Feb 12, 2007
NEW YORK—A Beijing girl held against her will by Chinese authorities here in the United States—and thought to be in imminent danger of abuse or torture should she be returned to China—is now safe. Grave concerns are now being raised for the girl's family still in China.
U.S. Customs Agents detained 14-year-old Youran Zhao (pronounced "yo-ran jow") and her two official chaperones at JFK airport in New York City Sunday afternoon as they were getting ready to board a flight scheduled to depart for China at 3:30 p.m. Agents held them until her aunt and legal guardian, Ms. Xiufen Zhang, arrived with her lawyer.
Zhang and Youran then left the airport by a side exit in order to avoid Chinese agents they feared would be in the vicinity. According to Mr. Yonglin Chen, a former Chinese Embassy official who defected in Australia in 2005, Chinese authorities have previously kidnapped foreign nationals back to China for punishment. The Chinese regime considers defections or asylum a blow to the Chinese Communist Party's esteem.
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