北美法輪功學員就「4.25」周年紀念日向媒體發表聲明

【明慧網2000年4月25日】On April 25, 1999, Falun Gong came to the attention of the world as some ten thousand of its practitioners gathered quietly outside Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Government leadership』s compound in Beijing. Their only intent was to communicate the harassment and injustices practitioners were facing throughout China at the hands of Chinese police. The peaceful gathering was sparked by the beatings Falun Gong practitioners endured only a few days before in the neighboring city of Tianjin. In both cases these practitioners did nothing more than remind the government of their constitutional rights to freedom of conscience, assembly, and speech.

在1999年4月25日，法輪功的上萬名弟子靜靜地聚集在中國政府領導人的所在地，北京的中南海，從而引起了世界的關注。他們的唯一目的是與政府溝通以說明在整個中國，修煉者在警察那裏所面臨的困擾和不公。這次和平集會的動因是數天以前在相鄰的城市－天津的法輪功學員受到了毆打。在這兩次事件中，這些學員只是要提醒政府他們應享有憲法所規定的信仰，集會和言論自由。

In the one year since that gathering, we have come to witness the Chinese Government execute one of the largest, harshest, and most arbitrary of persecutions in modern history. On July 22nd, Chinese leaders turned their country upside down with their decision to ban the practice of Falun Gong. In the middle of the night practitioners around the country were dragged from their homes, arrested, detained, and even beaten, commencing the first wave of oppression. In the following days, thousands of law-abiding Falun Gong practitioners would be arrested for merely trying to appeal the ban, despite appeals being a legal, constitutionally-enshrined right.
在聚集事件一週年以來，我們見證了中國政府在現代社會進行的最大規模，最嚴厲，也是最專制的迫害。在7月22日，中國領導人禁止練習法輪功的決定完全顛倒了這個國家的秩序。在午夜時分，整個國家的許多修煉者被從家中帶走，遭到逮捕，監禁，甚至毆打。第一輪鎮壓開始了。在後續的日子裏，數千守法的法輪功修煉者僅僅因為他們為錯誤的法輪功的禁令上訪而被拘捕，儘管上訪是合法的，是憲法賦予的神聖權力。

During the ensuing nine months practitioners in China have faired little better. Over 35,000 practitioners of Falun Gong have been arrested and detained for their practice, while another 5,000 have been sent without trial to labor camps. Still others have received harsh prison sentences of up to 18 years. Numerous others have been vanquished to mental hospitals for nuanced torture. An estimated 10,000 university students must now choose between their practice and losing their education, while any high-school student who continues to practice must forgo what would have been his or her college education. Millions of Falun Gong books, videos, and audio tapes have been confiscated and destroyed. Confirmed reports of torture and inhumane treatment grow by the day, with instruments of punishment including electric batons, cattle prods, anti-psychotic drugs, the 「prison in hell」 device, forced abortions, beatings of every sort, and even sanctioned rape. To date, fifteen practitioners have died in custody, most, if not all, by way of torture. Many others have been stripped of their jobs, homes, education, and even family. With over 70 million people in China practicing Falun Gong as of early 1999, the social upheaval caused by the ban is hard to fathom. Hardly anyone has gone unaffected.

在後續的9個月中，中國的法輪功學員的處境幾乎沒有好轉。超過35,000名法輪功學員因為修煉而被逮捕和拘禁，另外有5,000未經審判而被送到勞改營。還有人被判處長達18年的徒刑。許多學員被送到精神病院受到嚴重的折磨。估計有10,000名大學學生現在必須在修煉法輪功和學籍中間做出選擇，而高中學生如果堅持修煉法輪功就必須放棄他/她的接受高等教育的機會。數百萬的法輪功書籍，和音像磁帶被沒收和銷毀。每天都有新的經過證實的酷刑和殘忍折磨被報告出來，使用的手段包括電棍，警棍，和治療精神病患者的藥物，「地牢」，強迫流產，毆打全身，甚至被認可的強姦。到目前為止，15名學員在監獄去世，即便並非所有也是大多數情況下，這些人是屬於酷刑折磨而死。很多人被剝奪了工作，住房，教育甚至家庭。對在 1999年初即擁有7000萬學員的法輪功來說，由於禁止他造成的社會動盪難以估計。幾乎無人不受影響。

Falun Gong practitioners have no political interests whatsoever. They merely strive to cultivate 「Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance」 in daily life, while their qigong exercises give them desired health. Practitioners are good, law-abiding citizens from all walks of life. Through all this, no practitioners have resorted to violence?despite their bearing inhumane offenses. According to official Chinese sources, practitioners continue to appeal every day at Tiananmen Square and visit the appeals offices. Their belief is that if officials only knew how good this practice is, there would be no way to oppose it. Many have risked their lives to publicize the truth.

無論如何，法輪功學員沒有任何政治訴求，他們只是由於氣功給了他們渴望的健康而力圖在日常生活中實踐「真、善、忍」。從生活的各個方面來看，學員都是好的，守法的公民。在整個事件的過程中，無論學員承受著多麼殘忍的折磨，他們都沒有訴諸於暴力。按照中國官方資料顯示，法輪功學員在天安門廣場和信訪辦的上訪活動每天都在進行。他們的信念是只要官方了解了這個功法有多好，就不會再反對他了。很多人冒著生命的危險把真相公布出來。

While a growing number of international organizations and governments have been unequivocal in their criticism of China』s actions, there appears no end in sight to the persecution. We reiterate our call for a peaceful dialogue with the Chinese Government, and ask for the support of all good people and institutions around the world. A peaceful resolution would benefit not only practitioners, but also the entire people of China and their government.

儘管越來越多的國際組織和政府毫不含糊地批評中國所採取的行動，我們卻沒有看到迫害停止的跡象。我們重申與中國政府和平對話的請求，並希望世界上善良的人們和機構給予我們支持。一個和平的決議不止對修煉者有益，對整個中國和他們的政府也是有益的。

法輪功