In 2010, Charles Wei spread a banner in public in China that read: “Falun Dafa is Good”. For this he was imprisoned for six years––11 months in solitary confinement––and brutally tortured. After his release in 2016, he escaped from China and now lives in San Diego, California.
TRANSCRIPT:
Q: You were imprisoned for practicing Falun Dafa in China for six years.
A: Yes, yes! I displayed banners over the street to speak out for Falun Dafa because in China they defame us. They lie to the public, lie to the people; they say we are bad, we are evil. So we have to speak out. So we spread banners, and I put writing on the banners: Falun Dafa is good. That’s all, I just want to tell people we are good. So and then they caught me, put me into the prison. And originally they wanted to sentence me to 14 years. But because my family spent a lot of money so they changed from 14 to six. But even six, I think that six hours that is ridiculous, right?
Q: Six years.
A: Yes, six years, yeah.
Q: How old were you?
A: This was 2010, and I was 32.
Q: So you went to prison just because you spread banners that said Falun Dafa is good?
A: Yeah.
Q: And what was your experience in prison?
A: Wow! They tortured me because they wanted to force me to give up [my faith in Falun Dafa]. They knew if I did not give up, after I’d be released I would do it again. Right? Spread the truth, tell people what they have done to us, display banners or distribute flyers, things like that. They just wanted to make me compromise, change my mind, control my mind. But I refused. So they tortured me a lot.
Q: What did they do to you?
A: They have a torture device they call tiger rack, like a chair. They locked me on the chair, and I cannot move, and I cannot sleep, no eating, I refused to eat, six days.
Q: Six days?
A: No moving, no sleeping, no eating.
Q: No bathroom?
A: No bathroom, yeah. They want you… Nobody takes care of you in that cell there.
Q: In the past you said you were also in solitary confinement.
A: Yes. I think that [was] 11 months. Eleven months confinement cell. That’s very small like, less than 100 feet. Eleven months.
Q: Wow, that’s really human rights abuse.
A: Yeah, of course. They [the communist officials] don’t treat us as human. They don’t treat anyone in China as a human.
Q: So when you came out, did you then come to the United States right away, or how did you come here?
A: Yeah, I just traveled from China mainland to Hong Kong, and then fly from Hong Kong to U.S. because I thought if I went directly from the customs they will stop me. I’m sure I’m on some kind of black list.
Q: So now you can clarify the truth here and you collect signatures to end the persecution of Falun Gong.
A: Yes, I think that’s my responsibility. I survived, but I know there are still a lot of people like me that are still in the prisons. Right now they are facing death and torture every day, every minute. I need to do something for them because when I was there, I was hoping someone out there can help me. Now I am free I can do something for them.
Q: So in the United States there is a greater awareness now. We’re in 2025. I here there has been a resolution [bill] or law passed just recently.
A: To protect Falun Dafa.
Q: Yes.
A: Yes it [Falun Gong Protection Act] just passed in the Congress House, I think. That’s why we are here to collect signatures. It needs to pass by the Senators [the Senate] to become a law. It’s very important to let them know how people feel about this. The more signatures we have then we can have a better chance to pass this act. No matter what, this is a good thing and right thing to do, and someone up there will take care of the rest.
A: Yes, those are the three principles we need to follow during our daily behavior, which makes people become better and better. But in China they don’t care. I mean the government don’t care.
Q: It’s forbidden.
A: Yes, because they think there are too many people [practicing it], and anything in China that gets people together, they are watching and …. will stop you. And if you cannot be stopped, they will kill you.
Q: So they really feel threatened by too many people practicing truthfulness, compassion, forbearance. Is that it?
A: Yeah, yeah! Because that’s not a principle from them, you know. They [the CCP] don’t believe anything. They don’t believe in God, don’t believe in Buddha, they don’t believe in anything. They only believe in power, violence, lies, money, bad[ness]. Which means all they’re going against most of the principles from the religions, I think. That’s why they are against most religions. Even the religions that have still survived in China is because they are under their control. Most of the leaders of Christian or Buddha of Tao belong to the government, the leaders. I think this is a time for everyone to wake up, to find the real you inside yourself
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You were in prison for practicing Falun Dafa in China for six years.
Yes, yes.
I displayed the banners over the street to speak out for Falun Dafa, because in China
they defend us.
You know, they lie to the public, lie to the people and tell them, hey, we are bad, we
are evil.
So we just want to speak out.
So I displayed the banners and I put the one sentence on the banners, Falun Dafa is good.
That's all.
I just want to tell people we are good.
So yeah, and then they caught me, put me into the prison and originally they want to sentence
me 14 years, but because my family spent a lot of money, so they changed from 14 to six.
But even six, I think even six hours, that's ridiculous, right?
Six years.
Yeah.
Six years.
Finally.
Yeah.
How old were you?
Oh, that's a 2010.
Then I was a 32, 32, 32.
So you went to prison just because you spread banners that said Falun Dafa is good.
Correct.
Yeah.
And what was your experience in prison?
Wow.
That's a torture me because they want to force me to give up.
They knew if I did not give up, after I'd been released, I would do it again, right?
Spread the truth, tell people what they have done to us, you know, display the banners
or dispel their flyers, something like that.
So they just want to make me compromise, change my mind, control my mind, you know, but I
refuse.
So they torture me a lot.
What did they do to you?
Like they have a torture device, they call it a tiger rack.
It's like a chair.
They locked me on the chair and I cannot move and I cannot sleep, you know, no eating.
I refuse to eat.
So that's six days.
Six days.
No moving, no sleeping, no eating.
No bathroom.
Yes.
They want to, yeah, nobody take care of you, just sit over there.
