GENEVA–Chen Shizhong of the United Nations Association, San Diego Chapter, addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council on March 15 to disclose the Chinese regime’s intensifying use of nerve-damaging chemicals to torture Falun Gong practitioners and force them to give up their belief.
In an apparent attempt to block Mr. Chen from presenting the information, the Chinese delegate invoked numerous procedural maneuvers, ultimately delaying Chen’s speech for over an hour. However, as word spread about the delegate’s behavior, more and more people came to the floor to listen to Chen’s speech.
The Chinese delegate initially challenged Mr. Chen’s status as a member of the U.N. Association. When his status was verified, the delegate accused the secretary and the president of not following rules in verifying the documents. Later, when Chen had just begun to speak, the Chinese delegate interrupted with a point of order, saying the topic Chen would address was not relevant.
Alex van Meeuwen, president of the Human Rights Council, responded that any issue related to human rights was in order.
The United States delegate also got involved, calling the point of order “wholly inappropriate.” “The Chinese delegation is objecting to the content of (Chen’s speech) before it’s even been made,” he said, urging the president to allow Chen to speak. When Chen did resume speaking, the Chinese delegate again interrupted, raising the same point of order.
When Chen was finally able to deliver his talk, the floor was almost full and the room was quiet.
Chen cited reports by the U.N. Special Rapporteurs which have documented thousands of cases of severe torture and killing of Falun Gong practitioners including the use of chemicals to destroy the practitioners’ ability to think, to remain steadfast in their beliefs, and to maintain consciousness.
“Failing to break the wills of Falun Gong practitioners with physical torture, the Chinese authorities have escalated the use of nerve-damaging chemicals to destroy their capacity to hold thoughts and conscience,” Chen said. “This horrifying, mind-killing medical torture has caused hundreds to become insane and killed many. Due to China’s block of information flow, the atrocities are feared to be more extensive.”
Chen concluded by appealing to the international community to speak out against China’s use of chemical injections. “To remain silent to such killing of mind is a suicide of our collective conscience and humanity,” he said.
When he finished, many members approached him to ask for the text of his speech and his contact information.
Chen told The Epoch Times that there are 1,088 cases of healthy Falun Gong practitioners who have been injured or killed by injections of harmful chemicals, in addition to cases that are widely documented. He said reports of the Special Rapporteurs also list more than 200 hospitals which actively participate in the persecution against Falun Gong in China.
One attendee, Zhang Jianxian, had been shot on June 4, 1989 in Tiananmen Square. After hearing Chen’s talk, he told the reporter that when the Chinese regime arrests dissidents, it often sends them directly to mental hospitals.
“The regime tries to make all dissidents seem like psychos,” Zhang said. “These people are often belief groups such as Falun Gong, Christians, and Catholics. The regime at times does not even notify their families of their arrests.”
David Littman, the U.N. Representative of the Association for World Education, told Chen he did not approve of what the Chinese delegate did at the meeting. “All NGOs have the freedom to express their views once their status is checked and approved. They should not be questioned by any delegation,” he said, adding that it is time these human rights violations are stopped.
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