UK Practitioner Writes to Beijing Mayor calling for Release of Imprisoned Sisters

Liu Qi Shizhang
Mayor of Beijing Municipal People's Government
Beijingshi Renmin Zhengfu
2 Zhengyilu
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100744
People's Republic of China

Dear Mayor Liu,

I am a student of English Literature and attend University in England. I have practised Falun Gong for nearly 18 months. In England, people are able to practise Falun Gong freely, just as they do in around 60 countries in the world. It is in only in China that people are beaten, tortured and murdered because they want to become healthier and improve their moral standards through practising Falun Gong. Jiang Zemin is lying to the people of China so that he can cover up his own wicked deeds. Over 1,500 innocent Falun Gong practitioners have been killed in jails and forced labour camps. Hundreds of thousands have suffered torture and beatings.

I recently read some information about the wrongful persecution and imprisonment of two female Falun Gong practitioners. This information was provided by Amnesty International, a group respected all over the world for its work on human rights. Li Xiaomei and Li Xiaobing were two sisters who owned a Beijing bookstore. They were arrested on July 20th 1999 because they practise Falun Gong. They were then imprisoned for three months without charge and not allowed to communicate with their family. Li Xiaobing and Li Xiaomei were among 22 Falun Gong practitioners tried in secret on 22nd January 2002. They were sentenced to six and seven year’s imprisonment.

Reports suggest that Li Xiaomei was tortured by police at the Dongcheng detention centre in Beijing, where the two were held before and during their trial. A fellow detainee says that Xiaomei was kicked and beaten, handcuffed and suspended by the wrists, and forced to wear an instrument called zhu zui on her head. It tightened automatically, choking her if she tried to speak. This treatment is absolutely horrendous. How could a lady who merely wants to peacefully practise her spiritual belief be treated this way?

China has signed international agreements to uphold human rights, but now is the darkest period in China’s glorious 5000-year history. Human rights are non-existent as Jiang Zemin attempts to rule the country through terror and violence. Many millions of innocent people are suffering. I am very concerned for the safety of Li Xiaobing and Li Xiaomei. Their whereabouts and health conditions are now unknown. I am appealing to you for information on their whereabouts, as Mayor of the city where they were tried and imprisoned. I am also calling for their immediate and unconditional release. They have broken no laws. It is the persecutors that have broken laws. They will be punished through courts of law in the near future. Please follow your conscience and do not be one of them. Do not listen to Jiang’s lies and follow them to persecute innocent people.

Yours sincerely