[Clearwisdom.net] Prof. Zhang Kunlun held a press conference in Ottawa, Canada on January 18, soon after his release from a Chinese labor camp. The meeting hall was crowded. Reporters from the People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency were there as well.

The attorney for Prof. Zhang Kunlun, Dr. Irwin Cotler, a congressman (Liberal MP) and human right's expert, delivered the opening speech. He is also a colleague of Prof. Zhang at McGill University. He said: "We are delighted at Professor Zhang's release. ...Professor Zhang should never have been arrested, detained, tortured or sentenced to three years in a labor camp to begin with. ... Professor Zhang's release should not obscure the fact that thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are still languishing in prisons, labor camps, mental institutions just like Professor Zhang. ...Falun Gong practitioners' belief in Truth, Compassion and Tolerance contains the values of traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese Government's brutal persecution of Falun Gong is not only against the International Human Rights Convention for which the Chinese government also signed, and at the same time is also against the Chinese Constitution itself."

Prof. Zhang first thanked the Canadian Government and all the people who offered their concerns and support to him. He also hoped that all the practitioners in China could regain their freedom soon. Prof. Zhang then described the tortures upon him while in China.

Reporters were eager, but they politely asked Prof. Zhang questions. One reporter asked, "Do you worry about your wife who is still in China?"

Prof. Zhang said, "Yes, and I am worrying about all the other Falun Gong practitioners in China as well."

When others were asking questions in order, the reporter from the People's Daily in Canada dashed to the front area from his seat. He spoke in Chinese with animated gestures and reiterated a bunch of stale Chinese official statements to Prof. Zhang. The chair for the press conference warned the reporter several times that he could only ask questions, he could not make statements, and he could not create a disturbance for no reason. But that reporter ignored all of these warnings.

The chair warned him once again, "if you do not stop right now, I will send you out immediately." The reporter then reluctantly went back to his seat.

The reporter from the Xinhua News Agency asked Dr. Irwin Cotler, "If this suppression were in the U.S., would you say anything about it?"

Dr. Cotler said: "Human rights has no boundary. I also stepped forward to raise the awareness to the public when human rights' violations were found in some places in the U.S. However, it is rarely seen that a country would take such a large scale human rights violations as their national policy."

This reporter asked again, "Falun Gong and the David Cult in the U.S.. ...." Dr. Cotler answered seriously, "I know you wanted to see Falun Gong as the David Cult in the U.S. Falun Gong, which promotes Truth, Compassion and Forbearance, has no relationship at all with the David Cult. Yesterday, your Olympic officers working on applying for hosting the Olympiad in 2008 were all saying that Falun Gong is peaceful. I don't think your government would make up another story [by saying that Falun Gong is peaceful] in order to become qualified for hosting the Olympiad."

When everyone was thinking they [the reporters from the People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency] should behave properly at this moment, the reporter from the People's Daily still yelled loudly, "The Falun Gong they are practicing in China is different from the Falun Gong they are practicing here."....