Falun Gong, which combines meditation and breathing exercises with a doctrine loosely rooted in Buddhist and Taoist teachings, was banned by Beijing in July 1999. Zhang said that conditions in the camp were awful and he reported widespread torture of Falun Gong followers. Some were beaten unconscious. They were forced to write letters of confession and to denounce Falun Gong. Canada urged release of professor Human rights groups say around 90 adherents have died while in detention on mainland China.
Authorities acknowledge several deaths in custody, but say most resulted from suicide or illnesses.
Ottawa had repeatedly urged Beijing to release Zhang, who was rearrested in Shandong in October after entering the country on his Chinese passport. Zhang, who teaches in Shandong, emigrated to Canada in 1989 and became a Canadian national in 1995, while retaining his Chinese nationality. With his Chinese papers, he returned to China in 1996 to continue his teaching career. His release prompted sighs of relief in Ottawa, which is sending a major trade mission to China from February 9-18, led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. This mission cannot simply be business and usual.