Interviewer: The Courts and Senate are on holiday, but at the beginning of the month they still approved the supremacy of diminished genocide law. This law now says that in cases of complaints of crimes against humanity or genocide, either the perpetrator or the victim must be a Belgian national. Among the many complaints that have been filed, those made against President Bush and the American Iraq-General Francs have been dismissed. Also complaints against the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon are now likely to be dismissed as inadmissible in International Law. But when our government thought that we would now operate more cautiously by going down the diplomatic road, then they were wrong, for there is a new complaint about to be filed that seeks to test this genocide law. For this, we talk with Nicolas Schols of the Falun Gong movement.
Mr. Schols, perhaps could you first tell us in short what Falun Gong exactly is.
Practitioner: Falun Gong is a form of Qigong. Qigong can be described as Chinese Yoga. It is a method to refine the body and mind based on physical exercises, slow physical exercises. In day-to-day life, practitioners of this method try to behave themselves according to certain moral principles, namely “Truth – Kindness – Tolerance.”
Interviewer: This Falun Gong movement is not really tolerated by the Chinese authorities. For this you want to submit a complaint against Jiang Zemin, the former chairman of the Communist Party. Why?
Practitioner: Falun Gong was made public in 1992 by founder Li Hongzhi. It gained enormous success and was promoted by the Chinese authorities. It was also a state-run organisation. In quite a short time, four years actually, a gigantic wave of popularity arose around Falun Gong. Since 1996 problems started to arise from the Chinese authorities, who slandered Falun Gong in the press or whatever, but these were always settled by mutual agreement. Until 1998 you could not really speak of any serious problem. From then on, a particular group within the Communist Party, who also estimated about 70 million members, acted more repressively against Falun Gong practitioners.
Interviewer: And since then you can say that it became really suppressed on a constant basis?
Practitioner: Yes. On July 20th 1999, Falun Gong was labelled as an organisation dangerous to society and large-scale persecution began to be implemented. Jiang Zemin, the person that we now accuse of torture and crimes against humanity has, according to our sources, systematically organised this persecution and he also exercised a mandate over the heads of the Communist Party, many of which opposed him.
Interviewer: You file this complaint as Belgians. Consequently this is possible now, for either the perpetrator or the victim must be Belgian. But are you actually persecuted yourselves?
Practitioner: In a general sense one can assume that Falun Gong practitioners in their day to day lives since 1999, due to the gigantic propaganda campaign by China, are not regarded as normal people anymore.
Interviewer: But do you encounter difficulties in Belgium from this?
Practitioner: I have certainly experienced all kinds of difficulties because of this in my personal life. I studied philosophy at the “Vrije Universiteit Brussel”. People always considered me as a rational person, but since the persecution started in China, one must not forget that millions have been spent in slandering Falun Gong and spreading lies. It was an enormous blow to everyone in the west that has practised Falun Gong.
Interviewer: But how were you actually harmed? For you want sue Jiang Zemin for crimes against humanity, but I can’t immediately imagine that you experienced a crime against humanity from this?
Practitioner: I can’t go into too much detail as long as the complaint has not been filed, but it’s not limited to slander. Other things have happened, such as practitioners being put on a blacklist, and this blacklist then being passed on to all governments, meaning that wherever one travelled, one was treated as a semi-terrorist.
Interviewer: Also here in Belgium?
Practitioner: Here in Belgium there are people who were put on a blacklist for sure. I was also put on a blacklist. I am certain of that.
Interviewer: How have you experienced this?
Practitioner: For instance: visas to China have been refused. I am not affirming nor denying that happened to me. Computers were hacked into, people have been knocked down, some have received threatening letters, and others have received threatening telephone calls.
Interviewer: But the complaint is not yet filed. When may we expect this? What is the status?
Practitioner: That complaint will be filed very shortly.
Interviewer: Will you also undertake similar actions other countries?
Practitioner: A complaint for genocide against Jiang Zemin was filed in the U.S. That complaint was declared valid. Also, in France a complaint has been filed against Li Lanqing, who was visiting the country at the time. Li Lanqing is the second Vice-Prime Minister of China. He got an order from Jiang Zemin to establish a special office that operates above all levels of the government to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.
Interviewer: Thanks, Mr. Schols of the Falun Gong movement.
Practitioner: It was my pleasure.
Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200308/23407.html
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