.First it was his sister. Now it's his mother.

Yingyi Chen is mounting a campaign to free his mother - a practitioner of Falun Gong - from a Chinese prison.

He plans to petition the Canadian government to pressure the Chinese government to release Jinling Huang, 59. She is being held in Kun Shan City, in the province of Jiang Su, north of Shanghai.

The retired chemical engineer's crime? Practicing Falun Gong, a meditation and exercise regime believed by its followers to improve health.

"They said they won't release her until she gives up her beliefs, and as we understand it she will never give up Falun Gong," Chen said.

She hid from Chinese authorities two years ago, but Chen said police flushed her out with an offer of amnesty, then arrested her within a month of her return home.

[...]

But international human rights groups say Chinese authorities are persecuting Falun Gong followers. Thousands have been imprisoned and hundreds have died since a government crackdown began in 1999.

Huang's arrest follows the recent release, amid pressure from Canadian authorities, of Chen's sister, 30-year-old Yinghua Chen.

She is now under house arrest, but was held in a detention centre, then a prison hospital, between August and October, for distributing compact discs with information about Falun Gong.

Yingyi is counting on the federal government helping his mother, who has applied to immigrate to Canada.

"I hope the Canadian government can get her released and get her passport to come here," Chen said.

"I heard on the news (Prime Minister) Jean Chretien said human rights are being respected and the situation is much better in China than 10 years ago and I feel that is not true."

Anyone wanting to help, or to sign Chen's petition can reach him at 756-0038.

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