By RACHAEL POWER, The Irish Times
June 21, 2012

A demonstration calling for the release of an imprisoned Falun Gong practitioner in China was held outside the Chinese embassy in Dublin yesterday.

Organised by the Irish Falun Dafa Association, the event sought to highlight the imprisonment of Gu Qing-ai who was reportedly jailed in Weihai City 11 days ago for spreading the word about the spiritual discipline.

Ms Gu’s daughter, Cui Tianzeng, and Irish-based Falun Gong practitioners attended the demonstration.

Ms Cui, who has lived in Ireland since 2007, said: “I am calling on the Irish Government and people to do what they can to ask the Chinese government to release my mother.” She has also written to the Chinese embassy.

Falun Dafa spokeswoman Dongxue Dai said: “The banning of Falun Gong has made many Chinese people’s lives painful.”