Japan: Practitioners Gather in Yokohama and Hold Symbolic Public Trial of Jiang

On August 24 2003, responding to the global campaign of "Bringing Jiang Zemin to Justice", Falun Dafa practitioners in Japan gathered in Daidao Park in the famous city of Yokohama and symbolically put Jiang on trial.

At ten o'clock in the morning, practitioners from different areas had a group practice in Daidao Park and sent forth righteous thoughts. At 1:30 PM, the rally started. The first speaker was the representative from Amnesty International Japan Branch. He introduced a few cases of how Chinese Falun Gong practitioners and other people's human rights are being violated. Next, the simulated court trial began. The background of the court were large banners "Bring Jiang Zemin To Justice," "Jiang Zemin was sued overseas for Genocide," "The World Falun Gong practitioners set up a righteous environment to bring Jiang Zemin to Justice", and "China Stop Persecuting Falun Gong" in both Japanese and Chinese. The practitioner who played the Judge was wearing a black gown and sat up straight and solemn. The prosecutor listed the crimes Jiang committed and called three practitioners to court as victims. One practitioner only unfurled a banner reading, "The Fa rectifies the cosmos" on Tiananmen Square. He was beaten up by vicious policemen, taken back to his hometown and sentenced to forced labor. After being detained in a forced labor camp for three months, his family was extorted 20,000 Yuan so that he could be released. He accused Jiang Zemin that his arrest, detention, beating and extortion were not based on law, nor were there any legal procedures. Japanese practitioner Tanaka Yuko talked about her brother and some other Falun Gong practitioners being tortured in Yingmahe Forced Labor Institute at Jiutai Jilin Province. Another practitioner, Lili Wu, showed the court evidence of her sister Xiaohua Wu being cruelly persecuted, including brutal force-feeding, forced to be restrained with a strait jacket and other torture devices, as well as being personally humiliated.

The day was one of the rare hot and dry days in this year's rainy and cool summer. The temperature was about 35'C. Under the hot sun, the practitioners sat on the stony ground and sent forth righteous thoughts. The pedestrians and drivers passing by stopped to watch this special court presentation.

After the symbolic trial, the practitioners began a parade with banners in hands reading "Japanese practitioners request that Jiang Zemin be brought to Justice", "Falun Dafa", "Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance", "China, Stop Persecuting Falun Gong", "Rescue Yoko Kaneko" and etc. The peaceful parade started in Parkway Park, walked around China Street once, passed Central District Government, Yokohama City Government and ended in Yamashita Park. The passersby watched the parade and read the flyers and truth-clarification materials carefully. Though the weather was very hot, all practitioners were energetic and the parade procession was in good order. The parade lasted about one and a half hours and ended at 5PM.

On the same day, the week-long "Second Yokohama Journey of Falun Dafa Photo Exhibit" concluded.