The witch hunt launched by communist China against the followers of the spiritual movement Falun Gong is starting to have local consequences. Without any form of trial, a Canadian citizen of Asian origin who had returned to live in his native country is currently stuck in a labor camp. His crime? To want to practice his meditation exercises which, to the unfamiliar, seem like Tai-Chi.

In July 1999, the Chinese authorities launched a war against this practice which has attracted today between 2 and 70 million Chinese. In December 1999, the leaders of the Falun Gong movement were sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years.

For his part, 60-year old Kun Lun Zhang was arrested in his home last Wednesday. However, the authorities had had their eye on him since last summer. In a press conference yesterday, his daughter, an Ottawa student, explained that her father had been incarcerated the first time from July 27th to August 27th after having been spotted while practicing his exercises in a park. "During his detention," his daughter stated, "he was tortured by electric shocks, he was forced to watch the Chinese government propaganda defaming Falun Gong and they made him sign a pledge to renounce Falun Gong."

Kun Lun Zhang, who lived in Montreal from 1989 to 1996, was arrested a second time in October along with many other citizens of Shandong province who were peacefully attempting to influence government policy. Refusing to pay the fine, Mr.Zhang was once again imprisoned. He thus started a hunger strike that sent him to the hospital after 6 days. "November 5th, he was able to return home, but they told him that he would be detained again as soon as his health improved", his daughter mentioned.

Thus third arrest happened last Wednesday. His wife is at home, free but under surveillance. "My mother is confined to the home and her telephone is constantly monitored."

The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs is involved in the affair, and has sent a diplomatic note to their Chinese counterparts. "We're waiting for an answer," explained Reynald Doiron, spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "When we get one, we'll let you know."

However, the fact that China does not recognize dual citizenship risks complicating the matter.

At the press conference, another Canadian citizen also expressed her concern. For 11 months now, Mrs. Jin Yu Li has had no news from her husband, who is also a Falun Gong follower and is imprisoned in China for this reason alone. "We had filled out all the official documents and he was getting ready to come join me in Canada"

In Quebec, the organization Rights & Democracy spoke out last summer against the repression Falun Gong followers were suffering in China.

In February, Human Rights Watch had for its part painted a rather dark portrait of the situation, revealing that between July 20th and October 30th 1999, 35,792 Falun Gong followers had been imprisoned (according to Chinese government statistics). 50 people had been detained in psychiatric hospitals and 7 people had died following brutal interrogations, suicides, or escape attempts which had turned tragic.