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Letter from a New York Lawyer to China's Prime Minister and Main Officials in Jilin Province Law Office of Stewart L. Weisman
(Address, contact numbers are
omitted )
March 21, 2002
Premier of the People's Republic of China
Director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Public Security
Governor of the Jilin Provincial People's Government
Dear Gentlepersons:
As a college professor and attorney practicing in the area of civil rights
and discrimination I am disheartened to read a report by Amnesty International
concerning the treatment of members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
According to the report, on or about March 5, 2002, pro-Falun Gong films where
broadcasted on a state-owned cable television company in Changchun City, Jilin
Province. As a result of the broadcast, dozens of suspected Falun Gong
practitioners have reportedly been detained during a security crackdown in that
city.
The detainees, Amnesty International believes, are at serious risk of torture
or ill-treatment solely due to their status
In light of the above, I urge you to (i) to account for and publish the names
and whereabouts of all those detained in connection with the pro-Falun Gong
broadcast and during the ensuing police operation (ii) guarantee the safety of
all the detainees (iii) ensure all detainees have immediate access to lawyers,
their families, and medical attention, if required and (iv) release all Falun
Gong members ensnared in the reactionary arrests in a speedy manner.
Hopefully, the government recognizes that guilt by status is antithetical to
the lofty ideals to which the People's Republic of China aspires and will not
tolerate such wrongful behavior by local authorities against its own citizens.
Thank you for your attention to this international matter which touches
us all.
Very truly yours,
Stewart L. Weisman, Esq.
SLW/sw
Posting date: 3/22/2002
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