UK Practitioner Lili Lin Granted Asylum

UK Falun Gong practitioner Lili Lin’s asylum application came to the public’s attention in February and March 2003, when Ms. Lin was detained and threatened with deportation back to China. On August 11, the UK Home Office formally granted asylum to both Lili Lin and her husband Jinfei Zhang. Now, neither of them can be repatriated back to China, a move that could have lead to them being persecuted for their beliefs.

During the course of Ms. Lin’s application, her MP, the Archbishop of Oxford and others who were concerned about her situation gave her a great deal of support. At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners all over the world worked hard to let the UK government, and in particular the UK Home Office, learn the facts about the persecution through a variety of methods. Regarding the application, Lili Lin commented: “I am grateful to the UK government for assisting my husband and myself. Something that particularly touched me was two letters published on the Clearharmony website, which were written by practitioners in China and addressed to the UK Government. These letters told of the brutal persecution they had suffered in China. I was moved to tears because they were thinking of us despite being under such extremely awful circumstances.”

Lili Lin also commented, “Throughout the last four years or so, the Jiang regime has fabricated countless lies to cover up its cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and has spread these lies to the entire international community. Today, the success of our asylum application indicates that the international society, and in particular the UK government, already understands the truth of this persecution. Paper can never cover fire! By the same token, the lies fabricated in the past four years can never cover up the brutal persecution inflicted by the Jiang regime. These facts prove that the slander and attempted framing of Falun Gong throughout the past four years have completely failed.”

“I appreciate greatly the help that the UK government has offered us. I would also like to sincerely call for the UK government to express its concern for Falun Gong practitioners, who are still suffering inhuman persecution in Mainland China. I hope that the suppression of “Truthfulness, Kindness, Tolerance” will end soon.”

Translated from Chinese at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200308/23411.html