Friday, February 15, 2002

Grace Schlesinger A city woman fears her son might be among an international group of Falun Gong protesters jailed by Chinese police Thursday in Beijing.

"I'm afraid for him, knowing the record of human rights violations in China," said Grace Schlesinger about the fate of her son, Tomasz Ozimek, 27.

"On the other hand, I honour him for having the courage to . . . put his life at risk for a very noble cause."

Ozimek was among Western groups of Falun Gong practitioners who went to Tiananmen Square to protest the treatment of the spiritual group, [...].

More than 40 foreign devotees of Falun Gong were arrested for protesting, with some maltreated by police, witnesses and media said.

Carl Schwenger, a spokesman for Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, said he doesn't know if Ozimek and Dan Rintoul, of Calgary, were among six Canadians arrested.

But the Toronto Falun Gong branch has identified the Canadians as Ozimek and Rintoul, Andrea Hayley, of Vancouver, Sophia Palfrey, of Victoria, and Adrian Sturdza and Dave Thompkins, both of Toronto.

"I think it's a very brave thing to do," said city Falun Gong practitioner Jan Jekielek, who said previous protesters have been physically injured.

Chi Yeh, an Edmonton spokesman for Falun Gong, which has about 100 practitioners in the city, said supporters will gather outside the Chinese embassy and consulate offices in major cities across Canada to peacefully appeal for the release of all who were arrested.

"We'd like to call for an immediate international intervention to release all these innocent people," said Yeh.

Schlesinger said her son Tom, a devoted Falun Gong practitioner for 2 1/2 years who worked at Spar Aerospace in Edmonton for about a year, moved in September to Warsaw, Poland, to promote Falun Gong and work as an English teacher.

He told her that going to China in support of Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who had been arrested, detained, tortured and killed was his "life calling."

David Kitt, a city practitioner, said he believes the timing of the protest has something to do with U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to China in a few days. Bush might pose tough questions to Chinese leaders about religious freedom.

Schwenger said Thursday's rally was about the fourth Falun Gong protest involving Canadians in Tiananmen Square. "We're beginning to see a pattern," he said.

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