U.S. Newswire: Scholars Write to Ask President Bush to Tell Chinese Government to Release American Citizen

March 19, 2003

WASHINGTON, U.S. Newswire - In a letter sent to President Bush, with copies furnished to Executive Branch offices, the President is urged to intervene in gaining the immediate release of Dr. Charles Li, an American citizen who was arrested on January 22, 2003, as soon as he walked off an airplane in Guangzhou, China.

Dr. Li immigrated to America in the early 1990s, and worked at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University's research hospital, before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area to begin his own import/export business in medicinal herbs. He flew to China to conduct business and visit his parents over the Chinese Lunar New Year. Authorities in China say that he will be charged with interfering with satellite communications, and could face up to 15 years imprisonment. Dr. Li is a medical doctor and lacks the technical skills to perform such acts and was not even in China when they took place. He adamantly denies the charges.

The only reason for the arrest is that Dr. Li is a Falun Gong practitioner, which China treats as a crime.

It was only natural and fitting that academics and professionals would identify with the plight of the 37-year-old physician. More than 100 academics and professionals have signed the letter. Several institute, departmental and branch heads and directors signed the letter that bore over 100 signatures. These include a 2002 Nobel Laureate Professor Smith (Economic Sciences) of George Mason University, and a co-Chair of the Beckman Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Greenough, who was an academic advisor to Charles back in the early 90s.

The letter points out the lack of justice in trials for Falun Gong practitioners. It also points out the unusual precedent being set by the Jiang regime of arresting, and holding in detention for an extended period of time, a U.S. Citizen. Finally, the letter points out the existence of an insidious blacklist that was compiled by the Chinese government for monitoring the behavior of Falun Dafa practitioners in the United States and worldwide.

For more information, please contact Dr. Gary Feuerberg. To

read the letter, please visit http://www.rescuecharles.org/en/emailcosignform.php

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/qtr1_2003/0319-139.html