PERSONA NON GRATA

Canadian Miss World Barred from China

Claims because of her human rights activism.

A Canadian beauty-pageant winner said she has been barred from entering China to participate in the Miss World 2015 final, blaming the apparent ban on her human-rights activism. Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, 25, said she did not receive an invitation to attend the event, but attempted to travel to the island resort Sanya through Hong Kong and was banned from flying. Canadian tourists are eligible for visas on arrival. Lin has decried “repressions and censorship” in China and practices Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that has been banned in China. Lin moved to Canada from China in 2003 and has been featured in films about China’s abuse of Falun Gong members. She also claims her father, who still resides in China, has been harassed by officials over her activism.