By Lishanthi Caldera

Epoch Times Toronto Staff

Apr 26, 2007

Amnesty International is launching a letter-writing campaign in an effort to draw attention to the plight of eight people who were detained in China for being part of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

According to Amnesty, the Falun Gong practitioners, who were detained in a Chinese prison last month, are at risk of torture and ill-treatment. Seven of the eight practitioners have been assigned to two years of "re-education through labour" (RTL).

The eight detainees are Liang Wenjian and her husband Lin Zhiyong, Li Dongmei, Wang He, Wu Jiangyan, and three others whose names are not known.

The practitioners were detained on February 10 when about ten plainclothes policemen searched one of their homes, confiscating Falun Gong books and a computer, and accusing them of participating in an illegal gathering.

Amnesty says that according to unofficial sources, the eight were assigned to RTL about a month later. However, their families have not been officially informed and have not been allowed to meet with them.

Amnesty says RTL has been used since the mid-1950s in China as a form of administrative detention. In the RTL system, people can receive up to four years in prison, meted out in many cases by the police alone, with no judicial process or access to a lawyer. In the case of Falun Gong practitioners, RTL is used to make them recant their belief; if they refuse they are tortured and brainwashed.

One of the detainees, Liang Wenjian, was previously detained in a labour camp where she "reportedly suffered torture and ill-treatment, which included being hung by her wrists so that her feet could barely touch the ground for two hours for doing the Falun Gong exercises in detention. She was also reportedly required to work up to 14 hours a day making artificial flowers," according to Amnesty.

Amnesty says that tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained in China since the spiritual movement was banned as a ''threat to social and political stability'' in July 1999. Since then, overseas Falun Gong organizations have recorded over 3,000 deaths in custody, although Human Rights Watch has said the number of deaths may be as high as 10,000.

While Amnesty is investigating allegations that many Falun Gong detainees who died in custody have had their organs taken to supply China's lucrative organ transplant industry, two independent reports have already confirmed this.

Compiled by former Secretary of State (Asia Pacific) David Kilgour, and Winnipeg-based human rights lawyer David Matas, the first report stated:

"We have concluded that the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centres and "people's courts," since 1999 have put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Their vital organs, including kidneys, livers, corneas and hearts, were seized involuntarily for sale at high prices...."

Amnesty's letter-writing recommendations are as follows:

Using your own words, please choose a few of the suggestions below to create a personal appeal in English or Chinese:

- expressing concern that the eight Falun Gong practitioners were detained in violation of their fundamental human rights to freedom of expression, association and religious belief, and calling on the authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally;

- calling on the authorities to guarantee their safety while they remain in custody;

- calling on the authorities to clarify their names and legal status and allow their families to conduct regular family visits while they remain in custody;

- urging the authorities to ensure they have access to lawyers and any necessary medical treatment while they remain in detention;

- calling on the authorities to end the political crackdown against the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has resulted in numerous human rights violations;

- urging the authorities to abolish "Re-education through Labour" (RTL) and ensure that all offences punishable with deprivation of liberty are brought within the scope of the Criminal Law.

Appeals should be sent to the following officials:

-Prime Minister- WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli, The State Council, 9 Xihuangcheng Genbeijie, Beijingshi 100032, People's Republic of China, Fax:011 8610 6596 1109 or 011 8610 6596 2260 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

-Governor of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government- HUANG Huahua Shengzhang, Guangdongsheng Renmin Zhengfu, 9 Lou, 305 Dongfeng Zhonglu, Guangzhoushi 510031, Guangdongsheng, People's Republic of China. Fax: 011 8620 8313 2377

-Director of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security- LIANG Guoju Tingzhang, Guangdongsheng Gong'anting, 97 Huanghualu, Guangzhoushi 510050, Guangdongsheng, People's Republic of China. Fax: 011 8620 83113979

Copies of your letter should be sent to:

-His Excellency LU Shumin, Ambassador for the People's Republic of China, 515 St. Patrick Street, Ottawa , Ontario K1N 5H3. Fax: (613) 789-1911

-Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee: ZHANG Dejiang Shuji, Zhonggong Guangdongsheng Weiyuanhui, 45 Shamian Dajie, Guangzhouzhi, Guangdongsheng, People's Republic of China, Fax: 011 8620 81218569 (c/o Foreign Affairs Office)

Source http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-4-26/54551.html

Posting date: 4/30/2007
Original article date: 4/30/2007
Category: News & Media Reports

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