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U.S.
Citizen Held in China for Practice of Falun Gong
Chinese Officials
Formulate Charges That Could Mean Up To 15 Years in Prison
Dr. Charles
Li, an American Citizen and practitioner of Falun Gong, was
detained after arriving at the Guangzhou Airport on January
22, 2003. He is facing a sentence of up to 15 years in a Chinese
prison on dubious charges, and is only allowed 30 minutes
per month of contact with the US Embassy.
American Tells U.S. Consulate Official: "I've done nothing
wrong... they regard me as a political prisoner simply because
I practice Falun Gong."
NEW YORK
(FDI) -- Charles Li, a U.S. Citizen from Menlo Park, California,
was detained at Guangzhou Airport shortly after landing there
on January 22, 2003. He was then transferred approximately
1,000 miles away to the Yangzhou Detention Center in Jiangsu
Province.
Two days later, Chinese authorities officially notified the
U.S. consulate in Shanghai, saying Charles will be charged
with sabotaging T.V. and/or radio equipment -- a charge that,
according to a U.S. official in Shanghai, could mean up to
15 years in prison.
Charles denied the charges when talking with a U.S. consulate
official yesterday. He told the U.S. official that he believes
Chinese officials are treating him like a political prisoner
because he practices Falun Gong.
"An innocent American has been illegally arrested and
threatened with false charges that could lead to 15 years
in prison, simply because he practices Falun Gong," says
Falun Dafa Information Center spokesman, Erping Zhang. "This
is outrageous... Charles must be released immediately. We
urge the U.S. government and the American people to help rescue
Charles from China."
Fair Legal Proceedings Unlikely for American
A U.S. official was granted a 30 minute meeting with Charles
yesterday, and was told she would only be allowed one 30 minute
meeting per month.
The U.S. official said she provided Charles with a list of
attorneys during the brief meeting. Legal representation and
a fair trial, however, have officially been denied to practitioners
of Falun Gong in the past.
According to an August 24, 1999 AFP report: "The Chinese
Government has ordered Chinese lawyers not to plead for Falun
Gong practitioners. This order comes from the notices of Bureau
of Justice to attorney offices in major cities."
In 2001, sources in China indicate that the Bureau changed
its strategy slightly: Instead of out-right denial of legal
representation, lawyers are required to "strictly stay
in accordance with the tone of the Central Government"
and are "appointed" to represent Falun Gong practitioners
in court.
Without any legal procedure or with show trials of "legal
proceedings," since July 1999, over 100,000 Chinese Falun
Gong practitioners have been sent to forced labor camps and
prisons where they regularly face torture and "brainwashing
classes." The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified
details of 560 deaths (sources), while government officials
inside China report that the actual death toll is well over
1,600. Some expert sources estimate that figure to be much
higher.
Foreign Nationals Targeted: A New Trend?
In a separate case, Nancy Chan, an Australian citizen, was
detained by Chinese officials in Chengdu also on January 22,
2003.
"This is an alarming escalation to the persecution of
Falun Gong practitioners," comments Mr. Zhang. "In
the last week, we've seen two foreign nationals held and face
the potential of being slapped with trumped up charges simply
because they practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is practiced
in over 60 countries around the world...it seems no one from
any of these countries is safe should they choose to travel
to China."
Jan Becker an Australian citizen and former Olympic swimmer
for Australia, shares this concern. "What is a person
to do if they practice Falun Gong, and they need to travel
to China to do business or attend a conference or are competing
in the 2008 Olympics?"
Ms. Becker concludes, "Jiang's regime has done nothing
less than target a segment of the world community for persecution.
Regardless of race, nationality or age, you are in grave danger
in China if you practice Falun Gong."
The
Charles Li That I Know
Charles' fiance, Ms Fu Yongching
Charles
is an American citizen and a Falun Gong practitioner. Rescuing
him is the responsibility of each practitioner in the US,
and around the world. Perhaps fellow practitioners from other
areas do not know him and his fiance Yongqing. I would like
to write about my own contact with them in order to help other
practitioners have a better understanding of them.
The first
time I met Charles was in 2000. At that time he was already
in the San Francisco Bay area. I knew he was studying medicine.
Charles is an upright and sincere person. He donated all his
time, energy and money to clarifying the truth, but he is
always very modest. He is also an extremely warm-hearted person
and is always glad to help others. Whenever anyone looks to
him for help, he is always willing.
Charles
is very genial, and always smiling. It gives people a very
warm feeling. Once, I complained to him that I did very little
for Dafa. He patiently listened to me complain and did not
show any signs of being bothered; then he said there was a
job that just suited me. I had something to do, in my heart
I was very happy and felt secure. Now looking back, actually
like so many other Dafa practitioners, he had taken upon himself
many jobs. If I could learn to look inside early and get rid
of my attachments, it would be so wonderful and reduce many
losses.
Charles
opened a small company, and his work hours were flexible.
He used all the time he could to validate Dafa and save sentient
beings. Once, he heard that practitioners in South America
were few and their financial situation was very tight, so
he sent large quantities of money to help without telling
others. He was steadfast in cultivation and never showed off.
Almost all the Bay area practitioners know and deem him as
an extremely good person.
Charles'
fiance Yongqing is a tall and slender young girl. She is temperate
and gentle. Due to my human thoughts, when I first saw her,
I thought with normal people's mentality: someone like her
may not like to acknowledge me. One time when I needed to
ask for her help I got a chance to talk to her, and only then
did I find out that she is an amiable warm-hearted person.
When I
read the news of Charles' arrest, I was shocked. When I saw
Youngqing's tearful eyes and melancholy facial expression
as she hurried about in Washington D.C. to accept interviews
to rescue Charles, my heart was sorrowful, and I couldn't
contain my tears. The Bay area practitioners were too sad
to eat.
After
reading the article on Clearwisdom "My thoughts from
the scenes in other dimension on rescuing Charles Li,"
I was indeed shaken up. I know Charles, therefore I am positively
participating in the rescue effort, but have I achieved the
determination in my heart that "I will not rest until
Charles is rescued?" Moreover, because Charles is a practitioner
I know and he also helped me, I therefore take it seriously.
Then how about another US practitioner, Teng Chun Yan who
has been detained for several years? Also other practitioners'
family members persecuted in China? Recently a Canadian practitioner's
mother was released before her sentence expired. Our Bay area
practitioners also participate in the "Rescue Our Family
Members" campaign. Their family members are persecuted
in China. Since I do not know them personally, do I behave
indifferently?
Actually,
from the human surface my strength is very weak, what I can
do is very little, but as a Dafa practitioner, what is truly
needed is my heart.
I am aware
that practitioners in the US do not necessarily need to do
more but should put this matter in their hearts. When sending
forth righteous thoughts, think of Charles in your hearts,
think of those family members of the "Rescue Our Family
Members" we may not know. Naturally it will make the
evil scared, and the evil will of itself be destroyed. Last
time the House of Representatives unanimously passed House
Resolution 188 with a 420:0 vote to condemn the Jiang regime's
brutal persecution of Falun Gong, I think it was because all
US practitioners paid attention, all treated it as an important
matter, and all put it in their hearts, so we achieved such
a good result.
Let us
all work hard to rescue Charles back to the US soon.
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