Last week, the confirmed number of people killed in China for practicing or supporting Falun Gong topped 3,000. According to Chinese government sources, the true death toll is estimated to be as high as 10,000 or more. Most of the deaths resulted from severe forms of torture, including beatings, being shocked with 30,000-volt electric batons (often in sensitive places, such as the anus, genitals and mouth) and being submerged in sewage water for prolonged periods of time (see: [ http://www.faluninfo.net/torturemethods2/ ]torture methods). Since the Chinese Communist regime launched the suppression of Falun Gong in 1999, extreme violence -- combined with a systematic propaganda campaign and a wide range of extortion and suppression tactics -- has been used throughout China to coerce Chinese citizens into giving up their Falun Gong practice. The Falun Dafa InfoCenter has verified more than 63,000 cases of torture. Millions of Falun Gong men and women have been detained or sent to forced labor camps without trial. Untold thousands have been driven from their homes and workplaces by the threat of torture and imprisonment from local police.