January 22, 2001 We thank the Canadian people who helped free Professor Zhang from his illegal imprisonment. However, the Chinese Government continues to torture Professor Zhang even after his release and return to Canada by spreading propaganda material recorded during his severe brainwashing in detention to defame him and Falun Gong, to deceive the public and to hide their horrific abuses. This alone shows the vicious nature of the illegal crackdown by the Chinese Government. Falun Gong's teachings of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" are noble. Chinese authorities' criminalization of Falun Gong is unlawful and the persecution severely violates China's own constitution as well as the international agreements and treaties it has signed. Professor Zhang is only one of the tens of thousands of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners who are experiencing severe physical and mental torture in detention under the name of "re-education". To date, over 120 innocent practitioners have died in police custody as a result of this torture. While we have seen the first sign of the effect of international pressure in the release of Professor Zhang, the continuing support from international communities is crucial in completely ending the brutal persecution of Falun Gong and securing the unconditional release of all Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Category: Opinion & Perspective
