Finding Freedom in England: Family Rescue Campaign Success

LONDON — On July 14, 2025, Ms. Liu Pintong, a long-persecuted Falun Gong practitioner from China, safely arrived in the United Kingdom after nearly a decade of detention, surveillance, and travel restrictions. For two years, she was featured in the Falun Dafa Information Center’s (FDIC) Family Rescue Campaign, which advocates for the release of detained Falun Gong practitioners with relatives overseas. Her relocation to England marks the end of a years-long effort to reunite with her son and the beginning of a new chapter in which she can finally speak freely.

Ms. Liu was also the subject of official concern from the United Kingdom government. In a 2023 letter to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP expressed deep concern over Ms. Liu’s detention. The letter, sent in response to an appeal from Ms. Liu’s son, graduate student Hu Xuanming, confirmed that the UK was “closely monitoring the persecution” and would “seek opportunities to press [China] to immediately end serious violations of human rights.”

She was freed on August 2, 2024, after serving an 18-month prison sentence.

For Ms. Liu, the journey was filled with uncertainty until the moment she boarded her flight. “Once I was on the plane, I felt as if I was being protected by a higher power. I was deeply grateful,” she said. “My son and I didn’t even know if I’d be allowed to leave China. We weren’t sure until the plane actually took off.”

Her departure defied a little-known restriction in China that bars former prisoners of conscience from leaving the country for five years after release. Although this “unwritten rule” is not codified in law, it frequently comes up at customs checks, preventing many former prisoners of conscience from crossing the border. To avoid being stopped, Ms. Liu traveled to southern China on airline tickets purchased by a friend and departed the country via Hong Kong.

Escaping a worsening crackdown

When she landed in London, Ms. Liu described feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. “I was just happy I made it here. If I’d stayed in China, I can’t imagine what else might have happened to me,” she said in an interview with FDIC on August 11.

Her concerns were well-founded. In the previous year, two of her close friends in China were arrested within months of each other. One was detained solely for attending a small, private study group; according to Ms. Liu, “They were followed by police and taken away right in the lobby of the building.” The other was arrested while completing a routine errand to apply for broadband internet service.

“In China, there are no human rights. Things have only gotten worse in recent years. The persecution hasn’t stopped since 1999—every few years, they start a new campaign.” — Pintong Liu

Ms. Liu credits her survival in detention entirely to her faith. “Without my belief, I wouldn’t have made it through. At least three times, I came close to death,” she said. She became handicapped through beatings, solitary confinement, and a systemic denial of basic rights.

But curiously, this behavior from authorities shifted during her latest detention. Police asked her multiple times if her son was overseas—a detail she believes influenced her treatment. “They still committed crimes they could never admit publicly, but I think they treated me a little better because of the paranoia. Maybe the international attention pricked their conscience.”

Reclaiming her voice

Now, a month into her new life in London, Ms. Liu says she feels she has “regained [her] human and civil rights.” For the first time in decades, she can speak openly without fear. “Here, I can speak up for my friends in China. I can take part in activism. I see it as my responsibility not to take these freedoms for granted.”

Still, life in the UK is not yet stable. She is waiting for a decision on her asylum claim—a process that could take months or years—and is working to establish financial and housing security. “I just hope for stability now,” she said.

To those who supported her release and relocation, Ms. Liu expressed deep gratitude. “I’m thankful to my friends and everyone who helped me reach safety. I heard over a thousand people signed my petition online, and I’m so grateful. Please don’t worry about me anymore. I will do my best going forward.”