On June 19, Epoch Times reported that 15,000 people defied Chinese authorities and signed a petition in support of a family that practices Falun Gong. Twenty-three year old Qin Rongqian wrote a petition asking for help. Qin wrote on her petition, “Every signature and thumbprint of yours, your kindness, and your attention to this matter will help my family obtain justice for my father and freedom for my sister and mother. In two weeks, she collected over 15,000 signatures and thumbprints. In February 2011, her father died in prison, where he was serving a 10 year sentence because he refused to give up the practice of Falun Gong, a meditation practice that has been banned in China since 1999. Although the father had injuries that were obviously from severe beatings, the authorities notified the Qin family that he died of natural causes. Qin’s mother and sister had recently been arrested due to their efforts to appeal the case to the authorities.
Source: Epoch Times, June 19, 2012.
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/12/6/19/n3616011.htm