Russian Primary Court: Asylum Granted to Two Chinese Falun Gong Practitioners

On November the 5th,2003, the Primary Court in Moscow once again looked into the case of two Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who have stayed in Russia longer than their visa permitted. On November the 6th, the court announced that the two Chinese Falun Gong practitioners would be entitled to file for asylum.

Because the Primary Court did not understand the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, at the first trial on October the 3rd the judge decided to deport the two practitioners back to China. The two Chinese Falun Gong practitioners appealed to a higher court in Moscow under the European Convention on Human Rights and other related regulations about civil rights protection as well as international law against torture. On October the 17th, the higher court ordered a retrial and had the Primary Court re-examine the evidence for the case. On November 6th, the Primary Court announced that the two Chinese nationals would be offered asylum status.

This case proves that as long as people understand the truth, their innate kindness will help them to make the right decision.