Ottawa Citizen: Falun Gong Crackdown Protested

April 18, 2001 Xueliang Wang points to a small pink scar on his wrist, a reminder of handcuffs that dug deeply into his skin when he was detained in China for practising Falun Gong, and explains how important it is that the United Nations votes to condemn China's human rights records today. "The Chinese government hasn't heard anything, so this resolution may have more impact to stop the persecution," said Mr. Wang, a University of Ottawa student who says he was severely beaten while detained in China on two separate occasions. Mr. Wang was one of about 30 Falun Gong practitioners to gather across the street from the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa last night for a two-hour vigil. Practitioners aged four to 70, were paying tribute to the lives of 192 people they say have been killed during a Chinese government crackdown on the meditation practice China has called an [...]. Similar vigils were held in major cities worldwide yesterday, including Geneva, where today the United States is expected to table a motion condemning China's human rights record at the meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Canadian Falun Gong practitioners, an estimated 100 of whom are in Geneva for the convention, have urged Canada to cosponsor the U.S. proposal. Vigil organizer Grace Wollensak said the vigils will continue even if the U.S. proposal is not upheld. "The most important thing is to let people know what's happening in China, regardless of what happens tomorrow," she said last night.