January 11, 2001

OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- China released a Canadian Chinese follower of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement from a labor camp on Wednesday, less than two months after he had been given a three-year sentence.

The surprise decision to free 60-year-old professor Zhang Kunlun will significantly ease tensions between Ottawa and Beijing less than a month before a major Canadian trade mission is due to tour China.

The Canadian government had repeatedly urged Beijing to release Zhang, who was arrested in the eastern province of Shandong in October after entering the country on his Chinese passport and was sent to a camp in mid-November.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa issued a statement [...]

"... the relevant authorities in China [...] have decided to remove Mr. Zhang from education through labor as effective of January 10, 2001 before his service is due," the statement said.

Human rights groups said Zhang had been the first Falun Gong adherent holding overseas nationality who had been sent to a labor camp.

A top aide to Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley, who had vowed on Tuesday to keep raising the issue with Beijing, expressed delight at the news.

"We welcome this announcement by the government of China following representations made by our government for the release of Professor Zhang," Manley's communications director Jennifer Sloan told Reuters.

"Canadian officials in China have not yet had the opportunity to meet him but expect that (meeting) to take place shortly," she said.

Government officials said they expected Zhang to return to Canada in the near future. The Canadian branch of Falun Gong was ecstatic at the news of Zhang's release.

"I am extremely happy about this. I'd like to thank all the people who helped to make this happen," spokeswoman Cindy Gu told Reuters.

The decision removes a potential major headache for Ottawa since Zhang's detention was threatening to overshadow a Feb. 9-18 trade mission to China by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and senior business and provincial officials.

Human rights groups expressed their outrage over Zhang's sentence and the official Canadian Alliance opposition party had called for the "Team Canada" trade mission to be scrapped should Zhang not be released.

Zhang, who teaches in Shandong, emigrated to Canada in 1989 and became a Canadian national in 1995 while retaining his Chinese nationality. With his Chinese papers, he returned to China in 1996 to continue his teaching career.

[...]

[Falun Gong] says some 50,000 members have been detained and many sent to labor camps without trial since Beijing banned the group in July 1999, three months after the movement staged a 10,000-strong protest in the heart of Beijing.

Human rights groups say around 90 adherents have died while in detention on mainland China. Authorities have acknowledged several deaths in custody [...]