PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Help Free the Wife of University of Pittsburgh Researcher
by rob cullen Tuesday, Apr. 01, 2003 at 1:26 PM
mighty85@hotmail.com (email address validated)

for Pittsburgh Indymedia: University of Pittsburgh researcher Dr. Cailu Xu gave a talk describing his wife's unfair imprisonment in China for being a follower of Falun Gong. Includes a call to write letters on her behalf.

better late than never i guess...

For many of us, the issue of human rights abuses like torture and unfair imprisonment in countries around the world are far removed from our daily lives. For University of Pittsburgh researcher Dr. Cailu Xu it is intensely personal.

In a lecture at Carnegie Mellon on March 10, Dr. Cailu spoke about his family's ordeal. Dr. Cailu's wife, Xiaomei Jia has been imprisoned in China since November 2001, for the peaceful expression of her spiritual beliefs. Xiaomei and Dr. Cailu are both practitioners of Falun Gong, a set of body, mind, and spiritual exercises involving slow movements and meditation. China outlawed Falun Gong in 1999 and since then there has been a massive crackdown on Falun Gong followers that has resulted in the arrests of at least 20,000 people.

Dr. Cailu is concerned about his wife's safety. At least 93 Falun Gong practitioners have died while in police custody, and reports of torture are common. At the lecture Emma Jin, a local Falun Gong practioner cited Amnesty International reports that describe cases in which Falun Gong followers were burned with cigarettes, beaten with clubs and broomsticks, force fed salt water, and tortured with electric shock batons.

Dr. Cailu asked that people write letters to their senators, representatives, and the mayor of Pittsburgh urging them to help free Xiaomei. In Pittburgh their addresses are:

Senator Rick Santorum
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Senator Arlen Spector
711 Hart Building
Washington DC, 20510

Representative Michael F. Foyle
401 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515

Mayor Tom Murphy
Mayor's Office
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

A sample letter can be found at: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/amnesty-int/Jia-Xiaomei-1.htm

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