CTVNEWS: Canadian Falun Gong Member Returns From China

November 22 2001

The second Canadian man who took part in a pro-Falun Gong protest in the heart of Beijing earlier this week arrived home late Wednesday night to a cheering crowd of family and friends.

Zenon Dolnyckyj, 23, of Toronto was among 35 Westerners arrested and then expelled from China for protesting Tuesday in Tiananmen Square.

When Dolnyckyj arrived at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, more than 50 supporters carrying signs broke into cheers and songs.

During a brief stopover in Vancouver, Dolnyckyj said he was beaten and made to "write statements" during his detention.

"I was beaten in Tiananmen Square. My nose was bleeding and I was punched all over the body and in the head," Dolnyckyj said. "I was dragged into a van. We were detained for over 24 hours."

He said he wasn't surprised by the arrests, or his treatment.

"By no means do they surprise me with how vicious they are," said Dolnyckyj, who accused Chinese authorities of constantly mistreating Falun Gong supporters.

Despite Dolnyckyj's comments about being beaten, China's Xinhua News Agency said the protesters had been treated with "humanitarian concern."

Another Canadian protester, Joel Chipkar also of Toronto, was released Tuesday and arrived in Canada earlier.

They were part of a group of Westerners, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who unfurled banners and sat in the lotus position in the middle of Tiananmen Square in what Falun Gong said was a protest aimed at drawing attention to persecuted Chinese practitioners.

The nationality of demonstrators included Australians, French, Germans, Irish, Israelis, Swedes, Swiss, Britons and Americans, Falun Gong said.

Chinese authorities outlawed Falun Gong in 1999. The government says it is an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]".

Falun Gong says 300 followers have died in custody and many more have been tortured and abused.

Dolynyckyj said he isn't planning to go back to China any time soon.

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