American Beaten and Force-Fed in Chinese Prison

Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen and practitioner of Falun Gong, has been on hunger strike since May 27, and was force-fed since May 31 in a hospital inside the Nanjing Prison.

More than 10% of all deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese custody have resulted from force feeding.

Mr. Stuart Patt, a spokesperson for the Consular Affair Bureau of the U.S. State Department, said in an interview with the Epoch Times Chinese-language newspaper: “If Charles Li is injured because of his hunger strike, we will hold the relevant Chinese officials responsible.”

Upon hearing about Dr. Li’s situation, a U.S. consulate official drove from Shanghai to the Nanjing Prison to see Dr. Li, but prison officials would not allow the visit.

Dr. Charles Li was imprisoned in China after being ushered through a “show trial” in April for allegedly “preparing” to tap into Chinese state-run T.V. and broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in China. (news)

According to recent United Nations Human Rights Commission annual reports, many Falun Gong practitioners have been killed as a result of force feeding while on hunger strikes in Chinese prisons and labor camps. The Falun Dafa Information Center has confirmed 720 cases of Falun Gong practitioners’ deaths from torture and abuse in Chinese police custody. 74 of those died from force-feeding while on hunger strike. (news)

Related Stories:

• American Held 44 Days in Isolated Detention Inside China (3/7/03)
• Rescue Charles Li campaign background info
• Forced Feeding as an Instrument of Torture in China

Contact: Dr. Sherry Zhang: 415-845-5295