Rallies at Chinese Consulates Focus on Inhumane Treatment

Contact: Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Coordinator, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, JerryD@odusa.org

MEDIA ADVISORY, Nov. 30 /Standard Newswire/ -- As a result of the harsh treatment of North Korean refugees by China, the North Korea Freedom Coalition is planning an International Protest Against China's Violent Repatriation of North Korean Refugees. On Saturday, Dec. 2, protests will be held at Chinese consulates in major cities around the world.

Open Doors USA, an international non-profit Christian ministry which supports and strengthens persecuted believers, is a member of the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

"We must raise our voices together against China's violent repatriation of North Korean refugees," says North Korea Freedom Coalition Chairman Suzanne Scholte. "The plan for the protest is simple: Where ever you are in the world, go to the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate office at noon Dec. 2 to take a stand for the suffering North Korean refugees in China. They are being hunted down by the Chinese authorities and forced to return to North Korea where they face torture, imprisonment and even execution for the 'crime' of leaving their country."

Open Doors USA Advocacy Coordinator Lindsay Vessey adds: "The protests are a way of pressuring the Chinese government to comply by their obligations under the U.N. Convention on Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Under this convention, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should have access to the North Koreans refugees hiding in China and be able to protect and help them find asylum in other countries like the U.S. and South Korea. Yet, China is deporting refugees back to North Korea where they face terrible punishment."

Protests/prayer vigils -- all starting at noon local time -- at Chinese consulates in the United States include:

• Los Angeles, 443 Shatto Place
• Houston, 3417 Montrose Boulevard
• Chicago, 100 West Erie Street
• Washington, DC, 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW

Other protests will be held in Australia, Canada, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Korea (on Dec. 3) and United Kingdom.

There is also a North Korean Refugee Fax Campaign. To send a fax to Zhou Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, go to the Open Doors USA Web site at www.opendoorsusa.org.

For more information or to set up an interview, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email jerryd@odusa.org.