Ottawa, Canada: Stories of 15 Canadian Family Members Incarcerated in China Presented at Parliament Hill

(Clearwisdom.net) Ottawa, Canada -- July 20 2002 marks three years in which Falun Gong has been persecuted in China. On Thursday, July 18, joined by M.P. Scott Reid, Chinese Canadians whose family members are incarcerated in China held a press conference inside the Parliament to present stories of the brutal suppression their loved ones are enduring. Out of hundreds of thousands being incarcerated, fifteen are family members of twelve Canadian citizens and residents. One of them has been missing for over a year; three have been persecuted to death; twelve are still in jail or labour camps.

"Falun Dafa brought harmony into my twin sister's life, so she told her friends and colleages that all the propaganda defaming Falun Dafa is a lie. She was taken away from her young baby and was sent to a labour camp", said 29 --year old Torontorian Tianying Peng.

Shenli Lin thanked Canada for assisting in his release from a Chinese labour camp. He said "My brother Mingli was kidnapped and sent to a labour camp because he still refuses to give up his belief even after repeated brainwashing classes and detention. I hope Canada can help gain the release of my brother and other Falun Gong practitioners just as Canada has helped me."

"My husband Zhaojin Qiu was a chief art editor of a major newspaper in Jinan City. He and my son went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. They were both arrested and sent to labour camp for three years. Freedom of belief and expression are guaranteed by China's constitution. The Chinese authorities broke this law", said Yanying Wang.

Li Zhang's husband is an award winning structural engineer who was imprisoned for sending truthful information about Falun Gong to friends. She said, "When I last saw him in a prison hospital, he was so weak that he could not stand by himself. The healthy and energetic Lizhi was barely with us. My heart was broken," said Zhang. Li Zhang immigrated to Canada last year.

Last month, Amnesty International launched a campaign calling for the release of Lizhi He, a "prisoner of conscience".

M.P. Reid, who has helped with the successful rescue and return of Canadians or the relatives of Falun Gong practitioners like Kunlun Zhang, Ying Zhu and Shenli Lin said, "In each case these people have become once again model citizens as they were before."

"I know that in this respect I am backed up by all members of parliament of all parties, that the Canadian government should do what it can to represent its willingness to accept these fine people as residents of Canada and to encourage as well the Chinese government to once again act upon the principles of 'Truth, Compassion, Forbearance' which motivate Falun Gong and which are at the heart of the ancient Chinese civilization", said Reid.

At this weekend's activities, Canadian Falun Gong practitioners will distribute handmade paper lotus flowers nation-wide as a symbol of maintaining hope and strength in the face of brutality.