I was astonished after reading the article about five people setting themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, especially when they were labeled as Falun Gong members.Murder and suicide are strictly prohibited in Falun Gong’s teaching. A CNN report said five people set themselves on fire in the square, but didn’t confirm they were Falun Gong members. CNN reported that the police issued to the CNN crew a statement saying that one person had died and four were injured. It said all were members of Falun Gong.Falun Gong members committing suicide is only the statement made by Chinese Police and the media.Over the past one and a half years, the Chinese government, led by Jiang Zeming, has used all means possible to persecute and slander Falun Gong. The Falun Gong suicide rumor has been heard for a long time. As Falun Gong practitioners endure the brutality with peace, the facts of Jiang’s government persecuting Falun Gong are being brought to awareness worldwide. As a result, Jiang’s government is facing criticism for human rights violation. This latest case is another malicious tactic to defame Falun Gong and escalate its persecution.We hope all kindhearted people judge this situation by their heart and help us to stop such crimes as early as possible.Yongzhi Margaret Jiang

Graduate student

Food science and human nutrition