Four Members of U.S. Congress Write to the Governor of Sichuan Province Asking for the Immediate Release of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui

On September 22th, 2005, four Members of U.S. Congress, Rush D. Holt, Frank Pallone Jr., Robert E. Andrews, and Mike Ferguson, jointly wrote a letter to the Governor of Sichuan Province, China, concerning the arrest of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui for being Falun Gong practitioners. They asked for an immediate release of Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui. Copies of the letter were sent to U.S. Ambassadors Mr. Clark Randt, Jr. and Mr. Jeff Moon and Secretary of State Ms. Condoleezza Rice.

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

September 22th, 2005

Zhang Zhongwei,
Governor of Sichuan Province
#30 Duyuan Street,
Chengdu, Sichuan 610021,
Peoples Republic of China

Dear Governor Zhang:

We are writing to you on behalf of Ms. Sarah Liang, a United States citizen, whose mother, Ms. Yuan Yuju, and brother, Mr. Liang Jinhui were arrested for being Falun Gong practitioners by the Luzhou Police on July 19, 2005.

The police confiscated possessions of up to RMB 20,000 ($2,500 US) from their home and store. Yuan Yuju was sentenced for a year of forced labor which she is now serving at the Zizhong Nanmu Temple Female Labor Camp. Liang Jinhui, on the other hand, was officially arrested on August 23, 2005. He is being held at the Luzhou Detention Center and has been denied the right for familial visits and the legal representation of a lawyer.

We have learned from Ms. Liang that her mother began practicing Falun Gong in 1995. Her continued practice has resulted in her home being searched a number of times, her telephone line being tapped and her right to visit her daughter in Hong Kong denied. In addition, her 36-year-old brother has a history of mental illness. Ms. Liang worries that the conditions in the detention center and labor camp will result in immeasurable damage to the long-term health of her brother, as well as her mother. Meanwhile, Ms. Liang's nearly 70-year-old father who suffers from high blood pressure is now alone and unattended because his wife and son have been imprisoned.

It was clearly stipulated in 1982 under Regulation No. 35 in the Constitution of China that "all citizens of the People's Republic of China have the right for freedom of speech, of publication, of assembly, of parade and of demonstration." Arresting these individuals based on the practicing of Falun Gong infringes on the rights set forth by this provision. This peaceful, spiritual faith should not be accompanied by constant fear and oppression. They deserve to practice Falun Gong openly, freely and with dignity.

We ask that you release Ms. Yuan Yuju and Mr. Liang Jinhui immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone Jr.
Member of Congress

Rush D. Holt
Member of Congress

Robert E. Andrews
Member of Congress

Mike Ferguson
Member of Congress

Cc:

1. Mayor Xiao Tianren, Rm 202 No. 1 Building, Chty Hall, Da Shan Ping, Luzhou City, Sichuan, P.R. China, 64600
2. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, Beijing, 100600
3. Ambassador Jeff Moon, 4 Lingguan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China 610041
4. Secretary Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520