Speech Given by UK Falun Gong Association Director at Home Office Press Conference: "A Touchstone Case for the UK Asylum System"
(Clearwisdom.net)
After being denied asylum in the UK, Ms. Lin Lili, a citizen of the People's
Republic of China and Falun Gong practitioner, is awaiting deportation to China
scheduled for March 7, 2003. As a Falun Gong practitioner, however, Ms. Lin
would face severe persecution or worse if sent back to China. For more than three years the Falun Gong Information Center has been
researching, documenting and reporting on the violent and systematic persecution
of Falun Gong practitioners in China. In that time, the Center has received
reports from China on a daily basis regarding the extensive torture and other
brutal means that are used on people who practice or advocate for Falun Gong.
To date, the Center has verified details of 581 deaths in China, while Chinese
government sources say the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Hundreds of
thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced
labor camps, typically without trial. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch
and other international organizations have independently documented many of
these cases. Indeed, the persecution of Falun Gong in China is systematic and thorough, as
described in a resolution passed unanimously (420-0) in July 2002 by the U.S.
Congress: "The campaign of persecution [against Falun Gong] is carried out by
government officials and police at all levels, and has permeated every segment
of society and every level of government in the People's Republic of China." It is, therefore, a matter of the utmost concern that Ms. Lin is facing imminent
deportation from the UK back to China. As a practitioner of Falun Gong, it is
certain that she would face severe persecution or worse were she deported.
Furthermore, Ms. Lin is sixty days pregnant. It would be extremely dangerous for
her to be sent back to a hostile environment where she could be detained and
tortured at any moment, especially as China is known to use late-term abortions
to force female Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs. Regrettably, Ms. Lin's current situation largely stems from a mix-up with her
home mailing address. In October 2001, Ms. Lin applied for political asylum to
the Home Office in Manchester. In April 2002, after her marriage to Jinfei
Zhang, a doctoral candidate at Liverpool University and also a Falun Gong
practitioner, Ms. Lin moved from Manchester to Liverpool. In compliance with
regulations, she duly informed the Home Office of the change of address and
reported in person on a regular basis.
The Home Office declined Ms. Lin's asylum application. Notification of the
denial, however, was mailed to her former address in Manchester. Unaware of the
existence of the notification because she had long since moved to Liverpool, Ms.
Lin failed to appeal the denial in a timely fashion subjecting her to
deportation. As was her usual practice, on February 26, Ms. Lin reported to the
Home Office in Liverpool whereupon she was detained and informed she would be
deported back to China. In the face of the overwhelming evidence of persecution in China for Falun Gong
practitioners, and in light of the unfortunate circumstances that denied Ms. Lin
an opportunity to appeal the decision regarding her application for asylum, it
is imperative that UK's Home Office reconsider Ms. Lin's case, and abandon any
immediate plans to deport her back to China. In the name of humanity and upholding the fundamental principles of the asylum
system, Ms. Lin's case deserves a thorough review by the proper British
authorities.
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