Global Appeal for Yoko Kaneko (Luo Rong) and Luo Zhen (Photos)

Yoko Kaneko, whose Chinese name is Luo Rong, was born in China but has been living in Japan with her Japanese husband, Atsushi Kaneko. Yoko Kaneko lived a peaceful life with her husband Atsushi in Japan. Yet despite her happiness, she was very distressed about the ongoing persecution of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners just like her in China. So she and two friends decided to travel to China and speak for those with no voice who were being persecuted.

On May 24 2002, her peaceful life took an abrupt turn. The three women, all Falun Gong practitioners, learned that speaking the truth in China can carry a heavy price. While passing out fliers in Beijing, police attacked and arrested the innocent trio. Their crime: distributing leaflets appealing for an end to the persecution against Falun Gong in China.Their experience ended much like many other recent appeals in China by foreign Falun Gong practitioners. They were beaten, interrogated, and deported - except for Yoko.

While initially being detained, Kaneko suffered horrible abuse at the hands of the police, including being shackled to a bed in a basement hospital, catheterised, force-fed through a nose tube, and being beaten and tortured frequently to the point of unconsciousness. She was sentenced to one and half years in a "Labour Re-education Camp" without trial on June 17th. Yoko is now being held in Beijing Daxing Women' Labour Camp.

Since being sentenced, she has suffered even more inhumane treatment and torture, both physical and mental. Atsushi Kaneko managed to go to China to visit her two months later in August. He said after the visit that: "Yoko's mental condition is very bad; she is completely like another person; she is no more her former self; her mind seems confused, her physical body is very weak; she had lost around 10 lbs; there were big bruise marks on her elbows. Yoko is not in her right mind. She seemed to be an entirely different person." While Yoko's sister was visiting, Yoko suddenly fainted and it was revealed that her blood pressure had gone up to 220. In September, Atsushi once again applied visa to visit her but Chinese embassy declined his application.

During the APEC meeting in October, Atsushi flew to Mexico to appeal to media for Yoko's release. He said, "My wife's sister told me that my wife has been in the hospital for ten days. However I did not get any information about her from Chinese government. No one knows where she is now." After Japanese Department of Foreign Affair's intervene, Atsushi got response from Japanese of Foreign Affair that "Yoko's health deteriorated. She was hospitalised in September and now is still in hospital."

Yoko's sister, Luo Zhen

Yoko's sister, Luo Zhen was suddenly kidnapped from her home by Mudanjiang local police. Her whereabouts is unknown. Information revealed that she would be sentenced to two years' forced Labour camp and will be sent to Haerbin Forced Labour Camp. It is said that her arrest has something to do with the fact that she informed Yoko's husband' about Yoko's failing health.

Falun Gong practitioners in Japan have held numerous press conferences and public appeals calling for Yoko's rescue since she was first detained. "The cruel fact that over 500 Falun Gong practitioners have died due to police brutality while in custody is vividly real for me now... I am determined to do whatever I can do for her release," says her husband. Actions for Yoko's release have included visits to the Chinese Embassy to peacefully appeal, and a large-scale parade in Mrs. Kaneko's town in Niigata Prefecture.

The Japanese government has also joined in the appeal:

The Japanese government has also joined in the appeal. On July 29th, 21 members of Japanese parliament formed a non-partisan alliance for Yoko's rescue, accepting a petition signed by nearly 90,000 Japanese citizens calling for her release. The members of the non-partisan alliance brought the petition to the Vice Foreign Minister, who expressed deep concern over Yuko's rescue and commented, "The spouse of a Japanese is the same as Japanese. We will treat her the same as our own citizen and do our best to help her get released."

Support is still growing. Aside from the aforementioned 21 parliament members, more than 41 local representatives and 25 scholars and lawyers have joined the alliance. Early in September, Mrs. Yamatani Eriko, a representative from the Democratic Party, went to Beijing to appeal for Yoko's release. On August 2nd, two officers from the Foreign Ministry also mentioned this issue to Beijing on a business trip to Beijing.

On September 6th a signed letter with the names of 218 Members of Parliament and government officials from various regions in the country, college professors and other signatures collected in the attorneys' rescue efforts for Yoko Kaneko has also been collected and was presented to Japan's Foreign Affairs Office.

