We are petitioning you to ensure Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin is granted a visa to attend the Miss World Competition in Sanya China.

Your government has failed to issue her an invitation letter, effectively withholding the visa Ms. Lin needs to travel to China and thus barring her from attending the Miss World competition.

Ms. Lin is being discriminated against because she has spoken out about human rights abuses in China, including the persecution of Falun Gong, a meditation practice that has been persecuted in China since 1999.

Because of her efforts to bring attention to the plight of others, her father in China was even visited by security personnel in an attempt to intimidate him and compel him to silence his daughter's advocacy.

If China aspires to be a responsible member of the international community it should behave according to the standard of that community, including respecting basic freedoms and different viewpoints.

We, the undersigned, are petitioning you to make a step towards earning a respected place within the international community by ensuring Ms. Lin is able to attend the Miss World competition.

We ask you allow Ms. Lin to travel to China immediately and participate in the Miss World final on December 19, 2015. We also demand you abandon any attempts to intimidate her family members.