United States: Chicago Practitioners Release Latest Progress of the Rescue Effort on Charles Li and Lawsuit Against Jiang

On the afternoon of June 12, 2003, Chicago practitioners and practitioners from around the world held a press conference opposite the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. The practitioners released the latest situation of American citizen Charles Li who is being illegally imprisoned in China. In a Chinese prison, Charles Li wrote an affidavit to the US Ambassador, including the information that he was arrested upon his arrival at the airport on January 22 in China, and later was subjected to abuse and mistreatment, interrogation and imprisonment. The document also included three appeal letters, 69 pages in total.

Because the prison guards removed eight pages from his affidavit, Charles Li went on a hunger strike for eight days since May 27 to protest, requesting to return the eight-page document to the US Ambassador. He was force-fed for doing so. With his persistent requests, the eight-page document was finally returned to the US Ambassador.

At the press conference, the practitioners also released the latest progress of the lawsuit against Jiang. Regarding the Justice Department proposal to end the lawsuit against Jiang, on June 10, a brief co-signed by 39 members of the US Congress as a friend of the court, also know as "amicus curiae," was submitted to the Federal Court of Northern District of Illinois to express their support for the lawsuit against Jiang. On the morning of June 12, at a court public hearing, the court accepted the amicus brief co-signed by dozens of members of the US Congress on urging the court to proceed with the lawsuit against Jiang.

Falun Gong practitioners pointed out that seeing from the mistreatment and abuse imposed upon American citizen Charles Li, it is clear that Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners disregards international opinions and is quite ruthless. The practitioners called upon all righteous strengths around the world to support bringing Jiang, murderer innocent people, to justice, secure the release of all Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China and end the unprecedented brutal persecution of innocent people.

Local media such as WBBM came to cover the activity.