Friends of Charles Li Appeal to U.S. State Department to Help Gain His Release from China

January 31, 2003

Assistant Secretary James A. Kelly

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Kelly:

On January 22, 2003, the P.R.C. seized and illegally detained Charles Li, a US citizen from California and a good friend of ours. We are writing to ask you to call for his immediate release from China.

Chinese agents illegally arrested Charles simply because he is a Falun Gong practitioner. In the past three and a half years, under orders from the Jiang regime, more than 560 practitioners have been killed in detention centers and labor camps. We appreciate that the Department of State has documented many of these cases of death and torture in its Annual Human Rights Report.

Two thousand years ago, Christians were brutally persecuted by violent and repressive political forces. At this moment of history, Jiang's regime is persecuting an estimated 100 million Falun Gong practitioners and their families in China as well as abroad, according Jiang's secret policy: "Defame their reputation, destroy them economically, and eliminate them physically."

We are very concerned about Charles' safety. We sincerely hope that the U.S. Government will help uphold justice and the fundamental principles of humanity and help rescue Charles from China. We believe that the efforts of the U.S. Department of State will significantly help protect Charles' welfare and his very life as well as the interests of American citizens.

Thank you for giving this matter your attention. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Friends of Charles Li (Names omitted to protect signatories from harassment from the Jiang regime and its Embassies overseas.)