Practitioners in Calgary, Canada Petition Canadian Government to Rescue Persecuted Family Members in China

(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioners living in Calgary, Canada and their families gathered in front of the local Chinese Consulate on February 15, 2007. They held a press conference to expose the Chinese Communist regime's ruthless persecution of Falun Gong practitioners during the past eight years. Two practitioners related stories of their family members currently being persecuted for their belief. They urged the Canadian government to take immediate measures to help rescue their family members.

Chen Zhiming immigrated to Canada in March 2006 from Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, and currently resides in Calgary. His son Chen Yingyi is a Canadian citizen and lives in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Chen Zhiming's wife Huang Jinling is 62 years old and currently lives in China. The Chinese Consulate rejected her March 2001 passport application because she practiced Falun Gong. Although the Citizenship and Immigration Office of Canada has approved her application for Canadian residency, they cannot issue her a visa because she doesn't have a passport.

Huang Jinling lived away from her home in China for nearly one year in order to avoid the CCP persecution. She was arrested and sent to a brainwashing center in Suzhou City in November 2003 by agents from the local 610 Office. They attempted to force her to renounce her belief. She was arrested again on the evening of February 9, 2007, and officials from Kunshan City 610 Office and the National Security Division ransacked her home. She is presently facing great danger.

Her daughter Chen Yinghua was arrested in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province on August 8, 2003 for practicing Falun Gong. She was tortured and force-fed during her detention. This resulted in a severe stomach hemorrhage that nearly killed her. Chen Yinghua's father Chen Zhiming strongly protested the persecution while in Canada. He exposed the persecution through the media, and the Canadian government helped rescue Chen Yinghua. Due to joint efforts, Chen Yinghua was released two-and-a-half months later. At the time of her release, she weighed only 30 kg [66 lbs].

Chen Zhiming and his son Chen Yingyi said they hope the Canadian government and media would extend a helping hand to stop the Communist regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. They also urged the Chinese government to immediately issue Huang Jinling her a passport so that she can join her family in Canada.

Winston Liu is a PhD student at Calgary University. He and his wife Yao Yue studied at Tsinghua University in China and were arrested on January 1, 2001 for practicing Falun Gong. Winston Liu was sentenced to three years in prison, and Yao Yue was sentenced to 12 years. She is currently being held at Beijing Women's Prison. Winston Liu was arrested many times and suspended from school for persisting in his belief. During his incarceration, he was shocked with electric batons, locked in solitary confinement for seven months, subjected to brainwashing tactics, and physically tortured and mentally tormented. The trauma he sustained in prison still follows him to this day. He calls on the Canadian government to help secure his wife's release from prison and join him in Canada, where she can freely practice Falun Gong.

Li, another Calgary resident, asked an Epoch Times correspondent to report the persecution of his sister and his family. His sister Li Mei was arrested in June 2004 for practicing Falun Gong and sentenced to three years in prison. She is currently being held at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in Liaoning Province. This labor camp is notorious for its brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Li knows nothing about his sister's condition besides that she is alive. Guards monitor her constantly and have completely isolated Li Mei from the outside. Her husband was held in prison for one year in 2002 for persisting in his belief. Their 13-year-old son has been repeatedly taunted, humiliated and discriminated against, both at school and around the neighborhood where he lives.

These incidents of persecution are only a minute portion of what happens to millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Falun Gong practitioners in Calgary call on the Canadian government to help rescue persecuted family members of Canadian residents in China to regain their freedom.