A woman who heckled Chinese President Hu Jintao on the White House lawn, said her protest was a spontaneous reaction to China's suppression of the Falungong spiritual movement. Wang Wenyi, 47, interrupted the elaborate welcome ceremony laid on by President George W. Bush on Thursday by shouting abuse at the Chinese leader for several minutes before she was detained by Secret Service agents.
Writing in the New York-based Falungong mouthpiece, The Epoch Times, Wang, who had gained access to the ceremony with a press pass from the newspaper, said her original intention had been simply to report on the event.
"However, when I saw President Bush shake hands with Hu Jintao, I couldnt help but cry out," she said.
"I cried out for those who have been tortured and suffered genocidal persecution," she added.
Specifically, Wang said she was motivated by Falungong claims that hundreds of its practitioners detained in China were being "dissected alive" and their organs sold on the international transplant market.
"I acted in a way consistent with the American spirit. I also acted to protect the dignity of America and human kind," she said.
Wang was arraigned in court on Friday and charged with seeking to "intimidate, coerce, frighten or harass Chinese President Hu Jintao, a foreign official in the performance of his duty."
A preliminary hearing for a trial will be held on May 3.
China outlawed the Falungong in 1999, branding it an "evil cult".
The movement believes that illnesses are manifestations of bad deeds from previous lives which can be healed by practising meditation and breathing exercises.
