Ireland: Cases of Falun Gong practitioners Liu Feng and Yang Fang Are Raised During Wen Jibao's Visit

(Clearwisdom.net) During the Chinese Premier Wen Jibao's visit to Ireland, Falun Gong practitioners held peaceful appeals and exercise demonstrations to call for bringing the chief perpetrator of the persecution of Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin to justice. They also appealed for the release and return to Ireland of two students, Mr. Liu Feng and Ms. Yang Fang, who were arrested and detained due to their practice of Falun Gong on a visit to China.

According to an article entitled "Cases of Falun Gong practitioners raised" published by the Irish Times on May 22, the cases of Mr Feng Liu (24) and Ms Fang Yang (33), who studied at colleges in Dun Laoghaire in 1999, were raised at a meeting between Union of Students in Ireland representatives and Chinese Ambassador Sha Hailin on Wednesday.

The article quoted Mr. Will Priestley, president of USI, who said that he understood that Mr. Feng was sent to a "school of crime-correcting" in June 2002 for two years.

The report said that another Falun Gong practitioner, Mr. Zhao Ming, who attended Trinity College Dublin, was held in a Chinese labor camp for two years when he returned from Ireland for the Christmas holidays in 1999. He was released after a high-profile campaign in Ireland.

Irish Falun Gong practitioner Gerald said that many Irish government officials expressed their concerns over Liu Feng and Yang Fang's detention. Brian O'Shea, spokesperson of the Irish Labor Party said on May 6 that he has urged Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Brian Cowen to pay attention to the persecution that Falun Gong practitioners experienced in China, especially the cases of Dublin students Liu Feng and Yang Fang.

Gerald said that Louth County Assemblyman Mr. Peter Savage also requested on April 20 that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Cowen should use his influence to help rescue Liu Feng and Yang Fang.

It was reported that during Wen Jiabao's visit to Ireland, Irish Parliament Member Mr. Jim Higgins said that they should make Wen Jiabao understand the Irish government's concern and they should not sacrifice principles for short-term benefits.