Israel: Practitioners Appeal for the Release of Xiong Wei (Photos)

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Nov. 5, 2002

Xiong Wei is a female Falun Gong practitioner and former student of the Technical University of Berlin. She is currently being held against her will in Xinan women's labour camp of Daxing on the outskirts of Beijing, China.

Xiong Wei was arrested in broad daylight in the streets of Beijing on January 5, 2002 by Beijing police, because she distributed flyers about the persecution of Falun Gong in China. She was sentenced to one and a half years of "re-education through labour" without a trial. She was not allowed legal representation and her family is rarely allowed to see her.

Netanya City newspaper in Israel publishes a positive article about Falun Gong, exposing the evil persecution in China and appealing for the rescue of Xiong Wei

Her brother, Zion Xiong, is a Falun Gong practitioner currently living in Israel. Together with Israeli and German practitioners, Zion has continually called for the release of his sister from Xinan labour camp.

Because of this and his persistence in practicing Falun Gong, the Chinese embassy in Israel has threatened Zion with revocation of his visa to enter China. In reference to this, Zion said "I was ordered to sign a so-called guarantee under which I was asked to pledge to no longer practice Falun Gong. I'm being persecuted, although I'm a legal citizen of Israel, through phone calls from the Chinese embassy. I'm a businessman who, and as part of my job I have to travel to China. Because of practicing Falun Gong, I'm not able to travel to China, even though I have broken no Israeli or Chinese law. I simply believe in "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance", the same as my younger sister."

Practitioners have sent letters to the Israeli government and media on behalf of both German and Israeli practitioners.