This week, for the first time, officials of the People's Republic of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding international norms on human rights with the UN's Human Rights High Commissioner, Mary Robinson. This has been seen as a breakthrough by some and derided by many human rights groups as another pretense at cooperation to quell criticism of the PRC's human rights record. Practitioners of Falun Gong whose fundamental human rights have been under attack for the past year welcome the initiative if it is sincere.
However, our doubts about China's intentions were raised when the government decided in the same week this development was reported to hold a secret trial for a practitioner who is also a permanent resident of the United States.
Chunyan Teng, 37, a resident of New York and a practitioner of Falun Gong, is scheduled to be tried by the Beijing Intermediate People's Court on Thursday (Nov. 23) for attempting to gather proof that the banned Falun Gong group is being persecuted by the Chinese government. She is being charged with "prying into state intelligence for foreign organizations." Human rights groups say that she could be facing up to 10-years in prison in a secret trial.
Ms. Teng holds a green card from the United States and is married to an American citizen, but neither her husband nor the U.S. Embassy was informed of her arrest.
Ms. Teng entered China through the southern city of Shenzhen in March of this year and lost communication with her family for seven months. It was only in October that her family in Mainland China was informed that she was being held in Beijing's Banbuqiao detention center and that the state was bringing criminal charges against her.
One of the 'crimes' Teng is accused of is bringing foreign journalists to a mental institution in which Falun Gong practitioners are being held against their will in blatant violation of universally accepted human rights covenants. Imprisoning mentally healthy people in mental hospitals and injecting them with harmful drugs, an arcane practice that was often used in Stalinist Russia, is decried by medical associations and human rights groups all over the world.
We need your help to ensure that at the very least, Chunyan Teng is given a fair trial and is allowed legal counsel. We appeal to you to URGENTLY protest this latest outrage.
We in America simply cannot stand by and allow an innocent permanent resident of the United States be sent to prison without due legal process, nor can we continue to allow other Falun Gong practitioners in China to face discrimination, torture, and abuse for practicing their freedom of belief.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Erping Zhang 917-679-6944, Feng Yuan 917-912-3301, or Levi Browde 914-720-0963. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com , website: http://www.faluninfo.net
Category: April 25 Events
