Miss World Contestant Anastasia Lin Barred From China

Canada’s Miss Word contender Anastasia Lin was barred from a flight to Sanya to compete in the competition, an event she blames on her human rights activism.

Lin never received an invitation for the event, happening on Dec. 19. She then attempted to travel from Hong Kong and obtain a visa on arrival, something Canadian tourists are allowed to do. But she was barred from boarding.

“My denial was unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. The Chinese government has barred me from the competition for political reasons,” Lin said in a statement. “They are trying to punish me for my beliefs and prevent me from speaking out about human rights issues.”

In response to a query on Lin’s status by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa stated “China does not allow any persona non grata to come to China.” While Lin was not mentioned by name, the statement by Yundong Yang added that it was the country’s prerogative to make such decisions, adding, “I simply do not understand why some people pay special attention to this matter and raise it repeatedly.”

Born in China, Lin moved to Canada in her teens. She is a graduate from the University of Toronto and a practitioner of Falun Gong, banned by the Chinese government. It is a Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigoing techniques with a moral philosophy. It was banned by the Communist government in the 1990s, who feared its size and independence from the state. Lin is an outspoken advocate of the spiritual practice who has testified before the U.S. Congress about it in July and acted in films about it.