Letter from Friends of Falun Gong USA to the American Embassy in Beijing Concerning Mr. Charles Li, a US Citizen Detained in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

January 31, 2003

American Embassy

3 Xiu Shui Bei Jie

Chaoyang District, Beijing

To Whom It May Concern:

We are a U.S.-based nonprofit human rights organization consisting of about 1,000 Americans who support the freedom of belief of persons who practice Falun Gong, but who do not practice Falun Gong themselves. We are writing to you because we are deeply concerned about the recent arrest and possible 15-year sentencing of Mr. Charles Li (a.k.a. Chuck Lee), a U.S. citizen who was detained after arriving at the Guangzhou Airport on January 22, 2003.

It appears that Mr. Li was seized because he believes in Falun Gong, as there have been no other reliable indicators that any action he took warranted arrest, and it is known that Mr. Li teaches Falun Gong exercises to people in his hometown of Menlo Park, California. Because of China's grave record of human rights abuses, particularly with regard to Falun Gong practitioners, we have reason to be believe that Mr. Li is in danger of torture or worse, and we ask that our government intervene immediately on his behalf. It is absolutely unacceptable for a person to be arrested simply for his personal beliefs.

As Mr. Li is a U.S. citizen, the United States has an obligation to ensure that he is not unjustly arrested or accused. We can be confident that as long as Mr. Li is in Chinese hands he will not be treated fairly. Reports thus far suggest that U.S. authorities have only provided Mr. Li with a list of attorneys and information about China's legal system. If that is indeed the case, these actions are far from enough, of course, given the flawed nature of the Chinese legal system. It is well known that China routinely denies Falun Gong adherents due process, and when they are tried the verdict is predetermined. In addition, although Falun Gong is outlawed in China, laws banning any nonviolent faith are in fact in violation of the Chinese constitution and international norms.

Please act quickly to guarantee this U.S. citizen's safety. We as American supporters of Falun Gong practitioners will be watching his case closely. We fully believe the U.S. Embassy and Consulates have the capacity to remedy this unfortunate situation. We look forward to hearing positive news about this case.

Sincerely yours,

Alan Adler

Executive Director, Friends of Falun Gong USA

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