Press Release

For immediate release

December 7, 2000

Today, Members of Parliament and Falun Gong practitioners co-hosted a press conference on Parliament Hill with regard to Professor Zhang Kunlun, a Canadian citizen who has been sent to labor camp in China.

Ms. Lingdi Zhang, Professor Zhang's daughter was present to answer questions about her father. MP's Ms. Francine Lalonde, Mr. Irwin Cotler, Mr. Scott Reid, and Mr. Mauril Belanger each gave a short speech. Amnesty International also presented a statement in support of Zhang and Falun Gong.

Professor Zhang is a Falun Gong practitioner and a former Montrealer. He is one of the 50,000 Falun Gong practitioners who have been jailed, tortured, or sent to labor camps during the Chinese government's brutal persecution of Falun Gong since July 1999.

"The Falun Gong crackdown no longer simply involves the Chinese authorities committing crimes against their own citizens," said Mr. Reid.

"Human rights must be an absolute priority in Canada's relationship with China. Prospects for trade cannot be pursued at the expense of the basic human rights of Kunlun Zhang; or the many thousands of other men, women and children who are unjustly imprisoned, tortured and killed throughout China," wrote Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International of Canada, in his statement for this conference.

MP and McGill University Law professor Mr. Irwin Cotler has agreed to act pro bono as international legal counsel to imprisoned Professor Zhang. Mr. Cotler enumerated nine major human rights violations from Chinese authorities, including:

• "Violations of the right to freedom of conscience and belief, as in the prohibition and suppression of Professor Zhang's right to believe in, profess, and practice the Falun Gong values of "truthfulness, compassion, tolerance"; and
• "Violations of the rights to freedom of expression and information, as in the banning and burning of Falun Gong books and materials."

Mr. Cotler called upon the Chinese authorities to "Repeal the illegal ban on Falun Gong. Rescind any laws or regulations specifically criminalizing the Falun Gong as an 'illegal association' and prohibiting thereby the exercise of the fundamental freedom of their

members. Release professor Zhang ... release all Falun Gong practitioners now detained in prison, forced labor camps, or psychiatric detention."

"What matters today is professor Zhang's life. Therefore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs must intervene personally with his Chinese counterpart, use his influence and all means to ensure Mr. Zhang's release," said Ms. Lalonde.

Mr. Belanger added: "The government of the PRC must immediately release professor Zhang, and allow him to return to Canada, the country which he is the citizen of."

Sent by the "Appeal for Kunlun Zhang Volunteer Team"

Contact Lucy 613-599-7494, 613-862-7494 (cell)