Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-3902
April 14, 2003
The Honorable Colin L.Powell
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I am writing to express my serious concern regarding the arrest and detainment of Ruifeng Zhang and his wife, Yanxiang Xu, in China. Their family and friends in the United States have expressed great dismay at their imprisonment, and I urge you to intervene in this matter.
Shortly after the Chinese government began persecuting followers of Falun Gong in 1999, the couple went to Beijing to appeal to the Chinese government that they stop their actions. They were immediately arrested, and while they were released soon after, they were arrested many times and currently remain in detention. Ruifeng Zhang was sentenced to three and a half years in June 2000 and was not allowed appeal his sentence. He is currently being held in Jidong Prison in Fengnan City, Hebei Province. Yanxiang Xu was arrested in April 2002 after a phone conversation with a relative from the United States that mentioned Falun Gong, and was sentenced to three years in Shijiazhuang Labor Camp.
The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners cannot be ignored by the world community. I am greatly disheartened that the Chinese government has worked to stifle the voice of this movement and has taken such drastic punitive measures against its followers. I respectfully and urgently ask that you do everything possible to ensure Ruifeng Zhang and Yanxiang Xu are returned safely to their family.
Sincerely,
James R. Langevin
Member of Congress
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