April 25, 2007

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs McKay is about to visit China. The Falun Dafa Association Canada today held a press conference on Parliament Hill to urge the minister to rescue Canadian practitioners' family members persecuted in China.

At the press conference, Mr. Xun Li, president of the association, urged McKay to request the Chinese Communist regime to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and trafficking practitioner organs, to release all imprisoned practitioners including family members of 15 Canadian Falun Gong practitioners, and to allow independent international investigation of persecution.

Currently, there are 15 Canadian Falun Gong practitioners whose family members are still being imprisoned for their belief in Falun Gong. Among them, Yao Lian, Zeng Xiaonan, Lin Shenli and Shen Yue attended the press conference to recount stories of their family members and to urge Canadian government, Minister McKay, rights groups and the general public to help rescue their loved ones to Canada.

Ms. Yao Lian said that her husband Ma Jian was the China and North Asia region manager of a French company and was arrested for his belief in Falun Gong. When he was just arrested, the company was very concerned and tried very hard to rescue him. However, due to pressure from the Chinese Communist regime and concern of its commercial interest in China, the company recently has been helpless. Ms. Yao is now living in Montreal as a refugee.

Huang Xin, Zeng Xiaonan's mother, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her firm belief in Falun Gong. Zeng had wrote many letters to Canadian government and rights groups for help.

Mr. Lin Shenli was unlawfully sentenced to 2 years in labor camp in 2000 for being a Falun Gong practitioner. With help from the Canadian government, he was rescued to Montreal to reunite with his wife. His younger brother Lin Ningli was sentenced to 2 years in labor camp in 2001. With help from MP Reid, Ningli was released one month before his term ended. In 2005, however, Ningli was arrested again as the 610 Office suspected that he was spreading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. In 2006, district judge sentenced Ningli to 6 years in prison.

Shen Yue has three aunties who are all Falun Gong practitioners. Two of them are in prison and the other is under house arrest. He called on the Canadian government and in particular Minister McKay to bring up the issue of family members of the Canadian practitioners to the Communist regime during his visit to China.