Russia: Succumbing to CCP Pressure, Russian Government Deports UN Refugees (Photo)


On March 28, 2007, Falun Gong practitioner Ma Hui and her 8-year-old daughter
Ma Jingjing, who had earlier been granted UN Refugee Status in St. Petersburg,
Russia, were taken away from their home by six officers from the Deportation
Department of the Immigration Bureau in St. Petersburg, Russia. On the night
of March 28, one Russian policewoman and several Chinese government officers
forced Ma Hui and Ma Jingjing to board Flight FV-215 from St. Petersburg to
Beijing, and deported them to China. The plane took off at 19:50 from St. Petersburg.



Falun Gong practitioner Ma Hui and her 8-year-old daughter Ma
Jingjing


On March 29, Ma Hui’s family members, who went to the International Airport
in Beijing to meet them, did not see Ma Hui and her daughter. Later, they
learned that Ma Jingjing has been sent to Ma Hui’s sister, but they didn’t have
any information about Ma Hui. Ma Hui’s family members received a phone call from
a man who told them that Ma Hui and her daughter arrived in Harbin, and that Ma
Jingjing was at Ma Hui’s sister’s house. The man also told them that it was
unclear if Ma Hui can go home or not. Ma Hui’s family believes that Ma Hui is
being held by China’s National Security Bureau. Ma Hui and Ma Jingjing’s
situation have drawn international attention.



Well Planed Arrest



On the morning of March, after Ma Hui and Ma Jingjing had breakfast, six
officers from the Deportation Department of Immigration Bureau in St. Petersburg
came to their house. They turned off Ma Hui’s phone and asked Ma Hui to go with
them. Ma Hui was allowed to bring a purse with her passport in it.


After hearing of Ma Hui’s arrest, the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) immediately acted to rescue them. Officers
from UNHCR, The International Red Cross, lawyers, Ma Hui’s husband and several
Falun Gong practitioners went to the airport and tried to rescue Ma Hui and her
daughter. At the beginning, the officers of the airport denied that Ma Hui and
her daughter were there. Later, it was verified that they were there, then the
airport refused to allow the lawyer and Ma Hui’s family to meet them. The
officers from UNHCR kept calling the Immigration Bureau of Russia and the branch
in St. Petersburg. The Immigration Bureau lied that they already dropped the
order of deportation. But when the officers from UNHCR and Ma Hui’s family
talked to the immigration officers at the airport, the airport said that they
cannot find any officers to help them. They used this excuse to buy time for
themselves. They didn’t give any direct answer to Ma Hui’s family even after the
plane took off. During the whole process, several unidentified Chinese people
were seen in the police department and airport.


Mr. Li, Ma Hui’s husband, expressed that deportation is a complex procedure,
but the deportation of Ma Hui was executed so fast. He believed that the whole
deportation was well planned in advance. Every step of this deportation was
unusual. There was a flight from St. Petersburg to China on March 28, so they
took action on that day. They even bought the airplane ticket before it, but Ma
Hui and her family didn’t know anything before they were arrested. The Chinese
Communist Party’s fingerprint can be seen in every step of the whole
deportation.



International Society Condemns the Russian Government Assisting the CCP in
Persecuting Falun Gong



Both Ma Hui and her husband are Falun Gong practitioners. They have been
living in Russia for many years. After the CCP launched the persecution of Falun
Gong in 1999, they could not go back to China. Ma Hui applied for UN Refugee
Status and it was granted three years ago. However, the Immigration Bureau in
Russia refuses to grant refugee status to Falun Gong practitioners, so her case
was pending for a long time. She was supposed to have a trial of her case on
March 30. According to the laws in Russia, she can stay in Russia legally before
the trial.


The deportation of Ma Hui and her daughter has drawn attention from
international society. A member of European Parliament who is also former
president of the European Union-Duma Cooperation Committee wrote to the Russian
government, requesting cancellation of the deportation. He was very worried that
Mrs. Ma Hui would be arrested as soon as she got off the plane in China. He
expressed that he cannot imagine what would happen because Falun Gong
practitioners are persecuted every day, including being tortured and organs
being harvested.


A representative of the International Red Cross expressed that the
deportation violates not only the laws in Russia but also the European
Convention on Human Rights and relevant international laws of deportation.
Moreover, before the deportation, the Russian government should inform the
representatives of the Red Cross and lawyers and obtain the signature of the
deportee’s family.


Six Russian media reported the deportation. They pointed out that deporting a
woman and a child who have UN refugee status while their Russian refugee case is
pending is both immoral and violates the law.


Mr. Li, Ma Hui’s husband, pointed out that the CCP is behind the whole
deportation, and this is another case of the CCP persecuting Falun Gong
overseas. The CCP gets the Russian government involved in the persecution of
Falun Gong by promising economic partnership, and the Russian government
unreasonably accepted the CCP’s instigation. Mr. Li expressed that succumbing to
the CCP’s pressure badly tarnishes the international image of Russia and brings
danger to the whole country.

Posting date: 2/April/2007
Original article date: 31/March/2007
Category: World News

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