A Practitioner's Letter of Appeal to Iceland's Ambassador to Canada

My name is [...], a senior software designer at a leading telecommunications company in [a major Canadian city]. I was one of six Falun Gong practitioners from Canada stranded at the Copenhagen airport from June 12 to June 13 after being refused boarding on our Iceland-bound flight for which we held valid tickets. I would like to write you our experience of this unjust treatment. I also respectfully ask that you convey our request to your government for a fair apology and for just and proper compensation.

My experience of unjust treatment at the Copenhagen airport

China's tragic and brutal persecution against innocent Falun Gong practitioners has been steadily escalating since it began in July 1999. To help give a voice to the persecuted people who have no voice in China, I made the decision to travel to Iceland during the Chinese president's visit to appeal for an end to the persecution.

Despite the busy schedule for my projects at work, the urgency of the escalation of persecution on Falun Gong alarmed me. Then I decided to overcome whatever difficulties to make this journey.

At 8:20 a.m. on June 12, I, together with five other Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto and Montreal, arrived at Copenhagen airport to take the last leg of our flight to Iceland. During our check-in at the SAS airline counter, we were astonished to learn that IcelandAir had just received instructions half an hour before from the Icelandic government to deny entry to us as our names appeared on a "blacklist" of forty-seven Falun Gong practitioners.

The decision to bar Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland stunned us all as well as many people around the world. One practitioner who had travelled a long way was in tears; every one of us was able to make this long journey possible only after overcoming numerous hardships and obstacles.

As a Canadian passport holder, I understand that I should be exempt from VISA obligations for up to 3 months in the Schengen area, which includes Iceland. To deny entry to the six of us, all valid Schengen VISA holders, violates the Schengen Agreement signed by Iceland on 25 March 2001.

An officer from SAS airline told us, "This decision is immoral!" He gave us contact information for the Embassy of Iceland, as it was Iceland's Ministry of Justice that ordered the blockage.

At 10:30 a.m., we were shocked to be blocked at the boarding gate by police. An Icelandic Embassy official was also present. He showed us the instructions from Iceland's Ministry of Justice, a notice from IcelandAir, as well as a name list of Falun Gong practitioners on which our names appeared. He felt very regretful about the Ministry's decision. .

The government of Iceland offered neither assistance nor further explanation. We had no choice but to stay at the airport to await the next available flight and to appeal for help from the media and the public to call on Iceland to rectify their decision. [...]

At approximately 11:30 a.m., we reached a reporter from the Associated Press. He was also shocked by this case--the first time law-abiding citizens have been denied entry into Iceland based on their belief. He and a photographer produced a report on our ordeal entitled "Falun Gong members barred from boarding Iceland-bound plane ahead of Chinese president's visit." Media reports from other cities around the world told of similar experiences by other practitioners at various airports in Europe and the United States.

We wrote a statement of urgent appeal to the Icelandic government and to the public: "Falun Gong Calls for Iceland Ministry's Decision To Be Immediately Rectified - A Heartfelt Request from Canadian Falun Gong Practitioners at Copenhagen Airport."

At 5:30 p.m., reporters from B.T., one of the major newspapers in Copenhagen, finally located us. They expressed disbelief at this "irrational conduct". Their report, together with a colour photograph, appeared on page 11 in the June 13 edition of B.T. under the headline of "China-Activists Stranded at Airport - Falun Gong adherents denied entry into Iceland during presidential visit."

We stayed at the airport that night, without any further response or assistance from the Icelandic government. It was not an easy night, as none of us could sleep well. I slept for only about half and hour and sent further appeals to the Icelandic government via electronic means.

It was Falun Gong's teaching of "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance" that enabled us to endure calmly and peacefully, even in the face of such mistreatment and uncertainty. Falun Gong teaches practitioners to always consider others and think of others first. During that dark night, we were concerned not with our own ordeal but with how to help the Icelandic government rise above their unjust decision and mistaken judgment. We understood the pressure and influence that China can exert on other countries. We also knew that the overwhelming majority of the Icelandic people were against and appalled by their government's decision to bar Falun Gong practitioners from entering their country.

In the early morning of June 13, we spoke with officials of the airline about Falun Gong and about our experiences, providing them with our statement and recent media reports on our plight. Observing our peaceful conduct under this unfair treatment, they offered us six standby tickets.

At 10:40 a.m., two practitioners boarded a flight to Iceland.

At about noon, the remaining four practitioners were interviewed by one of the largest TV stations in Denmark. A reporter and his cameraman were delighted for us and expressed their best wishes on our trip to Iceland. They told us that our program will be broadcast that night and a more comprehensive program on Falun Gong will be produced at a later time.

We, the remaining four practitioners from Canada, after thirty hours of having been stranded at the Copenhagen airport, eventually boarded the 2 p.m. flight to Iceland.

We sincerely thank all the concerned people at the airport in Copenhagen who so kindly helped us during this difficult time!

As well, we cannot forget those practitioners in China whose very basic human rights are being so severely abused. China's persecution against Falun Gong has been extensively reported by internationally recognized human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and it has been strongly condemned by many organizations and governments around the world, including the government of Canada.

In the midst of China's persecution and defamation, Falun Gong is widely supported and commended in over fifty countries. In Canada, the Minister of Heritage has stated, "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are the principles on which Falun Dafa is based, but they are also universal ideals that have special importance here in Canada." These universal principles have withstood brutal attack and defamation in China by the totalitarian regime of Jiang Zemin.

Arriving in Iceland at about 3:40 p.m. on June 13, we were touched by the warm welcome and the kind and just support of the Icelandic people.

Canadian Falun Gong practitioners request to the Icelandic government

Falun Gong practitioners in Canada call on the Icelandic government to earnestly examine the course of action you are choosing surrounding these recent events. As a just and democratic nation, we urge you to demonstrate true justice and democracy, not only to the international community, but also to regain the confidence and support of your own citizens. We hope you will make an apology and provide compensation in a timely manner for your unfair treatment of those Falun Gong practitioners who simply wished to travel to your country to peacefully appeal for an end to brutal persecution.

Please note the following points in your consideration:

1. The Schengen Agreement and the VISA wavier agreement were violated. Among the six practitioners from Canada, one held a Canadian passport and the other five held valid Visa’s. Holders of a Canadian passport are legally exempt from VISA obligations for up to 3 months in the Schengen area, which includes Iceland. Barring valid Schengen VISA holders from travelling to Iceland violates the Schengen Agreement signed by Iceland on 25 March 2001.

2. To deprive valid ticket holders of the right to board their scheduled flight violates business ethics and the contract made between the airline and the ticket purchaser.

3. Iceland's "blacklist" of peaceful practitioners of Falun Gong is a serious cause for concern for all free and democratic countries around the world. This is the first time a government other than that of China has used a "blacklist" to block law-abiding [Falun Gong practitioners] from entering their country. It is a breach of personal privacy, security, and safety. It also constitutes an attack on the dignity and reputation of the individuals directly concerned as well as on the good standing of the Falun Gong practice in general. In fact, practitioners have been commended by Canadian officials as being "models of good order" at events and activities appealing for an end to the persecution.

4. The Icelandic citizens' broad support of Falun Gong and our interactions with SAS, IcelandAir, and Icelandic Embassy officials clearly show that the order from Iceland's Ministry of Justice is in fact against the will of the Icelandic people.

[...]

We hope that your government will find it in your good judgment and moral conscience to offer an apology and just compensation for the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners. It is a matter of principle, and it is in the best interest of your country and your government, for your dignity, reputation, stability, and good future.

Thank you for your kind attention. We look forward to an upright and honourable response from the government of Iceland.