(Clearwisdom.net)
News from Ireland March 13th--After two years of illegal imprisonment in Beijing, Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Ming of Ireland was released on March 12th, 2002, as a result of the many calls and great pressure from the international community.
Having endured two years of torture, Zhao Ming's body has been severely damaged, and he remains very weak. It has been confirmed that he was subjected to near constant beatings, electric baton shocks, forced heavy labor, and coercive brainwashing. He was under great pressure at all times to give up his faith, but he withstood these tests with his righteous beliefs solidly intact.
Zhao Ming's release is the result of numerous calls and overwhelming support from the international community. The Falun Dafa in Ireland Association would like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who unselfishly helped to bring about Zhao Ming's freedom.
We thank Trinity College Provost Professor John Hegarty and many other teachers, the Students' Union, the Graduate Students' Union (including the directors of these two unions, Jim Dowling, Elizabeth Drew, and Brown MacSharry). We thank the "Friends of Zhao Ming." We thank the government of Ireland, including the President Mary McAleese, the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Brian Cowen, the National Parliament (Oireachtas) and their members, each major Union, the Dublin City government, each County government and their members of Parliaments.
We thank the Government of the United Kingdom, the Parliament, and Lord Moyne. We thank the headquarters of Amnesty International in London along with its Irish Branch, the Dublin Central Group (Terry Butler and others), and other AI Branches. We thank the "Frontline" Human Rights Organization and its chair Madam Mary Lawlor. We thank the United Nations High Commissioner Mrs. Mary Robinson. We thank the European Commission and its members. We thank each European country's government. We thank the countless kindhearted individuals, known and unknown, who rose to the challenge!
The international community will continue to be concerned about Zhao Ming and help him safely return to Ireland to finish his studies. The overseas friends of Zhao Ming are also anticipating his return.
Zhao Ming entered the Department of Computer Science at Trinity College in Ireland as a graduate student in March 1999. He went back to China during Christmas of 1999 to appeal, hoping that the Chinese government would investigate the truth of Falun Gong and stop the ridiculous persecution. But he was illegally arrested, detained, and since May of 2000, he had been imprisoned in the Tuanhe Labor Camp in Daxing County, Beijing, until he was released yesterday.
Kindhearted people of the world are glad to hear that Zhao Ming is free. But we will continue to focus upon the Chinese government, demanding that it make the right choices in the future, that it stop its cruel persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, and that it release all detained Falun Gong practitioners.