WASHINGTON—At a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy on Oct. 24, Danielle Wang, daughter of imprisoned prisoner of conscience Wang Zhiwen, called on the United States government and the international community to secure the release of her father.
Wang Zhiwen, who was released from prison on Oct. 18, was immediately abducted by the police to a brainwashing center in Beijing.
“My father, who practices Falun Dafa and follows the principles of ’truthfulness, compassion and forbearance,' and is someone who doesn’t lie and refuses to give up his beliefs, was severely persecuted while in prison,” said Danielle Wang.
“He lost teeth because of beating. All 10 of his fingers had bamboo sticks jammed under his fingernails. And his hands and ankles were cuffed to 24-kilogram chains.” said Danielle Wang. 24 kilograms equals approximately 53 pounds.
“He had a broken collarbone after being beaten. He was often deprived of sleep and forced to do many different forms of slave labor. He knees were once pierced with steel bars,” added Danielle Wang.
According to his daughter, Wang suffered from a stroke before he was released from the prison.
Danielle recalled a story of how Wang refused to keep the picture of his daughter that visiting relatives had brought when visiting him in jail. Wang had wanted to protect his daughter.
Peng Yongfeng, a former lawyer from China, who also spoke during the press conference, said that the continued persecution of Falun Gong practitioners makes clear that the rule of law does not exist in China.
The theme of the most recent high-level political conclave in Beijing, the 18h Fourth Plenary Session, was the importance of the rule of law for governance in China.
In November 2013, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee called for an end to the notorious system of labor camps in China. But alternative systems that target prisoners of conscience and subject them to detention, torture, and brainwashing have kept on functioning.
According to Peng, the system of brainwashing is not based on any laws in China.
Danielle Wang called on those working at the Chinese embassy to understand what is actually happening in China nowadays.
“If one day I stop talking about Falun Dafa or the story of my father, it is not because my father Wang Zhiwen has been free. It is because I have given up hope on you. Please choose the right path to the future. I will be extremely happy for you,” said Danielle Wang.
Read the original Chinese article
