The Associated Press: A group of U.S. congressmen is asking for the "immediate release" of 37 people being held in China for practicing Falun Gong

February 6, 2003

A group of U.S. congressmen is asking for the "immediate release" of 37 people being held in China for practicing Falun Gong, supporters of the banned spiritual movement said Thursday.

"The Chinese government continues to imprison, torture, and murder" practitioners, the Falun Dafa Information Center said in an e-mail, quoting a Jan. 22 letter by 10 congressmen from New Jersey to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "It is extremely disheartening to see that little progress has been made with respect to ending the persecution." Falun Gong attracted millions of followers with a mix of slow-motion exercise and […] the ideas of its founder, Li Hongzhi, a former government clerk.

It was banned in China in 1999 [due to Chinese president Jiang’s personal jealousy]. Since then, thousands of followers have been detained. [Over 560 practitioners have died following torture during police custody. Tens of thousands are still being tortured in detention centers, labor camps and jails for their personal beliefs].

The letter expressed a special interest toward 37 detained members with family in America, asking the State Department to appeal to the Chinese government "for the immediate release of these persons."

The letter was signed by Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights, and nine other New Jersey House members.

In its statement, the New York-based Falun Dafa center also mentioned the case of Charles Li, of Menlo Park, Calif., who was detained Jan. 22 at Guangzhou airport in southern China.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said he was detained on [false allegations] of sabotaging television broadcast systems. Since last March, Chinese followers of the group have [used] cable and satellite television broadcasts in areas throughout China to show videos protesting the ban and claiming the group has good intentions.

The group said Li has denied the charge, which could carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and believes he is being treated as a political prisoner because he practices Falun Gong.