Named a "Prisoner of Conscience" by Amnesty International Canada, Falun Gong Practitioner Regains Freedom

(Clearwisdom.net) On January 23, 2002, Falun Gong practitioner Shenli Lin, referred to as a "Prisoner of Conscience" by Amnesty International Canada, was released after one and a half years' illegal detention plus an arbitrary extension of another six months. Lin left Dafeng forced labor camp in an open and aboveboard manner, with dignity and with a Dafa practitioner's unbreakable faith in "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance."

---

January 29, 2002

On January 23, 2002, I heard my husband Shenli's voice when I called my family in Shanghai, China. It was wonderful that Shenli had been released from Dafeng Labour Camp and had returned home.

Looking through the window at the falling snow, all kinds of feelings welled up in my heart.

It has been over two years since my husband was incarcerated in the labour camp for making a peaceful appeal for Falun Gong at the government appeal office in Beijing. He and our family have suffered a great deal. Please think about it. Over 700 days and nights, his white-haired, ailing mother hoped for her son's return, and as a newlywed couple, we were forced to be separated, with an ocean between us and not a trace of news from each other. Should all of this have happened? No, this is a tragedy which should not have occurred.

A human being was jailed for two years simply because he wished to become a better person by following the principle of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" and he honestly expressed these words from his heart. We cannot find many tragedies such as this throughout human history, yet the same tragedy is repeating everyday for tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners in China. Is this a phenomenon which is right and just? How distressing it is to see this occurring in China.

Shenli is home and has maintained his firm belief and his dignity. He carries with him the righteousness of a Falun Dafa disciple. I am proud of him. I feel so joyful and happy. As your wife and your fellow practitioner, I sincerely salute you, Shenli.

Shenli is back home. The good news is spreading quickly. Countless kind people are greatly delighted, many are overjoyed to tears. In Canada, so many kind Canadian people have worked hard for his freedom. Over the last two years, Amnesty International launched and twice re-launched a nation-wide letter-writing campaign to appeal for Shenli's release. Over the last two years, I received over 50 letters from MPs and Senators, including a letter from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They all expressed their sympathy, concern and support. I received over 100 letters from professors. Over the last two years, countless just reports from the media made the ordeal of our family known to the Canadian people. Something that I will never forget in my whole life is that on a hot summer day, Mr. Cotler and Mr. Reid joined my vigil outside the Chinese Embassy to appeal for Shenli's release. My special thanks go to Mr. Irwin Cotler, who has been the best support anybody could possibly get when facing such kind of misery.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I thank all the kind Canadian people and I thank the Canadian government, especially the Foreign Affairs department and the Immigration department. I thank all those who are making great efforts to rescue the persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China. All you have done will bring you boundless beneficence in the future. Thank you again.