Hello, and welcome to the FGMtv news review. I'm Susan Mitchell.

Here at FGMtv we focus on programs and news that illuminate the truth of Falun Gong, which is also known as Falun Dafa; information that is having an impact on the international community of spiritual cultivators.

Falun Dafa is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that includes exercise and meditation. Its principles are based on Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout the country. In 1998, a government survey concluded that the number of practitioners exceeded membership in the communist party. The next year, Jiang Zemin began a brutal persecution.

In this week's update from China…

§ 596 Falun Gong practitioners are confirmed to have died from torture while in custody, with 5 death reports received in the last week. Reliable sources inside China, however, put the actual death count in the thousands.

§ In the last 7 days, torture reports have come in from 15 provinces, and the cities of Shanghai and Dalian.

§ 1,024 people declared as null and void, statements saying they will give up Falun Gong that were made while undergoing torture as they were the result of extreme coercion. They say they will continue practicing Falun Gong.

Our top story this week:

§ Update on status of British Home Office order to deport Ms. Lili Lin, a pregnant Falun Gong practitioner back to China.

And some of our other stories:

§ Efforts continue in the U.S. to rescue Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen illegally imprisoned in China

§ 2003 Falun Dafa Report to be presented at the U.N.

§ Torture continues in Chinese labor camps and the Jiang regime extends its persecution to other countries

§ Australian mother's lifelong sinus and asthma problems disappear one month after beginning to practise Falun Dafa.

§ The President of Latvia attends Ms. Cuiying Zhang's art exhibition in Riga.

First, our top story:

Update on the possible deportation of Ms. Lili Lin

§ Ms. Lili Lin, a Falun Gong practitioner who was wrongly detained and nearly deported by the British Home Office, is expected to be released soon.

§ Ms. Lin's lawyer has begun the appeal process on the basis of human rights in order to overturn the Home Office's decision to deport her. After the legal procedures of this case began, the deportation process ended on the same day. Ms. Lin is expected to be released in a few days.

§ Ms. Lin's case has caused great concern among many UK politicians, many organizations, the UK Falun Dafa Association, and Falun Dafa practitioners around the world. They all urged the British government not to deport Ms. Lin. Considering the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, especially the forced abortion of pregnant women, they requested that the British government protect Ms. Lin for humanitarian reasons.

Efforts continue to secure release of American citizen in China

§ Seventeen NGOs and organizations joined hundreds more traveling from across the United States for a rally in Washington DC to seek assistance from the State Department and Members of Congress to secure the release of Dr. Charles Li.

§ Charles is an American citizen who has spent more than 44 days in isolated detention inside China, though no formal charges have been brought against him. Many believe he is being held because of his spiritual beliefs.

§ Charles' friends delivered an appeal letter and over 20,000 signatures to Mr. Scott Carpenter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

§ Amongst those in the crowd were the six member "Rescue Charles Li" car tour team who had driven through snow storms from Boston to hold media events in New York City, and Philadelphia.

"2003 Falun Dafa Report" to be presented at the U.N.

§ The Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group, a group of practitioners devoted to improving Human Rights in China, has carefully gathered and documented personal details from families of those practitioners in China who have been murdered, or whose human rights have otherwise been violated in contravention to international treaties signed by China.

§ This "2003 Falun Dafa Report" will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Commission at its annual meeting in Geneva in March.

U.N. Criminal Court sentences former Bosnian-Serb President to 11 years for Crimes against Humanity

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