RUSSIA—On March 29 St. Petersburg residents and accredited U.N. refugees Ma Hui and her eight-year-old daughter Ma Jing Jing were unlawfully kidnapped and illegally deported back to China. Both have been confirmed to have arrived in China.
Ms. Ma practices Falun Gong, and her and her daughter's deportation is believed to be an instance of the Chinese Communist Party regime's persecution of Falun Gong, in this case extended to Russia.
Mr. Ivan Petrovich Shkodyuk, the president of the Russia Falun Gong Association, attempted to organize a rescue of the two. He received confirmation from the Russian Immigration Headquarters and the St. Petersburg Immigration Branch Office that Ma and her daughter were repatriated by them. The St. Petersburg office also told him it had received confirmation from the Chinese regime that Ma and her daughter had arrived in China.
Kidnapping
A nine year old Russian child named Christina was an eyewitness and also a victim of the kidnapping of Ms. Ma and Jingjing. Christina had been playing with Jing Jing.
Christina was shocked by the events, and she only remembers parts of what happened. According to Christina, six or seven people in black outfits climbed over a wall to enter the house. All of them were fearsome looking with one of them being female. As soon as they entered the house, they broke the telephone and the computer wire and shouted at the mother and two children to follow them.
Later the kidnappers realized Christina was not a member of Ma Hui's family and she was sent via the St. Petersburg immigration office to the local immigration office where the child was returned to her home.
Ma's husband Mr. Li had been very distraught to learn his family had been kidnapped. On the day after this happened, he was able to provide more details about what had occurred.
Li said, "My wife Ma Hui is 44 years old, a Falun Gong practitioner, and a refugee who has been protected by the United Nations for three years now. In order to obtain refugee status in Russia, her case was tried in the court in St. Petersburg. Ma was supposed to attend a court session on March 30, 2007, the day after she was abducted."
Rescue Attempt
Li recalled the events of the 28th, "After being notified by a friend at 10:30 a.m., I also received a telephone call from our district immigration office asking me to take Christina back home. When I got to the immigration office, I heard that my wife and daughter had been taken away, and they were to be repatriated to Beijing."
"I immediately informed the United Nation Red Cross officials in St. Petersburg, and also went to the city immigration office. I was told that the office personnel all went to the international airport to carry out the repatriation. And that Ma Hui and Jing Jing were being detained in the airport waiting for the evening flight to Beijing."
"We went to the airport immediately along with a Red Cross representative and an attorney. The staff members of the Immigration office in Pulkovo No.2 international airport refused to admit that Ma and my daughter Jing Jing were there, and claimed that they did not know anything about the repatriation. When we asked to meet with the City Immigration Office officials who had gone to the airport to carry out the repatriation, we were told that they were not there.
"During this time, the Red Cross representative and the attorney were calling the Russian Federal Immigration Headquarters and St. Petersburg City Immigration Office. Some staff said that the repatriation order was signed by the Russia Federal Immigration Service Chief, and some said it was signed by the St. Petersburg Immigration Office Chief. We were also told not to investigate this matter any further as there would be no use to do so."
When Li asked the airport police to help look for Ma and her daughter, they said they did not have any obligation to look for people. However, a member of the team attempting to rescue Ma Hui and Jing Jing saw some Chinese entering and leaving the airport police office freely, and suspected on that basis that the CCP agents had participated in this abduction. In the end the team could find no trace of Ma and her daughter at the airport.
The rescue team happened to hear by accident that Russia even arranged for the police to escort Ma and his daughter to Beijing. If this is true, it appears to be a direct violation of Russian Federal law, according to which no one has the right to expel a refugee before the conclusion of the trial process.
Mr. Shkodyuk said, "It is against the stipulation of the federal constitution to repatriate them now, and according to Russian Law, if upon the return to the person's own country, where the situation of persecution is occurring and where the person's life is in danger, the person should not to be repatriated to the country. Therefore, no matter what litigation or the local situation in China, there is no legal reason to repatriate them back to China."
Shkodyuk also believes that as long as the persecution of Falun Gong in China has not ended, the threat to Falun Gong practitioners will not disappear in Russia. He hopes that through the United Nation's emergency rescue system, Ma Hui can be rescued back to Russia or to another country where they will be safe.
Reaction
The Web sites of six Russian media have reported this incident. The Red Cross has been quoted as saying that in cases of deportation, the family members must sign the deportation papers, which was not done. Also, according to the Red Cross, the Red Cross is supposed to be notified, which was not done.
Protests have begun at Russian Consulates around the world. Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Sun Lezhi in New York City recalled how he had been forced to leave Russia at the orders of Russian authorities. Sun said he had worked in Russia for seventeen years and was forced to leave Russia last year.
"My work visa was not set to expire until 2009. But Russian authorities violated the laws governing foreigners' rights to work and live in Russia. The authorities ordered me to leave Russia in October last year, simply because I practice Falun Gong."
Sun expressed concern for Ms. Ma and Jing Jing and explained what he believes happened, "Some Russian officials did not understand what is happening in China, and when faced with financial pressure, economic interests, and slanderous propaganda from the Chinese communist regime, the officials did something to suppress activities of Falun Gong practitioners."
According to sources from China, Jing Jing has been sent to Ma's sister's home. Ms. Ma is currently detained by the regime and her whereabouts are unknown. There are grave fears for her life.
With reporting from NTDTV in New York.
