Hour Magazine (Montreal): Persecution Up Close

Week of August 9, 2001

Montrealer, Jingyu Li waits for news of her missing husband on a hot sidewalk in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, depending on the kindness of good friends and complete strangers. Once, a 5-year old girl brought her cold water, shortly thereafter, a 62 year old woman she'd never before met, stopped by to comfort her.

Her husband, Shenli Lin, like her, a Falun Gong practitioner, first disappeared into a Chinese labour camp 18 months ago. Nothing has been heard from him since. Scheduled for release July 23, what happened next as Jingyu explains, was "very, very sad."

"His family in China had gathered to celebrate his release," she said, "when his sister suddenly received a call from the labour camp saying not to come and pick him up because his sentence had just been extended another half year. He gave no reason; he just hung up."

Jingyu began her vigil two days later. MPs Irwin Cotler and Scott Reid soon joined her, as have both Montreal and Ottawa chapters of Amnesty International. (The public is cordially encouraged to do likewise; the Chinese embassy is conveniently located at 525 St. Patrick's Street, in downtown Ottawa).

The Chinese government began their vicious persecution of the meditation group two years ago. Since then, Amnesty International estimates at least 258 Falun Gong practitioners have died in police custody.

A recent Washington Post story carried by many Canadian mainstream dailies suggests the crackdown is working and many Falun Gong practitioners are leaving. Montreal spokesperson, Yumin Yang says he has not read the article, but he's not surprised. People here can't fully appreciate just how bad the situation is, he says.

"The persecution in China is beyond the imagination of people in a democracy such as Canada," he said. "In China many, many Falun Gong practitioners have had to sign 'letters and declarations of repentance' under force."

So it is, that a very unrepentant, determined Jingyu Li whiles away the long, oftimes lonely hours, under a relentless sun on an Ottawa sidewalk.

"The days are very long and hot," she says, "and I spend most of my time chatting with people, reading and doing my exercises. And I make many, many phone calls to the embassy to ask about my husband, but as soon as I identify myself, they quickly hang up."

Similar efforts by this reporter had similar results.

"I just want to convince those people inside (the Embassy)," she said, "to feel with their heart, not their jobs."

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(Ed. note: Chinese Embassy, 1-613-789-3434, ask for Ambassador Mei Ping).