At 10am on June 3rd 2003, UK Falun Gong practitioners started a peaceful relay hunger strike to support American citizen and Falun Gong practitioner, Charles Li, who has been on a hunger strike in a Chinese prison for eight days. Practitioners also wanted to ask the Chinese authorities to immediately release Charles so that he can be reunited with his family and friends in the United States.

There were two practitioners, one Chinese and one English, participating in the first day's hunger strike. The Chinese practitioner, who intends to go on hunger strike for 36 hours, said, "After Charles Li was illegally arrested, officials at the prison confiscated his Falun Gong books and Falun Gong articles which were passed on by an American consulate official at the request of his fiancée. His private belongings such as his watch etc. were also confiscated. Moreover, Nanjing Prison officials removed 8 pages from a 96-page document to the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai that was written by Charles Li. Those 8 pages contained specific information regarding Dr. Li's request to become a plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit against former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin and other related persons. The Chinese prison is still detaining him without reason and he has chosen the only way that is available to him to peacefully protest this injustice".

The western practitioner is 70-years-old and has been practising Falun Gong for 4 years. He said that he was going to maintain this hunger strike for 2 days. He commented: "Charles is on his hunger strike, this is giving me the opportunity to be with him and to reject the evil regime together."

According to sources in the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, Charles Li has experienced beatings and force-feedings while in custody. UK Falun Gong practitioners are seriously concerned about the safety of his life, as more than 10% of the Falun Gong practitioners who have died in Chinese custody have died from force-feeding.

UK Falun Gong practitioners expressed that they would continue the relay hunger strike and peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy and that the duration of the hunger strike protest would depend on the progress of Dr. Li's case.

UK Falun Gong practitioners have sustained a 24-hour peaceful protest in front of the Chinese embassy for over one year now. The present appeal to support Charles Li using this relay hunger strike, as well as the lawsuit against Jiang, have added a historic meaning to the anniversary of the 24-hour peaceful protest. A Falun Gong practitioner who has participated in this peaceful protest from the beginning, said: "To maintain a constant presence outside of the Chinese embassy has not been easy, but those of us who regularly go there become only more determined to continue. Come rain or shine, sleet or snow, we will be there - this persecution is wrong and must end."
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/6/6/51719.html