South Korea Urged Not to Deport Falun Gong Practitioners

SHAME ON YOU, SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT...

(http://youtu.be/vlicHFX7YWY)



Calls are coming from the United States and Europe for the South Korean government to stop the deportation of Falun Gong practitioners to mainland China. On September 6th, South Korean authorities arrested two adherents of the spiritual practice. Now one of them, a 26-year-old Chinese native, Mr. Jin, is being detained and faces possible deportation to mainland China where the ruling Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong.

On Tuesday, Falun Gong practitioners in New York handed an appeal letter to South Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. They want to make sure their fellow practitioner will stay in South Korea, where the government has already deported ten practitioners to China since 2009.

[Kuang Shiming, New York Falun Gong Practitioner]:
“They’ve gone through a lot to escape to Korea…and now South Korea is buckling under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party…and wants to deport them back to China.”

South Korea authorities arrested Mr. Jin and his wife Ms. Ma from their home on September 6th because of their illegal immigration status. Both had applied for refugee status without success. Ms. Ma is currently outside of custody.

Former persecution victim Ma Cunmei knows what the two would face if they were deported.

[Ma Cunmei, Persecution Victim]:
"I know how severe the Communist Party's persecution against Falun Gong is. If these practitioners return, they really do face the dangers of torture and death, or even having their organs harvested."

New York-based rights group the Falun Dafa Information Center, says South Korea should not deport Falun Gong practitioners to China because of its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and the Convention Against Torture. Both prevent countries from sending refugees to another country where they face torture or persecution because of their religion or membership of a particular social group.

[Zhang Erping, Spokesperson, Falun Dafa Information Center]:
“We just urge the government of South Korea not to violate these conventions and treaties. If they send these practitioners back to China, it would be helping the regime in China to persecute people and belief.”

Last Friday, member of the European Parliament Roger Helmer also wrote to the ambassador of South Korea in England, urging the government to fulfill its obligation to asylum seekers.

From - http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2011-09-14/south-korea-urged-not-to-deport-falun-gong-practitioners.html