(Minghui.org) Standing in front of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto on December 19, Canadian citizen Paul Li (Li Zhe) called for the release of his father. His father Li Xiaobo (李晓波) has been detained for eight months in China for distributing information about the persecution of Falun Gong.

Canadian citizen Paul Li (Li Zhe) reads an open letter calling for his father's release from detention in China.

Local Falun Gong practitioners support Mr. Li in his plea for his father's rescue.

Mr. Li and his father were arrested at the beginning of April 2014 when distributing truth-clarification materials in local villages. Mr. Li was deported to Canada because he holds Canadian citizenship.

According to Paul, his father has lost the vision in his left eye since the arrest. His lawyer was denied the right to read Mr. Li Xiaobo's case materials, even after two attempts at the Longquanyi Court. Paul is worried about his father's situation. “The Longquanyi Detention Center refused visits from family members,” he said. “My father may be illegally sentenced at any time.”

Mr. Li Xiaobo was on the rescue list that the Canadian foreign minister gave to the Chinese leadership during bilateral meetings in November. He was just released from eight years of imprisonment in 2013.

A young Li Zhe with his father

The elder Mr. Li started practicing Falun Gong in 1996 and was able to end his 20-year smoking addiction. He became healthier and more calm. His father's positive changes eventually led Paul to pick up Zhuan Falun and embark on his own journey of cultivation.