Texarkana Gazette: U.S. citizen facing prison in China

September 11, 2003

By Greg Bischof

Texarkana Gazette

Efforts to rescue a U.S. citizen more than 12,000 miles away came Wednesday right to the doorstep of Texarkana, Texas, City Hall.

Dr. Jason Wang, a volunteer working for the rescue or release of an American being detained in China, visited the Twin Cities to draw attention to the 39-year-old detainee's plight.

Dr. Charles Lee, a resident of California, faces a three-year prison sentence in China after being arrested by Chinese government officials on Jan. 22. Lee was arrested for going to China to expose the torture and murder of Chinese citizens who face persecution for practicing a form of quiet meditation known as Falun Gong.

Although this form of meditation has existed for several thousand years, it only started being practiced in public in 1992 in China. The Chinese government subsequently outlawed its practice in July 1999.

The nationwide rescue campaign, which started Aug. 13 in San Francisco and will end on Saturday in Washington D.C., is aimed at drawing attention to the human rights violations, Wang said. Wang attributes these human rights violations to efforts by former Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Zemin is blamed for the deaths of between 765 and 800 Falun Gong practitioners to date, according to estimates.

"We want people in this country to know what is happening to one of their fellow citizens in China, as well as what's happening throughout the rest of China," Wang said.

Since being imprisoned, Lee has endured forced sleep deprivation, beatings and other forms of torture, Wang said.

Falun Gong currently has an estimated 100 million practitioners worldwide, most of whom live in China.

Besides Texarkana, Wang said he's campaigned in other East Texas cities on behalf of Lee's rescue including Tyler, Longview, Arlington, Sherman, Paris and Denton. He's also been to Shreveport and Oklahoma City.

Staff photo by Chris Dean
June Ye performs Falun Gong meditation Wednesday on the lawn of the Texarkana, Texas, City Hall to raise awareness of the alleged Chinese persecution and torture of American Dr. Charles Lee.

June Ye performs Falun Gong meditation Wednesday on the lawn of the Texarkana, Texas, City Hall to raise awareness of the alleged Chinese persecution and torture of American Dr. Charles Lee.

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