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Four Members of U.S. Congress Write to Governor of Sichuan Province Asking for Immediate Release of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui
(Clearwisdom.net) On September 22, 2005, four Members
of U.S. Congress, Rush D. Holt, Frank Pallone Jr., Robert E. Andrews, and Mike
Ferguson, jointly wrote a letter to the Governor of Sichuan Province, China,
concerning the arrest of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui for being Falun Gong
practitioners. They asked for an immediate release of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr.
Liang Jinhui. Copies of the letter were sent to U.S. Ambassadors Mr. Clark Randt,
Jr. and Mr. Jeff Moon and Secretary of State Ms. Condoleezza Rice. Congress of the United States September 22, 2005 Zhang Zhongwei, Dear Governor Zhang: We are writing to you on behalf of Ms. Sarah Liang, a United States citizen,
whose mother, Ms. Yuan Yuju, and brother, Mr. Liang Jinhui were arrested for
being Falun Gong practitioners by the Luzhou Police on July 19, 2005. The police confiscated possessions of up to RMB 20,000 ($2,500 US) from their
home and store. Yuan Yuju was sentenced for a year of forced labor which she is
now serving at the Zizhong Nanmu Temple Female Labor Camp. Liang Jinhui, on the
other hand, was officially arrested on August 23, 2005. He is being held at the
Luzhou Detention Center and has been denied the right for familial visits and
the legal representation of a lawyer. We have learned from Ms. Liang that her mother began practicing Falun Gong in
1995. Her continued practice has resulted in her home being searched a number of
times, her telephone line being tapped and her right to visit her daughter in
Hong Kong denied. In addition, her 36-year-old brother has a history of mental
illness. Ms. Liang worries that the conditions in the detention center and labor
camp will result in immeasurable damage to the long-term health of her brother,
as well as her mother. Meanwhile, Ms. Liang's nearly 70-year-old father who
suffers from high blood pressure is now alone and unattended because his wife
and son have been imprisoned. It was clearly stipulated in 1982 under Regulation No. 35 in the Constitution
of China that "all citizens of the People's Republic of China have the
right for freedom of speech, of publication, of assembly, of parade and of
demonstration." Arresting these individuals based on the practicing of
Falun Gong infringes on the rights set forth by this provision. This peaceful,
spiritual faith should not be accompanied by constant fear and oppression. They
deserve to practice Falun Gong openly, freely and with dignity. We ask that you release Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui
immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Frank Pallone Jr. Rush D. Holt Robert E. Andrews Mike Ferguson Cc: |