Liu Zhirong was a 42-year-old schoolteacher at Tuanjie Elementary School in the Xifeng District of Qingyang City in China. He practiced meditation and aspired to embrace and manifest truthfulness, compassion and tolerance in his daily life. His life was brought to an end prematurely by those who did not have the same lofty ideals to guide them.

Zhirong enjoyed the practice of Falun Gong. For more than six years, the Chinese Communist Party has embarked on a campaign to eliminate this peaceful meditation practice and Zhirong was a victim of the CCP's goal.

It is claimed that he was tortured to death in the Tianshui City No 3 Prison on or around January 14th 2006 in Prison Ward number 1. The address of the prison is No 196 Jianshe Road, Tianshui City, Gansu Province. The phone number there is 86-938-8278849.

What was Zhirong doing in prison? In most countries around the world, elementary school teachers are not imprisoned for meditation. Things are a little different under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. Stories such as Zhirong's are not at all uncommon.

The Clearwisdom website records these abuses. They have documented over 2800 deaths like Liu Zhirong's since 1999. Other organizations have also documented this ongoing persecution. The methods of torture utilized include so many different varieties that it is difficult to remember them all.

Records indicate that the CCP also persecutes a wide range of groups and individuals. Christians and Tibetan Buddhists as well as those who support various freedoms are among the Party's victims.

One may question why the Chinese Communist Party engages in or permits torture. It is hoped that the reader recognizes that there is no rational justification for torture and even less so in the case of peaceful, non-violent meditators like Zhirong.

Why all this violence? Why all this hatred? Sadly, the Chinese Communist Party has been a brutal entity since its very beginning. History has documented the millions of Chinese people that the CCP has killed since it took power decades ago. The tally far exceeds the number of people killed by Adolf Hitler.

Why is it that much of the world, despite the excellent documentation, continually fails to recognize this as a major problem? Is it the lure of big business? Is it that China seems too far away to make a difference to us? Hasn't history adequately demonstrated that what we ignore ends up on our back porch sooner or later?

Whatever the reason, we must not turn a blind eye and sit idly while innocent men, women and children are brutalized by the Chinese Communist Party for practicing meditation or having a belief. Each of us can stand up and provide a voice for those who have been silenced by the CCP.

Shining the international spotlight on the atrocities may help to reduce them. Writing letters and raising awareness are an important beginning.