United Kingdom: VIPs and Media Call for Wenjian Liang to be Released

Wenjian Liang and her husband Zhiyong Lin were taken from their home in February together with six other Falun Gong practitioners. They were sentenced to two years in a labour camp without trial in March. Amnesty International issued an urgent action call about their case on March 20th.

In the UK, the Liberal Democrat Party Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Shadow Foreign Secretary gave his moral and active support to the free Wenjian campaign. Michael Moore MP, wrote to Wenjian’s sister Jane in the UK on April 11th that he is “dismayed at the extent of human rights abuses within China and given the seriousness of the issues surrounding your sisters detention I have written to the Foreign Secretary to highlight our concerns about the case.” He very kindly added, “in what must be a distressing time for you and your family, can I take this opportunity to wish you every success in the campaign to secure Wenjian’s release”

The Nottingham Evening Post, a news paper in the city where Wenjian’s sister lives highlighted the plight of Wenjian. The Nottingham Evening Post put a half page report about Wenjian and her husband’s ordeal. The newspaper also reported the efforts of local MP Alan Simpson who has written twice to the UK Foreign Secretary in the past weeks asking her to take up the case of Wenjian and “make the strongest possible protest to the Chinese authorities against such arbitrary imprisonment."

Many members of the European Parliament (MEP) have signed the petition for Wenjian’s release. Christopher Beazley MEP on April 13th wrote to Jane “I am most concerned to lean of the arrest and imprisonment of your sister Mrs. Wenjian Liang by the Chinese authorities because of her membership of the Falun Gong group. I note that your sister’s sentence runs until after the Beijing Olympics”. Roger Knapman MEP based at Exeter signed the free Wenjian petition on April 11th. He wrote in his letter to Jane: “I am very sorry to hear of the treatment suffered by your sister. Unfortunately the Chinese government is authoritarian and known for this sort of thing.” Many MEPs wished the free Wenjian campaign success and good luck.