PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2008

North Korea Freedom Coalition Asks President Bush to Wear FREE NORTH KOREANS Wristband During Trip to Beijing; Calls on Athletes and Spectators to "Bring Human Rights to Beijing"

Washington, D.C. North Korea Freedom Coalition Chairman Suzanne Scholte released a letter to President George Bush requesting that he wear a FREE NORTH KOREANS wristband when he travels to China for the Olympics at a press conference today hosted by a coalition representing Chinese human rights advocates, the Tibetans, Uyghurs, Falun Gong, Christians, and North Korean refugees. Scholte furthermore called on all athletes and spectators to choose a cause and "Bring Human Rights to Beijing" by wearing a symbol in solidarity with those whose persecution has increased because of the Olympic Games coming to Beijing.

"When Beijing was chosen as the site of the 2008 Olympics, it was a wonderful cause of celebration for the people of China, but it came with a promise from the government of China that human rights would be improved," Scholte said. "Tragically, we know now that the opposite has occurred as preparations for the Olympics have led to greater human rights abuses against the Tibetans, Uyghurs, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and for my cause, North Korean refugees."

In addition, the NKFC joined the Friends of Falun Gong, American Tibetan Alliance, China Aid Association, Uyghur American Association and Open Doors, in releasing a letter asking that the President request the release of 23 high profile prisoners of conscience jailed by the Chinese authorities including four South Koreans who were rescuing North Korean refugees: Kim Hui-Sang, Hong Jin-Hee, Kim Heung-Gyun, and Oh Young Sun. Others on the list include Gao Zhisheng, a human rights champion and one of China's top ten lawyers; Zhiwen Wang, a member of the Falun Dafa Research Association; Alim Abdureyim, son of Rebiya Kadeer; and Christian bookstore owner and publisher Shi Weihan.

Scholte called on anyone traveling to the Olympics – whether athlete or spectator -- to choose a human rights cause to uphold by wearing a token of support whether it be the Free North Koreans wristbands, a Falun Gong T shirt, a Tibetan flag pin, a ribbon honoring the Uyhgurs, or a cross honoring the jailed Christians. "Please do not go to Beijing and be silent on the human rights of those who are suffering even more today because of the Olympics," she stated.

FREE NORTH KOREAN wristbands can be obtained free for athletes and spectators going to Beijing at the North Korean Freedom Coalition website at http://nkfreedom.org.

A copy of the signed North Korea Freedom Coalition letter to President Bush is available at http://nkfreedom.org and the full statement from today's press conference follows below.

The link to the letter asking for the release of the 23 prisoners of conscience is at http://new-epoch.org/public/dong/Letter_to_Bush.pdf

For more information on NKFC, visit http://nkfreedom.org

For more information on today's press conference, contact Dong Xiang at 703-869-5608

Persecuted Chinese Groups Unite to Call on President Bush to Raise Human Rights Cases in China

Press Conference - July 16, 2008

Remarks by Suzanne Scholte

Chairman, North Korea Freedom Coalition

It is a great honor for me to be here on behalf of the North Korea Freedom Coalition and join Caylan Ford of the Friends of Falun Gong, Karma Zurkhang, of the American Tibetan Alliance, Jenny McCloy of China Aid Association, Alim Aseytoff of the Uyghur American Association, and Lindsay Vessey of Open Doors. I want to thank Dong Xiang for his vision and passion in bringing us together today.

Much like the people on this list we are submitting to President Bush, we come from different faiths and backgrounds, but we all are united and feel passionately about the greatness of the Chinese people and the potential greatness for the future for China. We are united in our belief that the people on this list represent individuals who have the greatest potential to contribute positively to China. Now, in the case of the four men I wish to highlight: These four men were jailed for trying to rescue refugees who had escaped to China from North Korea. We all know that if you are a North Korean and you are sent back to North Korea you will face certain torture, certain imprisonment, and possibly even execution for the crime of leaving your country. This sentence of execution is being carried out today much more frequently in North Korea, ironically because of the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games which led to a severe crackdown on the refugees as the regimes in North Korea and China agreed to deal with the refugees in the most cruel and violent way.

No one knew that better than KIM Hui Sang, HONG Jin Hee, KIM Heung Gyun, and OH Young Sun, because they themselves were defectors from North Korea. They could not turn their backs on the suffering they saw of the North Korean refugees in China. In each of their cases they were caught by Chinese authorities, tried and convicted of helping these refugees, and are in jail serving sentences from 5 to 7 years, in addition to the times they awaited trial, for these humanitarian actions.

These men were, in fact, helping China’s order and security by assisting in getting refugees to a country where they could be properly resettled, South Korea, where North Koreans have automatic citizenship.

Tragically, Hu Jintao, has decided he would rather honor the wishes of Kim Jong-il by forcing these refugees back to North Korea, while Kim Jong-il has ordered his security agents to beat the stomach of any pregnant North Korean woman who is repatriated because they are carrying and I quote a “half-Chinese baby”. How can Hu Jintao believe it is better to be a partner with someone like Kim Jong-il, who wants unborn children killed for simply being part Chinese, rather than partnering with the international community to solve this refugee situation humanely?

And look at the others on this list – you cannot have One World, One Dream when you are jailing a 77 year old mother for visiting her son in prison, or jailing the son of Rebiya Kadeer simply because she seeks human rights for the Uyhgur people, or holding Zhisheng Gao in secret detention because he dedicated his life to helping the poor and oppressed and documented the horrible torture and persecution of the Falun Gong.

When Beijing was chosen as the site of the 2008 Olympics, it was a wonderful cause of celebration for the people of China. But it came with a promise from the government of China that human rights would be improved. Sadly, we know now that the opposite has occurred as preparations for the Olympics have led to greater human rights abuses against the Tibetans, Uyghurs, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and for my cause, North Korean refugees.

We ask that President Bush go to the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in honor of the spirit of the games and their hosts: the people of China, but we also ask that he bring the cause of human rights with him by asking for the release of these prisoners to the government of China.

In addition, for the North Korean refugees, we are asking the President to wear this wristband which simply states FREE NORTH KOREANS as we know that President Bush shares the heartfelt concerns of the suffering people of North Korea and the tragedy of their circumstances as refugees in China.

As we are asking President Bush today to bring human rights causes to Beijing, I also want to ask that anyone traveling to the Olympics – whether athlete or spectator -- choose a human rights cause to uphold by wearing a token of support whether it be these Free North Koreans wristbands, a Falun Gong T-shirt, a Tibetan flag pin, a ribbon honoring the Uyhgurs, a cross honoring the jailed Christians. Please do not go there and be silent.

Any athlete or spectator traveling to Beijing can obtain one of these FREE NORTH KOREAN wrist bands by going to our website at nkfreedom.org. Bring Human Rights to Beijing to help the people of China and the world. Thank You.

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