Letter from Friends of Falun Gong USA to the American Embassy in Beijing
Concerning Mr. Charles Li, a US Citizen Detained in China
January 31,
2003
American Embassy
3 Xiu Shui Bei Jie
Chaoyang District, Beijing
To Whom It May
Concern:
We are a
U.S.-based nonprofit human rights organization consisting of about 1,000
Americans who support the freedom of belief of persons who practice Falun Gong,
but who do not practice Falun Gong themselves. We are writing to you because we
are deeply concerned about the recent arrest and possible 15-year sentencing of
Mr. Charles Li (a.k.a. Chuck Lee), a U.S. citizen who was detained after
arriving at the Guangzhou Airport on January 22, 2003.
It appears that
Mr. Li was seized because he believes in Falun Gong, as there have been no
other reliable indicators that any action he took warranted arrest, and it is
known that Mr. Li teaches Falun Gong exercises to people in his hometown of
Menlo Park, California. Because of China's grave record of human rights abuses,
particularly with regard to Falun Gong practitioners, we have reason to be
believe that Mr. Li is in danger of torture or worse, and we ask that our
government intervene immediately on his behalf. It is absolutely unacceptable
for a person to be arrested simply for his personal beliefs.
As Mr. Li is a
U.S. citizen, the United States has an obligation to ensure that he is not
unjustly arrested or accused. We can be confident that as long as Mr. Li is in
Chinese hands he will not be treated fairly. Reports thus far suggest that U.S.
authorities have only provided Mr. Li with a list of attorneys and information
about China's legal system. If that is indeed the case, these actions are far
from enough, of course, given the flawed nature of the Chinese legal system. It
is well known that China routinely denies Falun Gong adherents due process, and
when they are tried the verdict is predetermined. In addition, although Falun
Gong is outlawed in China, laws banning any nonviolent faith are in fact in
violation of the Chinese constitution and international norms.
Please act
quickly to guarantee this U.S. citizen's safety. We as American supporters of
Falun Gong practitioners will be watching his case closely. We fully believe
the U.S. Embassy and Consulates have the capacity to remedy this unfortunate
situation. We look forward to hearing positive news about this case.
Sincerely
yours,
Alan Adler
Executive
Director, Friends of Falun Gong USA