So I, in the past you said something, you were also in solitary confinement.
Yes.
That's, I think that's 11 months.
11 months.
11 months confinement cell, confinement cell, even that's a very small, like less than 100,
less than 100 feet, 11 months.
Wow.
That's really human rights abuse.
Oh yeah, of course.
They don't treat us as human.
They don't treat anyone in China as a human.
So when you came out, did you then come to the United States right away or how did you
come here?
Yeah, I just traveled from China mainland to Hong Kong and then I fly from Hong Kong
to US because I thought if I go directly from the customs, they will stop me.
I'm pretty sure I'm on a kind of a black list or something like that.
Yeah, right.
So now you can clarify the truth here and you collect signatures to end the persecution
of Falun Gong.
Yes, yes.
I think because, I think that's my responsibility and I survived, but I know there are still
a lot of people like me that are still in the prison.
Right now, they are facing to the death and tortures every day, every minute.
That's really so sad and horrible.
I need to do something for them because when I was there, I was hoping someone out there
can help me.
Now I'm free, then I need to do something for them, of course.
So in the United States, there is a greater awareness now with 2025, I hear there has
been a resolution passed or a law passed just recently.
To protect the Falun Dafa.
Yes.
Yes, just passed from the Congress House, I think.
Congress.
Just passed.
Yes, just passed.
That's good news.
That's why we are here to collect the signatures to bring the awareness and we need to pass
from the senators before becoming the law.
So it's very important to let them know how people care about this.
The more signature we have, then we can have better chance to pass this act.
Right?
Yes.
Right.
No matter what, this is a good thing and right thing to do.
Yes.
And someone over there will take care of the rest.
Yes.
What does it say on your T-shirt?
Falun Dafa.
It's the name of our belief.
And in Chinese?
Falun Dafa.
Same thing.
Falun Dafa.
Yeah.
And I know Falun Dafa practices truthfulness, compassion, forbearance.
Yes, that's the three principles we need to follow during our daily behavior, which means
can make people become better and better.
Yeah.
But in China, they don't care.
I mean, the government, they don't care.
It's forbidden there, isn't it?
Yes.
Just because they think we are too many people.
And anything China can get people together, they will watch you.
And if they think you are kind of out of control, they will stop you.
And if they think you cannot be stopped, they will kill you.
So they really feel threatened by too many people practicing truthfulness, compassion,
forbearance.
Is that it?
Yeah.
Because they are corrupt.
That's not the principle from them.
You know?
They don't believe in anything.
No.
Right?
They don't believe in God.
They don't believe in Buddha.
They don't believe in anything.
They only believe in power, violence, life, money, blood.
Yeah.
So, which means all they are doing is against most of the principles from the religions,
I think.
Right.
That's why they are against most of the religions.
Even there are some religions that still survive in China just because they are under control.
Yeah.
Most of the leaders of Christian or Buddha or Tao, they belong to the government.
The leaders.
So, I think this is a time for everyone to wake up, you need to find the real you inside
and you need to find something that really you need to follow.
Right?
Yes.
Don't follow the money.
Don't follow power.
You know?
Follow goodness and honesty.
Follow the goodness.
Follow the compassion, truthfulness, and forbearance.
Thank you so much.
That's a principle for everyone.
Yes.
That is a universal principle.
Universal, yes.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you.
No problem.
It's kind of all of it.
Because the idea behind Falun Dafa is truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
It's the tenets that kind of bind the universe together.
So, the idea is that through self-cultivation, you'll be able to understand better what's
going on and gain enlightenment.
The idea is that the people who practice Falun Dafa adhere to those three tenets.
Faithful, compassionate, forbearance, long-suffering.
It was founded in 1992 by…
Falun Dafa practitioners painted these based on true experiences of other practitioners
in China who were imprisoned and tortured many times.
And some of them, their own stories.
Oh.
So, these are from people all over the world.
And then we've collected their paintings.
They are the artists.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
What do you think about this here?
It's pretty…
It's pretty sad that this is what it entombed.
So, people were just trying to do good.
Yes.
Yeah, this is still happening.
Yeah.
It's such a contrast.
Very spiritual.
Yeah.
It shows the faith for the people.
It does.
And their beliefs.
Very suffering people.
Yes.
Yeah.
Right.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
We are supposed to have the freedom in all the sense, in all the ways.
Freedom for to be alive.
Freedom for to express ourselves.
And we have a way, human, to communicate that freedom.
Yeah.
Be civilized and respectful.
Right.
To communicate whatever you are concerned or whatever you don't agree with.
Because we have the right to say what we agree with or what we don't agree with.
We shouldn't be punished in any area of the world, in any place of the world.
The freedom should be on the planet.
Yes.
Around the planet.
Right.
For the children, for the young ones, for the women, for the men.
Everybody, for the old elders.
Yes.
That is something basic for to be called human.
Yes.
You are not on this planet and then you put in practice all your cruelty, your punishments,
your crimes to submit the people and you will never succeed.
We have to focus more in the spirituality.
That's right.
And then the getting in touch with the God or whoever you believe in your life
that bring us peace and quiet and peace of mind in our planet.
Yes.
We don't need to focus so much in material things.
Yeah.
And power.
Because we are transients here on earth.
Yeah.
And one day we will leave and everything will stay here on earth.
There is a harmony.
The only we can take with us is what we live on this life.
And we don't want to bring with us sorrow and pain.
We want to bring good memories, joy.
Yes.
That here.
Peace and quiet on earth.
That's all.
Thank you.
Nice.
Yes.
That's what we need a little bit of that.
Everybody.
It's like the holy bread.
