(Clearwisdom.net )

American citizen and Falun Gong practitioner Dr. Charles Li, who is being held in a Chinese prison, began a hunger strike on May 27 to peacefully protest severe human rights violations. Houston Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese consulate on June 2 from 12am to 1 pm urgently calling for help rescuing Charles Li. Houston News TV and NTD TV attended the press conference and interviewed practitioners.

Dr. Charles Li was arrested in Guangzhou airport when he returned home to visit his family and was imprisoned in China after being ushered through a "show trial" in March for allegedly "preparing" to tap into Chinese state-run T.V. and broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Dr. Li initiated the hunger strike for three reasons:

1. His illegal detention by the Chinese regime.
2. The Chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
3. The unlawful treatment he has received from prison guards and officials.

Officials at the Nanjing Prison where Dr. Li is being held have denied him all contact with his fiancée, Ms. Yeong-ching Foo. Chinese officials have also refused to allow U.S. consulate representatives to visit him. While imprisoned, Dr. Li wrote a 96 page document to the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. According to a U.S. consulate official, however, Nanjing Prison officials removed 8 pages out of the document that contained specific information regarding Dr. Li's request to become a plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit against former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, which was filed in U.S. District Court in October, 2002.

At the press conference, Houston 24 Hour News TV Station and NTD TV interviewed practitioners. Practitioners told the reporters the story of Charles Li's illegal arrest and the crimes Jiang's regime has committed in its brutal persecution of Falun Gong.