Mrs. Wenrong Lin, age 35, profession - musician, has lived in the German city of Duesseldorf since April 2002. She is studying German at a language school. In January of 2003 she flew to China to visit her family and celebrate the Chinese New Year. She was due back in Germany on February 17th, 2003. When she did not return that day, her housemates in Duesseldorf became concerned and investigated with her family in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. Mrs. Lin is being detained there under the jurisdiction of authorities from the “610 Office,” because she practises Falun Gong. (Please note: the “610 Office” is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.)
It is unclear at the moment how the “610 Office” authorities are planning to deal with Mrs. Lin. Various obstacles exist that prevent the free flow of information out of China to foreign countries regarding her case.
News leaking from Wuhan tells of renewed rounds of arrests at the hands of security forces and political officials. Everyone who is practising or had at one time practised Falun Gong is supposedly required to write a statement of regret or will become subjected to mental “re-education”. Victim eyewitness accounts relate that frequently participants in these “courses” are subjected to brainwashing and torture.
Practitioners in Germany have informed the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (http://www/upholdjustice.org/Eng/index.htm) about Mrs. Lin’s situation, as well as of the renewed arrests of practitioners in Wuhan and asked them to thoroughly investigate. German friends of Mrs. Lin have further contacted the German State Department, the German Legation in Beijing and the German Consulate in Shanghai, to work toward the immediate release and return of Mrs. Lin.
In a related matter…
Global Rescue Effort Intensifies
According to comments from Mrs. Jin Cong, Toronto, spokesperson for the International Rescue Team, the global action is intensifying, partly due to the fact that Falun Gong-practising Chinese citizens living in Western countries are being acutely persecuted. One example is Nancy Chen, living in Australia, who had been arrested in China on a visit on January 22, 2003 when she attempted to visit her family.
Thanks to the efforts of this committee and efforts from the Australian government, Mrs. Chen is now free once more.
The Falun Gong Information Centre is comprised of a group of Falun Gong practitioners who have taken it upon themselves to spend their free time to distribute news regarding the Chinese government’s persecution of Falun Gong and to bring it to the attention of the German public. Due to the Chinese government’s news blockade this proves to be a difficult task. Naming witnesses is often fraught with grave danger for those involved. In view of these circumstances, we strive to only pass on those news items that several sources can verify as to be accurate.
The Info-Team
(Original text in German)
Chinese version available at http://www.yuanmingeurope.net/articles/200302/17765.html
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