AP Story: Iceland released detained Falun Gong members

According to an AP report from REYKJAVIK, Iceland, by Richard Middleton, Iceland police released members of Falun Gong on Wednesday who were detained upon entering the country when an official four-day visit by China's President Jiang was about to begin.

The report says, "The government imposed the ban after receiving reports that suggested the movement, which was outlawed in China in 1999, was rallying hundreds of protesters to converge in the Icelandic capital to demonstrate against Jiang and his entourage.

"More than 65 people, all of them detained and questioned by police on arrival in Iceland since the bar was announced five days ago, were freed on Wednesday.

"They were held at either the international airport at Keflavik or in a special detention center on grounds of national security after Iceland said it did not have enough police to deal with a very large demonstration.

"Detainees were aged between 25 and 60 and included Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Australians, Germans and Danes.

"Their release followed negotiations between police and Falun Gong members already in Iceland and a special meeting of Prime Minister David Oddsson and two senior Cabinet ministers.

"A statement by Oddsson, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the ban had been lifted because Falun Gong had agreed to cooperate "in every way" with police.

"One condition imposed was that Falun Gong hold street protests only in designated areas, such as in front of the prime minister and president's offices and outside parliament.

"The intervention by Oddsson followed criticism from Bjorn Bjarnason, the former education and culture minister who resigned his post to contest mayoral elections in Reykjavik last month.

"Human rights lawyers also suggested that the government's imposition of the ban was illegal under the Icelandic constitution."

Also according to the report, Icelandic embassies and consulates around the world were told to suspend visas for Falun Gong members until June 18.

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