Practitioners Gather at Place Des Nations in Geneva to Appeal for the Rescue of Family Members Being Persecuted in China (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa Information Center reports on March 19, 2003 - News from Geneva on March 18, 2003: During the 59^th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, family members of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China gathered on Place Des Nations, the square in front of the United Nations in Geneva to appeal to all kind-hearted people to help rescue these practitioners.

Mr. Baosheng Zhu came to Geneva from the UK to call for the rescue of his sister, who was illegally sentenced to four years imprisonment

Reporter: Mr. Zhu, why have you come to Geneva to participate in the march?

Mr. Zhu: My sister is a Falun Gong practitioner. On December 15, 2002, she was arrested when she went out with her friends because there was Falun Gong literature in their car. The police did not inform my family after arresting her. My family learned of her whereabouts one month later through unofficial channels. However, she was not allowed visitors unless she signed a paper to renounce Falun Gong. Eight months later, she was sentenced to four years of imprisonment along with five other practitioners.

Reporter: Can you tell us the situation before and after your sister practiced Falun Gong?

Mr. Zhu: My sister was a worker in a pharmaceutical company. She started practicing Falun Gong in 1994. Before she practiced Falun Gong, she was quite stubborn and self-indulgent. She was the youngest in my family and others took care of her. After practicing, she got rid of her bad habits and became an easy-going person. At her suggestion, I also started practicing Falun Gong. I caught pneumonia and suffered for three months before practicing. It has been four years since I started to practice Falun Gong, and I have never had any headaches or caught a cold since then. In addition, I don't feel the pressure of living overseas as I used to.

Reporter: After she was imprisoned, have any of your family members visited her, and what is her current situation?

Mr. Zhu: My elder sister visited her but didn't tell me the true situation, as she was afraid that I would worry. But I know that many Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured. I worry about her. I hope that she will be released through my efforts and the overseas Falun Gong practitioners' help.

Reporter: Are you confident about the overseas rescue effort?

Mr. Zhu: I am confident because quite a few practitioners have been released through the efforts of the Canadian, US and Australian governments, such as Professor Zhang Kunlun from Canada and Zhang Cuiying from Australia. Rescuing my sister is not for her benefit alone, but also for all Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted. As long as Falun Gong practitioners don't have freedom to practice in China, I will continue my appeal.

Mr. Xiong Zhiyuan Came to Geneva from Israel to Appeal for the Rescue of His Sister, Xiong Wei, Who is Illegally Imprisoned

Mr. Xiong Zhiyuan, an Israeli citizen engaging in international trade, came to Geneva specifically to appeal to the United Nations to help secure his sister's release.

Xiong Wei studied in Germany. She felt a lot of pressure from study and her health deteriorated. After practicing Falun Gong, she became healthy. Two years ago, she returned to China to work. On January 5, 2001, she was taken away as she distributed truth-clarification materials and sentenced to two years in prison without any legal procedure. She was allowed visitors for half an hour only after she had been imprisoned for half a year. Later Zhiyuan learned from calling his parents that his sister has become thinner and thinner in jail. The telephone in his parents' home is tapped and they don't dare to talk about sensitive topics.

Mr. Xiong Zhiyuan said, "We are very worry about her life. Xiong Wei is the youngest among my brothers and sisters. News about the torture of Falun Gong practitioners is continuously disclosed to overseas, and some have even been tortured to death. Last month, 38 practitioners died due to police brutality. We worry about her condition every moment."

Mr. Xiong is also persecuted by the Chinese Embassy in Israel. The Embassy refused his visa application and he cannot go to China. Earlier, he used to go to China once one or twice a month. For over two years, he has been unable to visit China. He said, "I can practice Falun Gong freely in Western countries, but I cannot go to my motherland."

Recently, International human rights organizations headquartered in Germany, Dublin Technology University, Association of Chinese and German Cultures, and the Falun Dafa Association jointly printed 60,000 post cards addressed to the German Prime Minister and called on him to urge the Chinese Government to release all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners. Six Israeli congress members and the leader of the opposition party signed a letter condemning the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong and calling for an end of the persecution. Israeli Falun Gong practitioners sat-in for 58 hours in front of the Chinese Embassy to call for the rescue of Xiong Wei.

Mr. Xiong said, "I thank the Israeli and German governments for their efforts to rescue Xiong Wei."

Mr. Xiong came to Geneva this time to call on kind people and governments to help end the persecution of Falun Gong and rescue hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted like his sister. Prisons should never be used for detaining good people.