China said it expelled 53 foreign followers of the banned Falungong spiritual group today who had been arrested during a protest on Tiananmen Square yesterday, while six others were being held for further investigation.
The chaotic scenes on the central Beijing square yesterday put the spotlight on human rights and religious freedom just a week before US President George W Bush visits China.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said yesterday the president would be "concerned with any arrests for religious purposes in China".
China's state Xinhua news agency said: "A total of 59 foreign Falungong activists agitated for the evil cult and stirred up trouble on Tiananmen Square yesterday.
"Of these, 53 from 12 countries, whose nationalities and identities had been confirmed, had left China as ordered by 6 pm (2100 AEDT) today."
The remaining six refused to reveal their nationalities or present any form of identification and were detained by police for investigation, Xinhua said.
Those deported today included 33 Americans and six Germans, according to US and German embassy officials.
They were among a group of Falungong practitioners from North America, Europe and elsewhere who were arrested when they unfurled banners and shouted Falungong slogans in protest at Beijing's suppression of the spiritual group.
Falungong's New York-based headquarters said in a statement that about 24 foreign practitioners were placed on a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit, citing a phone call it received from a practitioner just before the plane took off at 12:10 pm (1410 AEDT).
"I'm on Northwest flight 88 to Detroit. The scene on the square was pretty brutal. Very few practitioners made it to the centre of the square before being taken down," Scott Chinn from New York City was quoted as saying.
"I have a bruise... My wife's pants are torn. A few of us have black eyes and that sort of thing," Chinn said.
A Germany embassy official said six German Falungong members were expelled from China today on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt.
Some of the demonstrators seized had been treated roughly and witnessed others being beaten by police, Falungong quoted expelled protesters as saying.
"I witnessed a lot of beating... Many practitioners were bleeding and they were denied food and water," the group quoted Gina Sanchez, from Los Angeles, saying. She also called the group before boarding the flight to Detroit.
Xinhua said the protesters had violated Chinese law on demonstrations, and regulations on "evil cults" -- a term it uses for Falungong.
"Falungong sent foreigners to China to cause trouble and preach about the evil cult, attempting to sabotage the auspicious and peaceful atmosphere of the Chinese people's joyful Spring Festival and disturb social security," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in a statement today.
Xinhua said those arrested "were given reprimand, admonition, education and humanitarian treatment".
Western diplomats said eight foreign Falungong followers -- four Britons, two Finns and two French -- had been expelled yesterday, just before the protest. Some had been accused of trying to demonstrate the day before.
One diplomat said 14 people had been rounded up by Chinese police in a sweep of different hotels ahead of yesterday's protest.
Falungong issued a list of 45 foreign practitioners believed to have been detained: 34 from the United States, four from Britain, two from Sweden, two from Poland, and one each from New Zealand, Canada and Brazil.
The protest was the largest by overseas Falungong practitioners to date and is a major embarrassment for Beijing, which is expected to face tough questions on religious freedom during the Bush visit.
Human rights groups estimate that hundreds of Falungong followers have been sentenced to jail terms and tens of thousands sent to labour camps under the ban.
The movement says as many as 300 followers have died from brutality in police detention.