Tuesday, November 21, 2000

A Chinese-born Falun Gong follower who holds a US green card will face court in Beijingon Thursday accused of spying, a human rights group reported yesterday.

Teng Chunyan, a 37-year-old acupuncturist, is being held at Beijing's Banbuqiao DetentionCentre for allegedly collecting and disseminating information about fellow Falun Gongmembers in China, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported.

The centre said that Teng disappeared in March after arriving in Shenzhen. Her relatives inChina were only notified last month that she would face trial in Beijing No 1 IntermediatePeople's Court for "spying for intelligence for foreign illegal organisations".

The Government banned the spiritual movement in July last year [...].

The centre said Teng migrated to the US eight years ago. Neither the US Embassy nor herAmerican husband had been informed about the trial.

It said that unlike other Falun Gong trials, the hearing would be held behind closed doorsand Teng's family would not be allowed to attend. Teng could face at least 10 years in jail ifconvicted.

The centre quoted a court official as saying that only the two lawyers hired by Teng wouldbe allowed to witness the hearing on Thursday. "She will be the first green-card holder tobe convicted in China," the centre said.

It urged Mary Robinson, the visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to voiceconcern over Teng's case.

"China now considers information about suppression and persecution of Falun Gongmembers as intelligence," the centre said. "The collection and provision of such informationto foreign organisations has become a punishable crime.

"We strongly demand that the visiting commissioner express concern over China describingall information about human rights abuses as 'intelligence' and sentencing people whoinvestigate these abuses to heavy jail terms."