Canada: Mr. Lizhi He is Released After Three and a Half Years of Unlawful Imprisonment in China

After three and a half years of unlawful imprisonment, on January 20, Mr. Zhili He was released from Qianjin Prison, in Tianjin. After talking with his wife in Canada over the phone, he has been returned to his hometown in Gansu Province. Mr. He is a senior engineer at the Practice Qualification and Registration Centre of PRC Ministry of Construction, and a recipient of National Outstanding Engineer Design Gold Medal.

Mr. Lizhi He and His Wife

Mr. He is a well respected structural engineer, and he has made a lot of contributions to the nation. He has received more than ten awards from the Nation and Ministry of Construction. He is a very mild, honest and kind person.

Mr. He and his wife started to practice Falun Dafa in 1995. Since the Jiang regime started to persecute Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, many practitioners have been monitored and their phones have been tapped. Mr. He was also illegally imprisoned twice for safeguarding his own human rights and his belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."

The first time was on March 4, 2000. At that time, he went to Tiananmen Square looking for his wife Li Zhang who went to see Congress representatives to present a Falun Gong truth-clarifying letter. At Tiananmen Square, a plainclothes police officer pretended to be Falun Gong practitioner and asked him if he practices Falun Gong. He said "yes", he was then arrested, charged with "disturbing social stability" and was unlawfully detained for 15 days.

The second time was on July 21, 2000, when he was arrested for mailing Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials to his friends. He was taken away from his work unit and his home was searched. In December 2000 he was unlawfully sentenced to three and half years in prison by Haidian District Court in Beijing. Just before his arrest, Mr. He had received a visa to become a permanent resident in Canada. He was unable to come to Canada as he was unlawfully imprisoned.

In the past years since his arrest, his plight has attracted a lot attention from all walks of life in Canada. In June 2002, Amnesty International Canada announced a campaign to secure his release. Amnesty International recognized Mr. He as a prisoner of conscience and called on the Chinese government to unconditionally release him.

Before the Canadian Prime Minister's visit to China last year, the Global Campaign to Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners Canada Chapter launched a "Rescue Our Family Members" postcard signing campaign. In just a few months, they collected more 50,000 signatures and sent them to the Prime Minister's office. Canadian practitioners also initiated a Bicycle Tour from Toronto to Ottawa in order to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong.

Since Mr. He's arrest, overseas Falun Gong practitioners, the Canadian Government including its Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Embassy to Beijing, Members of Parliament, and many non-government organizations and individuals have helped to rescue him.

According to a VOA report on August 25, 2002, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Graham brought forth the Falun Gong issue to the Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan at the meeting of foreign ministers from Eastern Allied Countries. In October, 2002, Canadian Parliament unanimously passed an motion Requesting the Release of 13 Falun Gong Practitioners' Family Members, among them was Zhili He.