By a Falun Gong Practitioner in Ireland

(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioner and former student in Ireland Liu Feng arrived at Dublin Airport at 7:45pm on July 25, 2004, after his four years and seven months of persecution in China. Falun Dafa Association in Ireland held a press conference on his return in Trinity College Dublin on the afternoon of July 29.

Press conference		Mr. Jim Loughran, spokesperson of Amnesty International in Ireland
Ms. Ruth Coppinger, Congresswoman of South Dublin		Mr. Andrew Montague, City Councilor of Dublin

Even though the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland promised Liu Feng's return to Ireland after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's visit to Ireland in May, 2004, the forced labor camp would not let Liu Feng go. Liu had been closely monitored all the time. To free himself from his persecutors, he finally had to leave without saying goodbye to his parents. He found out later from a phone call to his parents that the forced labor camp sent people to get him at home right after he left. To reduce the risk for Liu Feng's wife, the Falun Dafa Association delayed the press conference until she arrived in Ireland on Wednesday.

Among those at the press conference who gave speeches were Liu Feng, other Falun Gong practitioners in Ireland and those who had helped rescue Liu Feng and Yang Fang, including Senator David Norris, Spokesperson of Amnesty International in Ireland, Mr. Jim Lughran, City Councilor of Dublin, Mr. Andrew Montague and South Dublin Councilor, Ms. Ruth Coppinger. They were very happy to see Liu Feng and his wife return to Ireland.

Dublin Councilor Mr. Andrew Montague told the reporter that he was very happy and wanted to express his congratulations to Liu Feng and his wife. He thought it was only a small step. The longer journey is still ahead. He said detention based on belief was wrong. It was wrong to detain Falun Gong practitioners. Human rights in China still had a long way to go to meet the standard. All political prisoners, religious prisoners and Falun Gong practitioners must be released.

When the reporter asked about the reason for the Irish media's unbalanced reporting about trade with China and China's human rights violations, Ms. Coppinger stressed the priority of human rights over economic interest.

Liu Feng went to China for a holiday in December, 1999. He was illegally detained for fifteen days and his passport was confiscated for handing in an appeal letter for Falun Gong. Liu married in Dalian in May, 2002 and successfully got a new passport in June, 2002. Hoping to return to Ireland with his wife, Liu applied for a visa but ended up being abducted and thrown into Yaojia Detention Center of Dalian. Without any evidence or legitimate charge, the Dalian police kept Liu under detention for eight months. He was eventually sent to Dalian Forced Labor Camp for two years. Long detention, hunger strikes and forced heavy labor damaged Mr. Liu's health. He fainted several times in the camp and was released to receive medical treatment for his critical health situation. In the meantime, Falun Gong practitioners in Ireland, universities, human right organizations and government officials campaigned to rescue Liu Feng out of China.

Liu Feng is the second Falun Gong practitioner after Zhao Ming who has been rescued from persecution in China. Another former student in Ireland, Falun Gong practitioner Yang Fang is still under house arrest in Shenyang, China.

Posting date: 8/5/2004
Original article date: 8/5/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/8/4/81014.html

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