Published: January 24, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23 - A California businessman has returned to the United States after three years of imprisonment in China for his participation in Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned by the Chinese government.

The businessman, Charles Lee, 41 and a resident of Menlo Park, arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, welcomed by more than 100 supporters, who for three years have protested and petitioned for his release.

"I feel relief," Mr. Lee said in a telephone interview Monday. "I'm also concerned and worried because the persecution is still going on and there are so many practitioners who have been physically and mentally tortured."

The Chinese government first detained Mr. Lee on Jan. 22, 2003, and he was later held near the coastal city of Yangzhou. The authorities put Mr. Lee on trial based on accusations that he tried to sabotage the government by disrupting broadcasts with videotapes showing government persecution of Falun Gong.

The group drew international attention in 1999, when 10,000 followers peacefully protested in Beijing.

In prison, Mr. Lee said, he was beaten, deprived of sleep and food, and handcuffed in painful positions. He said the government tried to "force brainwash" prisoners and subjected him to "slave labor."

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