On Tuesday September 9 2003, Ragnar Adalsteinsson, a renowned Icelandic human rights lawyer, filed the action with the State Criminal Prosecutor, Bogi Nilsson. The legal complaint against Luo Gan is based on the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which Iceland signed in November 1996. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Falun Gong practitioners from Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain, Italy, Holland, Denmark and Ireland. It is the twelfth international lawsuit in nine countries to emerge in the past two years against high-ranking Chinese officials or government bodies for their roles in persecuting Falun Gong.
Amnesty International, democratic and student organisations in Iceland protest Luo Gan's visit
The major media, including Frettabladid, the national broadcast station, TV Channel One in Iceland reported this incident.
Frettabladid is the largest newspaper in Iceland. On September 8, 2003, it published a report entitled "silent protest," describing the Icelandic people's objections to the visit of Chinese secretary of Political and Judiciary Commission [Luo Gan] because of human rights violations in his association with the Chinese government.
The report stated, "today, supporters of Amnesty International are holding a silent protest in front of the House of Culture. The organisation encourages people to participate as much as possible, because Luo Gan, the Chinese Secretary of Political and Judiciary Commission will visit Iceland.
According to the report, Johanna K.Eyjolfsdottir, director of Amnesty International, Iceland said, "We wrote a letter to the [Icelandic] government talking about human rights issues as they concern the Chinese government; also, we hope people who will meet with Luo Gan can deliver our message to him."
During a September 8 report by Icelandic national broadcast station Vaka, a democratic student organisation in Iceland published a statement protesting Luo's visit.
Their statement said, "Gan led the violent actions taken against Chinese students in Tiananmen Square in June 4, 1989." An announcement from student group Vaka says that "they regret the repeated invitations the Icelandic government has extended to Chinese officials guilty of crimes against humanity."
Sneaking out the back door; Luo Gan confronted by journalist
Iceland's TV Channel One reported the lawsuit against Luo Gan during its September 8 evening news. The report said, "Currently, Luo Gan is one of the most powerful people in China. Today, Icelandic attorneys have put forward charges at the state attorney's office, where they demand that Luo Gan, head of the legal system in China, be arrested and placed in detention in Iceland." This is the first lawsuit against high-level foreign officials on their visit to Iceland.
The report says, "among the silent AI protesters, many wore yellow-coloured clothing, a typical Falun Gong colour. While Luo Gan was having lunch with the Minister of Justice, Bjorn Bjarnason, these people silently protested without the slightest movement. Later, Luo Gan left by a small back door. When Luo Gan walked out, Gudmundsson, a journalist for Frettabladid shouted at Luo Gan, "Did you detain Falun Gong practitioners?" Luo Gan didn't answer, but a bodyguard jumped at the journalist. He probably thought the journalist would approach Gan's car."
Dr. Shao Li, a Falun Gong practitioner from the UK said, "Luo Gan sent hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners to labour camps without a trial, and among them was my sister-in-law. She is only 30 years old and was sentenced to two years of forced labour without any trial. She was brutally tortured and was hung from a door frame so her feet couldn't touch the ground. Some other practitioners detained in the same labour camp were tortured to death."
The Icelandic government didn't send an invitation!
According to a September 8 report on Epoch Times Net, the Icelandic people who are citizens of a country known for supporting human rights are perplexed, asking "Why did their government invite a notorious human rights butcher for a visit?" The answer is that the Icelandic government didn't send an invitation.
According to the Icelandic government, Luo Gan's two-day visit was initiated by Luo Gan and the Icelandic government didn't invite him. His request for a visit caught Iceland off-guard.
A renowned Icelandic human rights lawyer filed a lawsuit with the State Criminal Prosecutor in Iceland
As stated above, on September 9, 2003, a renowned Icelandic human rights lawyer filed a lawsuit with the State Criminal Prosecutor in Iceland against Luo Gan who, as head of the Party's Political and Judiciary Commission, has orchestrated the four-year persecution campaign against the spiritual group Falun Gong. This Political and Judiciary Commission is China's top police and judicial organ. As such he is in Iceland on a two-day visit as part of an ongoing four-nation tour of Europe.
The legal complaint is based on the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which Iceland signed in November 1996, a spokesperson for the London-based office of Falun Gong said in a statement. As a signatory to the Convention Against Torture, Icelandic courts are authorised to hear cases which allege violation of its terms, it said.
Human rights lawyer Adalsteinsson said, "Iceland has a legal and moral duty to forcefully prosecute and bring to justice persons that are guilty of systematic violations of international human rights."
The group, whose practitioners do meditation to improve their physical and mental well-being, says "more than 1,600 practitioners have been tortured or beaten to death in China during the persecution. More than 500 have been given prison sentences of over 20 years, over 1,000 have been or still are interned in mental hospitals and more than 100,000 held in labour camps without trial."
Last month, a lawyer who prosecuted Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet filed a criminal lawsuit in Belgium against Luo Gan, former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and one other senior Chinese government official on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners, also charging them with genocide, torture and crimes against humanity.
Recent Attack against Falun Gong on Xinhua Net; Luo Gan can't dodge responsibility
RFI, BBC, and Free Asia reported the aforementioned lawsuits. The RFI Chinese program said in its September 8 evening news report: on Monday, Xinhua Net, the official Chinese media, published an article commenting on the ban of Falun Gong, which attracted the attention of the overseas media. AP and BBC think this report obviously shows the Beijing government is again attacking Falun Gong.
Looking back at the history of the Communist Party, the accomplices to dictators could never escape the severe punishment history has in store for them.
About the "610 Office" -- Background Information
The "610 Office" is "the Leadership Team Office on the Issue of Falun Gong." It was established on June 10, 1999; it is therefore known as the "610 Office." It is the decision-making and enforcing agency under the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) "Leadership Team on the Issue of Falun Gong," headed by Li Lanqing. It is a permanent office under the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the CCP Central Committee, personally headed by Luo Gan. It is the highest government agency the Jiang regime uses to persecute Falun Gong. Since it does nothing but political persecution, is completely above the law, and does not report to other governmental agencies, it shares common traits with the former "CCP Central Committee Cultural Revolution Leadership Team," the Nazi Gestapo and the former Soviet Union's KGB. The "610 Office" is under direct control of Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan. It systematically carries out Jiang Zemin's orders of "defaming their [Falun Gong practitioners'] reputations, bankrupting them financially, destroying them physically," and "practitioners tortured to death will be recorded as suicide cases, do not identify the body; cremate locally."
From the central government on down to the local ones, a strict and independent system has been formed within the "610 Office." This system has absolute power over all levels of the ruling Party, the governmental departments and judicial systems in China. Labour camps throughout China are detaining innocent Falun Gong practitioners, in many cases indefinitely. The head criminals are still those from the "610 Office." In addition to forced labour camps, shelters under the local civil administration bureau, detention centres, administrative lockup houses, drug rehabilitation centres and prostitute reeducation facilities under the public security bureaus have all become tools for the malicious "610 Office" to illegally detain, abuse and even murder Falun Gong practitioners. The "610 Office" has also wantonly used the media to launch propaganda campaigns and to fabricate rumours slandering Falun Dafa. They also sent agents to interfere with Falun Gong practitioners' activities abroad.
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