Sun Mingyuan holds a board with his appeal on it	Sun Mingyuan and his grandma have gone to the police station and detention center many times to ask that Mingyuan’s mother be released.

Every day in China, parents are arrested and tortured, leaving countless children to become orphans or to have no one to care for them. The current regime savagely persecutes Falun Gong practitioners, resulting in many families being tragically torn apart.

Five-years-old is a bright and full of fun stage. The kids at this age are eager to find out about the world around them, to learn, explore and enjoy. Yet to a young boy, Sun Mingyuan, it is the opposite. Sun Mingyuan is only five years old. He used to live with his father, Mr. Sun Qian, and mother, Ms. Ma Chunli. However, since both his parents practice Falun Gong, they have been arrested and Mingyuan has had to live with his grandma. He has not seen his parents since he was three years old.

On October 26, 2002, the police arrested Sun Mingyuan’s father, practitioner Mr. Sun Qian, and detained him. Mr. Sun’s detention term was later extended by over 15 months. On January 15, 2004, the police carried Mr. Sun, who was unable to walk as a result of torture, to court. The torture used on him is called the “stretch bed.” They tied him to a bed stretching all four of his limbs. The torture tore all the muscles in his limbs and left him handicapped. In spite of his physical condition, the court sentenced him to 12 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong. He is now locked up in Jilin Prison.

Sun Mingyuan’s mother, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ma Chunli, was first arrested and sent to the Hezuizi Labor Camp. When they released her, she left her family and her home in order to avoid recapture and further torture. On December 14, 2004, the police from the Dehui Police Station located Sun Mingyuan’s mother on a street. They arrested and detained her. Since his parents were taken from him, Mingyuan has had to live with his grandma.

Mingyuan’s mother has been on a hunger strike for 48 days. Now she is weak and in critical condition. When Mingyuan heard that his mother was cruelly tortured and in critical condition, the five-year-old wrote his thoughts on a board. He held the board and went with his grandma to the detention center, trying to bring his mother back home. He titled the board, “I Want My Mommy - Please Help.” The message read:

“My name is Sun Mingyuan and I am five years old. My daddy was illegally sentenced to 12 years in prison because he practices Falun Gong. Officers from the Dehui Police Station arrested my mommy on the street on December 14, 2004. Now she has been on a hunger strike for 48 days and is in critical condition. I am lonely, helpless, and separated from my parents. Kind people, please help me! I miss my mommy, I want my mommy back and I want my daddy back.”

Poor little Mingyuan and his grandma went to the detention center several times and asked for her release. The police made excuses and blamed others, and no one would assume responsibility and release her.

Faced with this desperate circumstance and to save mother’s life, Mingyuan has worn the board on his neck and appealed to neighbors and the people all around his neighborhood, hoping that kind people will see it and help rescue his mother and father. Because of the harsh persecution environment, it is difficult to find people who have the courage to stand up and support them.

type=Case, Children;