Presently Amnesty International also initiates urgent rescue efforts on behalf of Yoko and Luo Zhen (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/12/5/29380.html)

Here we appeal to governments of all nations, international human rights organisation and kind people:

Please send appeals to the Chinese authorities, either in writing, by phone or fax, expressing the following:

Expressing international community's concern at Yoko and Luo Zhen's situation and condemnation to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and urging the authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally;

Expressing concern that Luo Rong is in poor health; urging the Chinese authorities to clarify the current whereabouts of Luo Zhen, and to release her immediately and unconditionally; urging the authorities to ensure that while Luo Zhen is in custody she is given access to a lawyer, to her family and to a doctor of her choosing.

Please let more people know Rescue Yoko website: http://www.rescue-yoko.org/en/index-en.html so more people could be involved in rescue effort.

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APPEALS on behalf of Luo Rong to:

Beijing Daxing District Judiciary Bureau, Daxing County (In charge of Daxing Women's Labour Camp)

Director Huang Zhichang, telphone: 010-69243190
Deputy Director Li Huaiwei: 010-69232189
Deputy Director Wang Zhanliang: 010-69223437

Office: 010-69293146
Political Affair Office (Zheng Gong Ke): 010-69247493
Education Office (Xuan Chuan Ke): 010-69253403
Basic Unit Office: 010-69258042
Public Law Office: 010-69258014
Administration Office: 010-69258041

Offices
Daxing Public Notary Office: 010-69240442
Huashi Law Office: 010-69246901
Sanwei (Three Dimensions) Law Office: 010-69268197
Kunyu Law Office: 010-67967673

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Beijing Judicature bureau (Daxing District Judicature Bureau's higher authority department)

Bureau Chief Wu Yuhua

Deputy Chief: Zhou Xin

Deputy Chief: Wang Jianhua

Deputy Chief: Sun Chaomei

Address: No. 12, Xinjiekouwai Dajie, Xicheng District

Beijing, 100088

Telephone: 010-62376658; 010-62372066

Reception Office (in charge of information, cases, suggestions and appeal, news release)i010j62371699

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Beijing Reeducation-Through-Labour Bureau

7, Youanmendongjie, Xuanwu District

Beijing 100054

Consultation Hotline: (8am to 8pm): 010-1600225

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Ministry of Justice

11, Xiaguangli, Sanyuan Bridge, Chaoyang District

Beijing 100061

Phone: 010-64660383

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Director of the Reeducation-Through-Labour Administration,
Ministry of Justice

MENG Qingchen
14 Dongchanganjie
Beijingshi 100741, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Fax: 00 86 10 6 529 2345
Email: [email protected]
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Beijing Daxing District Government
District Magistrate Guo Pujin
Office Phone: 61298568

Deputy District Magistrate in charge: Feng Juyuan
Office Phone: 61298558

District party committee secretary and Deputy District Magistrate: Jin Shudong
Office Phone: 61298588

Deputy District Party Committee Secretary Niu Youcheng
Office Phone: 61298699

Deputy District Party Committee Secretary Zhang Shuling
Phone: 61298668

Rescue Luo Rong, Related Units and Persons

Heilongjiang Province Mudanjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau

Address: 96 Guanghua Street, Mudanjiang

zip codes: 157000

Bureau Chiefs: Han Jian

Telephone: 6282210

Liu Chingyu, Heilongjiang Province Mudanjiang municipal public security bureau

QQ number: 1960616

Telephone: 13089889850

EMAIL: [email protected]

Mailing address: Heilongjiang Province Mudanjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau Political Office 157000

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Other

Heilongjiang Province Public Security Department switchboard: 262-3011, 262-3012

Address: Zhongshan Road, Nanguang District, Haerbin City, zip code: 1500015

Wuchang City the Second People's Hospital: 350-1345

Address: Heilongjiang Songhua River Area Wuchang City Liberations Street zip code: 150223

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Heilongjiang Province Judicature Bureau: 622-0585

address: Heping Erdao Street, Nangang District, Harbin.

zip codes: 150040

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Heilongjiang Province reeducation through Labour work administrative bureau: 633-4371

address: Hanguang Street, Nangang District, Harbin

zip code: 150080

Bureau Chief: Zhang Zhian

Deputy Chief Zou Xianan

Education Department director, Mr. Liang

Assistant director Li Chunling

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Heilongjiang Province jail administrative bureau: 633-5924

address: Hanguang Street, Nangang District, Harbin

zip code: 150080

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Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee

Switchboard: 0451-364-1433

Office telephone: 0451-363-5895 (facsimile)

Education Office 0451-262-2243

Institution Party Committee 0451-262-9140