Victim:

1.      Ms. Pan Jie, female, resident of Spain.

2.      Mr. Shao Jingbiao, male, resident of Spain.

Location:

The Chinese Embassy in Spain

Description:

I am Pan Jie, a Falun Gong practitioner in Spain. Since the China government persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China, Overseas Falun Gong practitioners have taken various approaches to urge the Chinese government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. We have launched a series of peaceful protests and demonstrations at Chinese consulates in Madrid and Barcelona as well.

In December 2001, my passport expired so I went to a Chinese Consulate to apply for an extension. However, the Embassy refused to extend my passport, saying that it must be referred to the Public Security Department in Beijing. This has caused a very difficult situation with respect to my legal residency status in Spain. The problem facing me now is to have my residency status renewed, for which I need a passport. My family members miss me a lot, and they want to reunite with me in Spain. But I have no way to complete the necessary procedures if I don't get a renewed residency status.

Mr. Shao Jingbiao, another Falun Gong practitioner in Spain, lost his passport and went to a Chinese consulate to apply for a new one. Similar to my case, his application has long been delayed with the same excuse "Your case has been referred to the Public Security Department in Shanghai." As a result, he cannot get his residency status renewed, nor can he return to China to visit his father, who is seriously ill.