Radio Free Asia: German Church Appeals For Attention to the Falun Gong Issue in China

During a traditional Monday religious service, the ex-East German Peace Revolution that lead to the demolition of the Berlin Wall appealed to the German public to be concerned about Wang Xiaoyan and the Falun Gong situation in China. Wang Xiaoyan, the wife of Chinese student Zhang Zhentong, is a Falun Gong practitioner who is being persecuted in China. The following is a report from Radio Free Asia reporter Tian Yi in Germany:

The city of Lambsheim in eastern Germany, because of its ancient historical culture, is also the place of origin of the German Peace Revolution and the cause of the fall of the Berlin wall; therefore it was selected to be the main host of the World Cup. Recently, the wife of a Chinese student, Zhang Zhentong, who is studying at Lambsheim University, has been put into a Chinese prison and the incident has caught the public’s attention. Zhang's wife, Wang Xiaoyan, is a Falun Gong practitioner. On Mondays, the famous church of St. Thomas rings the church bells to pray for Wang Xiaoyan and RFA's reporter talked to Zhang Zhentong about this.

Radio: Back in time, this church had democracy and human right as their background and theme; it is very interested in these subjects. It played an important role when the two Germanys united. The famous Father of this church Father Huelle supports the situation very much. A week before, at his house, Mr. Zhang had introduced in detail about his wife Wang Xiaoyan and the situation with all the other Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China.

Radio: The Monday religious service here is very famous and has always been talking about democracy and human right subjects. This Monday, Father Huelle introduced the persecution situation of Falun Gong in China in detail. For example, the torture, how many people have been put in prison? He also mentioned the numbers he had been given by us; more than 2800 people had been persecuted to death. Afterwards, he told people about the recently revealed incident of organ harvesting.

During the religious service on Monday, they had specially introduced the persecution of Mrs. Wang Xiaoyan.

Radio: Father Huelle had mentioned that this incident is to appeal to everyone to be concerned and help us, he also said he will be paying attention to it while the situation changes. Until Wang Xiaoyan is released, they expressed that they will not keep silent and will help until the end.

The cause of the fall of the Berlin wall’s church of St Thomas’s, has a Monday peace praying and peace parade which have become the church and the city’s tradition. According to the reporter, the Wang Xiaoyan and Falun Gong incidents have now become one of the important contents of the Monday activities.