(Clearwisdom.net) Bu Dongwei, a staff member of the Beijing office of the U.S. Asia Foundation, was recently sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ "Re-education through Labor." Amnesty International said that Bu is a prisoner of conscience and called on action to rescue him.

According to a report by the Voice of America on September 21, Bu Dongwei, 38, is a staff member of the Beijing Office of the San Francisco-based U.S. Asia Foundation and is also a Falun Gong practitioner. He was arrested on May 19, and his family received a notice of forced labor reeducation from the Beijing Public Security Bureau in August.

Amnesty International Considers Bu Dongwei a Prisoner of Conscience

At its Urgent Action Network, Amnesty International said that Bu Dongwei's sentence is in connection with his activities as a practitioner of Falun Gong. Bu is currently being detained at an undisclosed location. The organization stated: "Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience. He is at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment."

Wife to Fight for Administrative Reappraisal

In Los Angeles, Mr. Bu's wife Lou Hongwei said that family members have never been allowed to visit Bu since he was arrested in May. Lou said that she is applying for an administrative reappraisal, even though the labor reeducation authority claimed that Bu had signed a letter pledging no appeal.

Ms. Lou said: "It is impossible for a person who has been unlawfully detained to pledge that he will not apply for reappraisal. In addition, I haven't seen him in person and how I can know the authority is telling the truth?"

Ms. Lou said: "I cannot say that he has been abused because I haven't seen him in person so far. However, if the no-appeal letter is real, I am sure that he was forced to write that under tremendous mental pressure."