February 25, 2002

Shenli Lin was met Monday with a huge hug and an enormous smile from the wife he hadn't seen for two years while he was detained in China for practising Falun Gong.

Lin, a Canadian accountant of Chinese origin, looked overjoyed as he was embraced by his wife Jinyu Li following his lengthy flight from China.

During his two years in jail, Lin was denied a trial, letters from his wife and visitors. He was also threatened with life imprisonment before finally being released.

"I'm so happy to be able to be here, to finally obtain freedom,'' Lin said through interpreter Lucy Zhou.

"However, I'm just one of tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who have been jailed and tortured and they need help and support. We need to end this brutal persecution.''

Several dozen Falun Gong supporters were on hand for Lin's arrival. His release was due in part to efforts by the federal government, including Montreal MP Irwin Cotler, and Amnesty International.

[...]

Falun Gong accuses Chinese authorities of torturing and mistreating detainees. It says 370 have been killed and 20,000 detained in labour camps.

Supporters on hand Monday called for greater international pressure on China to release the other detainees.

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