Falun Gong Prisoner to be set Free
--Trinity Student to Return Ireland
EXCLUSIVE
By IAN MALLON
A TRINITY College student who has been in jail in China for more than two years is to be released next week.
Zhao Ming was arrested and imprisoned in January 2000 while on a visit to his family in China during a Christmas break from his studies in Dublin.
He was jailed because of his devotion to the peaceful Falun Gong movement, which has been outlawed by Jiang Zemin’s oppressive regime.
Zhao now plans to return to Ireland after his release next week but it’s not clear if the Department of Justice will reissue him with a visa to allow him to resume his studies in Trinity.
However sources within the department say that as long as his course place is still open, he should have no problem in re-entering the country.
Zhao’s expected release next Tuesday will come six months after the Star presented a letter of protest to the Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during his controversial visit to Ireland.
The letter, which we presented on behalf of the Falun Dafa practitioners in Ireland, called for the release of Zhao Ming and other practitioners who it is claimed are “subjected to severe torture both physically and mentally”.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern discussed the case with Zhu Rongji during his stay at the lavish Farmleigh house in the Phoenix Park last August.
Mr. Ahern told journalists at the press conference that Zhu assured him that he would, “through the judicial authorities, raise the issue of Zhao Ming”.
However, at the same media briefing, Zhu then launched an astonishing attack on Falun Gong, which devotees claim is a harmless mixture of Taoism, Buddhism and traditional exercise.
“Falun gong is not a religion. It is an [slanderous term used by the Chinese government],” slammed the infuriated prime minister when asked about the subject.
[…]
An estimated 300 members of the religion have been killed by the Chinese authorities in recent years.
The Chinese Embassy was unavailable to comment on the proposed release of Zhao Ming when contacted by The Star yesterday.
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