Iceland: Media Show Great Interest In Lawsuit Launched Against Head of 610 Office

At 10:30am on 8th September 2003, European Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against Luo Gan, a head of China's "610 Office" - described by the United States Congress as an agency charged with "overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organised brainwashing, torture, and murder". The lawsuit was filed by over 10 European practitioners and practitioner from around the world via the internationally renowned human rights lawyer Ragnar Adalsteinsson. The practitioners are charging Luo Gan, who is on a two-day visit to Iceland, with crimes of torture, genocide and crimes against humanity. The lawsuit was filed with the State Criminal Prosecutor in Iceland, Mr. Bogi Nilsson (+1 354-5301600) and a copy was delivered to the Minister of Justice.

After submitting the lawsuit, European practitioners and Ragnar Adalsteinsson held a press conference outside of the Ministry of Justice only metres away from the building where Luo Gan was. The press conference was attended by Iceland media, including major newspapers, TV stations and radio stations. A practitioner who is a complainant in this lawsuit, which is one of 12 now filed against Jiang and his regime for persecuting Falun Gong, spoke about the persecution he suffered personally and that endured by his family members. His sister-in-law was illegally imprisoned in a forced labour camp without trial and tortured because she appealed against the persecution of Falun Gong in China. His mother-in-law died from the psychological trauma directly resulting from the persecution of her youngest daughter. He also spoke about the persecution being based completely on lies. For example, last year, when the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin visited Iceland, he lied to the Iceland government that Falun Gong practitioners are violent and forced the Iceland government to ban Falun Gong practitioners from entering the country. This lie was proved to be completely false as the Iceland media carried reports on the peaceful appeal activities of Falun Gong practitioners. The complainant was one of the many practitioners refused boarding flights to Iceland at airports around the world. This aroused anger from Icelandic people who took to the streets of Iceland´s capital in protest in their thousands.

The practitioner also told Iceland´s media that Luo Gan is behind the policy of state-sanctioned torture against Falun Gong practitioners and emphasised the systematic nature of this evil persecution. Luo Gan overseen the persecution of Falun Gong through the "610 Office", an organisation that permeates all levels of the Chinese government across the country and is completely above the Chinese law and constitution. The "610 Office" has the power to imprison, torture and persecute Falun Gong practitioners without resulting to any legal process.

Advocate to the Icelandic Supreme Court and renowned human rights attorney Ragnar Adalsteinsson also spoke at length about this unprecedented lawsuit and the media asked many questions to both the lawyer and the practitioner.

At lunchtime, the Iceland Branch of Amnesty International held a protest outside the building where Luo Gan had dinner. Falun Gong practitioners joined Amnesty in appealing against the vicious crimes of this criminal in China. The large yellow Falun Gong banner directly faced the entrance of the building and when Luo Gan left the building, the sight of this beautiful banner made him pale and miserable. Practitioners made use of this time to tell people about the persecution of Falun Gong and send forth righteous thoughts.