United States: Lawsuit against Jiang Enters into a Critical Period -- Public Rally with Theme of "Putting Jiang Zemin on Trial" Is Held in Washington DC

On June 17, several dozen people from different circles held a public rally in the rain on Freedom Plaza in front of the White House. They exposed Jiang Zemin's crimes in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The lawsuit against Jiang filed in Chicago is entering into a critical period. On June 12, the Chicago District Court accepted an amicus brief from 38 members of Congress, urging the court to proceed with the lawsuit filed by Falun Gong practitioners, charging Jiang with genocide. The court will soon make a decision on whether to proceed with the lawsuit.

Some Falun Gong practitioners from New York came to join this rally. Together with practitioners in Washington D.C., they performed a puppet show to symbolise the public trial against Jiang in the court of Human Decency and Morality. One of the victims of this persecution Ms. Zhao Xianglan from Maryland asked the puppet Jiang why he put Ms. Zhao Meiyu, who wanted to sue Jiang, into forced labour camp. U.S. citizen Dr. Charles Li's fiancée, Ms. Foo Yeoung-ching, asked Jiang why he sentenced Charles to three years in jail and tortured him. A four-year-old practitioner, Wang Zhen, asked Jiang why he persecuted her grandmother. In the end, the court of morality convicted Jiang of his crimes against humanity.

A puppet show is performed on Freedom Plaza, symbolising the public trial against Jiang in the Court of Human Decency and Morality	The Court of Decency and Morality convicts Jiang of his crimes

A young practitioner asks Jiang about the persecution of her grandmother	Attorney Martin gives a speech

Coordinator of this rally Dr. Wang Zuwei said, "Today, we only performed a puppet show, but we believe that Jiang will be eventually tried in the court of justice."

Regarding the issue of whether Jiang still enjoys immunity given to a head of state, member of the "Free China Movement" Mr. Zhou Yongjun said, "The third article of Nuremberg stated: If one, as the head of state, commits crimes against international law, he will not enjoy immunity. The fourth article of the Geneva Convention stated: Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals. Former leaders of Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as well as the former Chilean President Pinochet, are all examples." In the end, Zhou Yongjun said, "Justice is an important part of American values. Because of this, people from all over the world respect America and hope to find justice in this great land. How could it be possible for us to sacrifice justice to further trade with a foreign dictator who butchers people in his own country?"

Famous pro-democratic activist Mr. Wei Jingsheng, renowned Taiwan pro-democratic movement leader Wang Nengxiang, and President of the Overseas Chinese Democratic Coalition Mr. Wu Heyi also attended the rally and delivered speeches.

Mr. Wang Nengxiang said, "The Communist Party and dictator will soon have nowhere to hide in China. My friends and Falun Gong practitioners, you are writing the most splendid page of China's history."

Falun Gong is a cultivation system based on "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance." It has spread to more than 60 countries and areas in the world and is practised by over 100 million people who are from all walks of life. Since July 1999, Jiang started suppressing this non-political group. He mobilised the state security and propaganda machines, and adopted all imaginable methods to persecute those who uphold their beliefs. He even issued the order of "Beating (Falun Gong practitioners) to death will not be held accountable, and beating them to death is counted as their committing suicide." Information that people risked their lives to deliver overseas shows that at least 730 practitioners have died as a result of the persecution, over 1000 healthy practitioners have been held in psychiatric hospitals, thousands were sentenced to jail, and several hundred thousand practitioners are kept in forced labour camps. Countless families have been torn apart.

On October 18, 2002, Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit charging Jiang with genocide in the Chicago district court. They charged Jiang with carrying out a campaign of systematic persecution, torture, and genocide against Falun Gong, and murdering and torturing practitioners. Jiang, who claimed that the present is the "best period of China's human rights", and that "China is establishing a society ruled by law" does not have courage to face those accusations. In the beginning, the spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did his utmost to deny the existence of this lawsuit, while in the meantime, Jiang used diplomatic means to convey that he would anything to stop the lawsuit. Under strong diplomatic pressure from China, some people in the U.S. Department of Justice submitted an amicus brief to the court suggesting the dismissal of this lawsuit. On the other hand, 38 members of the U.S. Congress cosigned an amicus brief to ask the Chicago District Court to proceed with the lawsuit. One of the cosigners Texas Congressman Mr. Chris Bell expressed during an interview, "The court is a place where you can put everything on the table. Everyone can freely present his statement, and the outcome is to discern right from wrong." On June 12, the Chicago District Court accepted the amicus brief from the members of Congress and will soon make a decision.

The evil can never prevail over the righteous. As time goes on, more and more facts about the persecution endured by Falun Gong practitioners will be revealed, and justice will be served.