 10th, I saw someone posted the footage of Pang Xun’s corpse on Twitter. I was shocked when I saw it. I quickly contacted my friend in China, who then got in touch with Pang Xun’s parents. I then learned that this footage was actually not snapped by his parents, although they were indeed in the video. Since the footage of Pang Xun’s corpse has been circulated overseas, I thought let’s come out and talk about this matter.”

He revealed: “Pang Xun and our group of friends have known one another for more than ten years. He doesn’t swear in his daily life. As Pang Xun is handsome and has a good voice, it’s actually possible for him to enter the entertainment industry. Among our classmates, often, many of them would persuade him to enter the entertainment industry, but I think fame and wealth are not particularly tempting to him.”

Pang Xun graduated from Communication University of China, and later joined Sichuan Radio Station as a host. In addition to the widely publicized photos, NTDTV reporter also uncovered his graduation video.

Screenshot: NTDTV

Pang Xun’s friend said: “He is very, very pure and has never had any scandals. As Pang Xun is not a person who pursues fame and fortune, he is a very unique person among the people I know.”

“Because his grandma practiced Falun Gong, he has been cultivating it since he was a child. He persisted in his belief even when the Chinese Communist Party started persecuting Falun Gong.”

His friend also shared that he has changed from misunderstanding Falun Gong to respecting Falun Gong through his contact with Pang Xun.

Pang Xun’s friend: “As far as I know, Falun Gong practitioners are different from the other prisoners. As long as Falun Gong practitioners are willing to sign the statement saying that they would quit practicing Falun Gong, the CCP authorities would greatly reduce their sentence, and even let them go. However, no Falun Gong practitioners would sign the statement. So, I think they are quite strong. I think they are standing firm in their faith, that is, they think if they sign the statement, they would not forgive themselves in their heart. Maybe, they believe in the existence of higher beings.”

Wang Zhiyuan, head of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), said: “Such a sunny, young man was beaten to death by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). WOIPFG will thoroughly investigate the criminal conduct of all institutions, organizations, and individuals involved in the persecution of Falun Gong, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far and deep we have to search.”

WATCH: 庞勋案发酵 生前好友忆：不求名利的干净男孩 (追查四川嘉州监狱打死庞勋案)

(https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fku7ifmpm73Xs6sbjUVdiwuy1s71c)

Report compiled by NTDTV

Translated from: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/02/18/a103651763.html

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Editor’s Note: Dear readers, do you know that Falun Dafa, originally from China, is currently practiced by people in over 100 countries? But in China, since Jul. 20, 1999, Falun Gong is defamed, slandered and persecuted due to the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology.

To learn more about the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China, visit http://faluninfo.net/.

For more information about the practice or to download Zhuan Falun, visit: www.falundafa.org. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

---

WATCH 30-Year-Old Radio Host, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Jiazhou Prison, Video Points to Torture in Custody

(https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fkrg5j128o7GoF18njA7obJY1041c)

——————————————————————

Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?

http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.sg/p/epoch-times-nine-commentaries-on.html

[VIDEO] Why Jiang Zemin and CCP Persecute Falun Gong?

http://thetruthaboutfalungong.blogspot.com/p/video-why-jiang-zemin-ccp-persecute.html