LU student says he will deliver petition seeking release of his father to Embassy of China on May 9
Comments Off on LU student says he will deliver petition seeking release of his father to Embassy of China on May 9Originally published by The News & Advance on May 5, 2017
Liberty University student Chongyu Xia announced Friday he will be delivering his petition for the release of his father to the Embassy of China in Washington, D.C., on May 9.
Chongyu Xia’s father, Xia Lin, was arrested Nov. 8, 2014, and was accused of “gambling and fraud,” according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), a coalition of Chinese and international human rights non-governmental organizations dedicated to the promotion of human rights through peaceful efforts, according to its website.
Chongyu Xia said his father never had a gambling problem, and Xia Lin’s arrest is based on his career as a human rights lawyer.
On Friday, an official with the Chinese Embassy said no one was available to comment.
Locations of the 6,280 petition supporters vary from the Netherlands to Illinois to Mexico, according to the petition.
“I have got 2600 hand [written] signatures and 6000 plus online,” Chongyu Xia said in a Facebook post.