(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Vancouver held a signature drive in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on April 8, 2018. They appealed to the Canadian government to urge the Chinese government to release Sun Xi, a Canadian citizen and a businesswoman who was jailed in China.

Sun was arrested for her belief in Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, an ancient Chinese spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Sun's two lawyers were forced by the authorities to withdraw from a court trial scheduled on April 9.

Since the communist regime launched the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, millions of practitioners have been arrested, jailed, fired from their jobs, and even had their vital organs forcibly removed to sell for transplant.

Residents sign a petition appealing to the Canadian government to help rescue Ms. Sun Xi, a Canadian citizen and businesswoman jailed in Communist China.

The Vancouver Art Gallery is the fifth largest art gallery in Canada and the largest one on the west coast. The rain did not keep people from stopping to support the appeal. More than a thousand signatures were collected in three hours.

A woman from the Middle East said she knew about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, but was shocked to learn that imprisoned practitioners were killed for their organs. She signed the petition and said, “This [persecution] is senseless. I will pray for you.”