By Houston Dafa practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net) On October 7, 2002 between 12pm and 1pm, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Houston for the Global Rescue of the Family Members of Falun Gong Practitioners.

The Global Campaign to Rescue Family Members of Falun Gong Practitioners was initiated by some practitioners in North America. The campaign received support from the "Global Action Committee for Rescuing the Family Members of Falun Gong Practitioners" and practitioners from around the world. Houston practitioners started a series of activities from October 7 to 11.

Several Falun Gong practitioners who had been directly subjected to persecution or whose family members were persecuted in China gave speeches at the press conference.

Ms. Wang Xiaodan, a student from the University of Texas spoke first at the conference. Her father, Mr. Wang Zhiwen was sentenced to 17 years in prison because of his belief in Falun Gong. He was subjected to various tortures while in jail. Ms. Wang called upon all kind-hearted people of the world, especially the United States President to rescue her father.

The mother of Jason Wang from Houston is being detained in a mental hospital because of her practice of Falun Gong. The doctor in the hospital told Jason's father, "She was kept in a psychiatric hospital, not because she has a mental problem, but because she appealed for Falun Gong." Another doctor told Wang directly, "We forcibly injected drugs into your mother to control her so she could not go to appeal. Actually she could be discharged from the hospital anytime as long as the police allow it." Even though Jason is in the United States, he is also a victim of the persecution. Because the Jiang regime has extended its persecution overseas, both Jason and his wife had their Chinese passports canceled by the Chinese consulate in Houston due to his involvement in Falun Gong activities. He has since lost his job as an excellent university researcher. He has a young boy and the family's life has been put in a difficult situation.

The mother of Zeng Ming, also from Houston, was detained because she is a Falun Gong practitioner. Through her relatives' efforts and large amount of ransom, she was released but is still under close surveillance.

Chen Chengyong, Australian citizen Dai Zhizhen's husband, was thrown into jail after he delivered an appeal letter to the Beijing Appeal Office calling for an end to the persecution. He died in jail after suffering serious beatings. The last time Dai's daughter saw her father, she was just 9 months old. Dai expected her husband to return to Australia and their family after making his appeal. However she was devastated to receive her husband's ashes instead, and this only after the Australian government's intervention. Lin Shenli from Canada was detained in a Chinese forced labor camp for two years after he appealed for Falun Gong. Through the Canadian government's help, his wife's appeals to the international community as well as many practitioners' help, he finally regained his freedom and reunited with his wife in Canada.

These speeches are just a tiny part of what thousands upon thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have experienced during the past more than three years of brutal persecution. In China there are still hundreds of thousands of Falun practitioners still detained in jails and labor camps and subjected to mental and physical torture. Some of them have been tortured to death. Today Falun Gong practitioners call upon kind people from all walks of life, the international community and government to act urgently to rescue Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China.

Lin Shenli is one such good example. Through the combined efforts of the Canadian government and the public, he was able to reunite with his family and regain his right to practice his belief in truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.

Let us act urgently to rescue those Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted, put an end to this brutal persecution and allow more kind people to practice Falun Gong free from harm.

Reporters from World Journal Daily and 90.1 FM KPFT interviewed practitioners and reported on the event

Posting date: 10/10/2002
Original article date: 10/9/2002
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2002/10/9/37739.html