May 12, 2004

A Chinese dissident (1) made a passionate appeal for an end to human rights abuses in his country at a meeting of a parliamentary committee in Leinster House yesterday.

Mr. Zhao Ming, a member of the Falun Gong movement, told a sub-committee on human rights how he had been imprisoned and tortured for his spiritual beliefs and practices.

Mr Zhao also highlighted the cases of two Chinese students, Mr Feng Liu (24) and Ms Fang Yang (33), who had been attending colleges in Dun Laoghaire but were detained by the Chinese authorities during a visit to their home country. He alleged that they were now unable to leave China.

Mr Zhao said he was a computer science student at Trinity College Dublin when he went home to China in 1999. Because of his adherence to the non-violent Falun Gong movement, he was arrested without warrant and put in a labour camp without trial.

He claimed he was subjected to "brainwashing" to force him to renounce his beliefs. He further alleged that, on different occasions, he was deprived of sleep, forced to squat and had his hands pinned behind his back, all for long periods.

Mr Zhao alleged he was beaten so hard that he "couldn't walk for two weeks" and that he was also subjected to electric shocks.

When asked by Mr Tony Gregory TD (Independent) why an element of the Chinese leadership was carrying out such persecution, Mr Zhao replied that there was no rational explanation for this, any more than there was for Ancient Rome's persecution of the early Christians.

"It is nothing to do with politics, they just want to monopolise people's minds," he added.

Mr Pat Carey TD (FF) said it was "opportune" that Mr Zhao and his Falun Gong associates had come before the sub-committee on the day the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Wen Jiabao, was visiting Ireland. "All of us have huge concerns about human rights abuses in China," Mr Carey said.

The sub-committee adopted a proposal from Sen Paschal Mooney (FF) that an "urgent note" be sent to the Taoiseach about the two Dun Laoghaire students, requesting him to raise the issue with the Chinese Prime Minister.

(1) Falun Gong practitioners are against the persecution, but have no political agenda and are not against the Chinese government.