"Show Trial" in China is a Violation of the Human Rights of Two Students from Tsinghua University (Photo)

Dr. Weiguo Xie and Member of Parliament representative Patsy Calton in front of the U.K. Parliament Building

(Clearwisdom.net) Epoch Times reports that on January 10, the Chaoyang District Court in Beijing claimed that it would try Falun Gong practitioners Zhu Tong and Wang Weiyu. They are graduate students and staff members of Tsinghua University. An Epoch Times reporter interviewed Dr. Weiguo Xie about this issue.

Dr. Weiguo Xie entered Tsinghua University in 1991, studying chemical engineering department for his B.S. After he graduated, he continued studying for his master's degree at Tsinghua. He was awarded the Tsinghua Top Grade Fellowship in 1998 and named as "Excellent Young Scholar" for publishing many research papers. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester and Institute of Science and Technology in 2002. Dr. Xie currently is a researcher at London City University.

In addition to working hard on his research, Dr. Xie also spends all his spare time helping Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China. For practicing Falun Gong, his fiancée Ms. Yongjie Zhu is still being illegally detained in Daxing Women's Labor Camp in Beijing.

Reporter: Do you know Zhu Tong and Wang Weiyu?

Dr. Xie: Because all these three practitioners as well as myself started to practice Falun Gong when we were studying at Tsinghua University, we know each other. Among them, I know Wang Weiyu better because we both entered Tsinghua in 1991 and our dormitories were very close. At that time, I was a student in the Chemical Engineering Department and he was a student in the Economics Department. He did things with a very rigorous attitude and was highly respected Tsinghua's motto is "Self-Discipline and Social Commitment." He was very popular among students and won a lot of scholarships. He was indeed a very good student of good character and scholarship.

Reporter: What is your opinion about the trial of these Tsinghua Scholars?

Dr. Xie: They [Jiang regime] used their fabricated lies and trumped-up charges to try Falun Gong practitioners without allowing them to personally hire lawyers to defend themselves. This is in violation of many legal procedures. This show trial is yet another example of human rights abuse. As an overseas Chinese who has learned the truth of this incident, on the one hand, I feel that the international community has to condemn the human rights abuses in China; on the other hand, I am ashamed of the Chinese government. The so-called "rule-by-law" is actually a tool for this dictator to persecute innocent people and lead China astray.

Reporter: Why do you say that the charges against Falun Gong practitioners are trumped-up?

Dr. Xie: I can give you many examples. For example, I know a Tsinghua scholar whose name is Yu Ping. She was sentenced to 4 years in prison on the charge "Using Internet to to subvert the government." People in other countries around the world have never heard about such a charge. In fact, she only downloaded some articles from www.minghui.ca. This charge is really ridiculous to the international community. In 2002, many international human rights organizations noted in their reports the human rights situation in China, and they all questioned the Chinese Courts' "Using Internet to Subvert the Government" charge against Falun Gong practitioners and called on China to stop this kind of human rights violation.

Reporter: So what can you do abroad?

Dr. Xie: We have founded an international organization to rescue Tsinghua scholars who are being persecuted for practicing Falun Gong, its name is "Global Tsinghua Alumni Committee to Urgently Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners." Before July 1999, there were 11 practice sites and more than 400 practitioners at Tsinghua University. After the Jiang regime launched the persecution, Li Lanqing (former vice-prime minister) came to Tsinghua and ordered Tsinghua authorities to punish practitioners severely without mercy. Consequently, many Tsinghua students, scholars and professors were persecuted severely. They were forced to quit school, suspended from work and even killed. We thus founded this organization to call on the international community, human rights organizations, and media to pay close attention to the Jiang regime's persecution of Tsinghua scholars. We also specifically call on the international community to rescue these three Tsinghua scholars.

Reporter: Have you received any support from international community?

Dr. Xie: Every individual and organization who has learned the real story of what is happening in China supports us. For example, my fiancée Zhu Yongjie is an employee of Tsinghua Tongfang as well as a Falun Gong practitioner. Since she was sent to Daxing Women's Labor Camp in Beijing without trial, U.K. Falun Gong practitioners have been working with me to rescue her. We collect signatures and write to U.K. parliament members, the foreign relations ministry and media. We indeed have received support from many kind-hearted people; we have collected 14,000 signatures and have sent them to international human rights organizations and the U.K. government. Moreover, many media such as the Manchester Evening News, Cambridge Evening News, and BBC have done stories about Zhu Yongjie. I am convinced that Zhu Yongjie will be released ahead of schedule.

Reporters: What is your plan for the future?

Dr. Xie: As long as China doesn't stop its persecution against Falun Gong, I will work with other overseas practitioners to appeal for Falun Gong practitioners in China until they obtain the same legal and free cultivation environment as us. Meanwhile, all the people, including Jiang Zemin, who have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners will be brought to justice.