OTTAWA, TORONTO, MONTREAL, VANCOUVER, CALGARY -- On Thursday May 31, MPs, human rights groups, and Falun Gong will hold news conferences to kick off a nationwide campaign to demand the release of Montreal practitioner Ying Zhu and Shenli Lin. Ms. Zhu is a Canadian permanent resident who was arrested by Chinese authority on her way to visit her husband and ailing mother in China. Shenli Lin, husband of a Canadian citizen, is held at a Chinese labour camp for being a Falun Gong practitioner.

On the same day, Falun Gong practitioners and concerned people across the nation will appeal for the release of Ying Zhu and Shenli Lin in front of the Chinese Embassy and Consulates. They vow to appeal at these locations every weekday until their release and safe return to Canada.

This is part of a global effort to appeal for the release of overseas Falun Gong practitioners detained in China. Practitioners in Paris, Sydney and Washington DC are also appealing in front to the Chinese Embassies daily.

Ottawa News Conference

Thursday, May 31, 2001, 1:30pm-2:00pm

Charles Lynch Conference Room

Room 130-S, Center Block

Parliament Building, Ottawa (Ontario)

Mr. Irwin Cotler, MP, Mr. Scott Reid, MP, and Mr. Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty Internal of Canada will make presentations at the conference.

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Nationwide activities on Thursday May 31

Ottawa - News conference by MPs, Amnesty International and Falun Gong,

Charles Lynch Conference Room, Parliament Hill, 1:30pm -- 2:00pm

- Public appeal, in front of Chinese Embassy, 12:00noon-12:30pm

Toronto - News conference and exercise demonstration, Chinese Consulate,10:30am

Montreal - News conference, Concordia University, 1:30pm

Vancouver - Appeal and media interviews, Chinese Consulate, 11:30am-noon

Calgary - News conference and demonstration, Chinese Consulate, 2pm

Falun Gong Media Advisory - Background Information:

About Ms. Ying Zhu

Ms. Ying Zhu is a Falun Gong practitioner and a student at Concordia University. She is a permanent resident of Canada and the wife a Canadian Citizen.

She went missing when she went to China to visit her husband and her ailing mother on May 10. Ying's mother recently underwent two heart operations and urgently wished to see her daughter. She was arrested by the notorious "610 Office" created to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Her whereabouts is still unknown.

About Mr. Shenli Lin

Canadian Citizen Jingyu Li's husband, Mr. Shenli Lin, has been suffering in a Chinese labour camp for over 16 months for being a Falun Gong. 4 other family members of Jinyu have been arrested a total of 12 times. A few days ago, Shenli's brother. Mingli Lin was sentenced to 2-year labour camp without trial for being a Falun Gong practitioner.

List of Canadian Citizens /Canadian permanent residents affected by the persecution:

  • Professor Kunlun Zhang, a Canadian Citizen, was sentenced to 3 years labour camp in China. He was released in January with the help of Canadian government, human rights groups and many kind-hearted Canadians
  • Ms. Zhili Li, permanent resident of Canada, who was Ying's traveling companion, was refused entry into China on May 10, 2001
  • Mr. Heping Shou, a permanent resident of Canada had his Chinese passport cancelled by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa when he applied for renewal on April 30, 2001 because he wouldn't renounce his faith here in Canada.
  • Canadian Citizen, Ms. Mona Ye, was refused entry into Hong Kong and detained for 10 hours without any stated reason on May 8, 2001 because she was on the Chinese authority's black list.

About Falun Gong

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditation and exercise practice that focuses on Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. Falun Gong is practiced by millions of people in over 40 countries around the world but is persecuted in China.

Citizens and governments world wide, including U.S. President George Bush, have condemned the Chinese president and have called for an end to the persecution. To date at least 216 Falun Dafa practitioners have died in police custody, often due to torture.

For more information:

www.falundafa.org (about the practice of Falun Dafa)

www.faluninfo.net (about the current situation in China)

www.faluncanada.net/infocentre (Canadian supplement)

Category: April 25 Events