Finland: Press Conference Highlights Lawsuits Launched Against Main Persecutors of Falun Gong

On February 2 2004, the Finnish Falun Dafa Association held a press conference at Finlandia House in Helsinki in order to raise awareness about the international lawsuits that have been launched against the persecutors of Falun Gong. The Association also announced that it will take legal action immediately if any responsible person of the persecution of Falun Gong visits Finland.

Exercise demonstration

At the beginning of the press conference practitioners demonstrated Falun Gong’s exercises and explained more specifically about the principles of Falun Dafa and the positive health benefits that practitioners have received.

The guests in the conference included Australian artist and Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Cuiying, who is internationally renowned for her traditional Chinese paintings. She has held exhibitions successfully in over 40 countries. Her artwork takes great influence from the principles of Falun Dafa: Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. The paintings were hanging on the walls of the conference room catching the eyes of the reporters. Photographers from the press were enthusiastically taking photos of her beautiful artwork.

Dafa practitioner Zhang Cuiying	Lawyer Mr. Erkki Kannisto

Ms. Zhang was imprisoned illegally in China in 2000 when she went there to say a few words for justice on behalf of the persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. She told the media about her tough experience in a Chinese jail, where she was tortured in different evil ways and was even thrown into the male criminals’ cell. This is one clear example of Jiang’s persecution, which is recognized as Genocide by international laws. Ms. Zhang also talked about her involvement in a lawsuit in the United Nations against Jiang Zemin and about her future plans to help bring Jiang to justice for persecuting Falun Gong. She is also one of the plaintiffs in the case that was filed in Finland against the 610 Office head Luo Gan, who is one of the main responsible persons in the gross human rights violations in China. This was one of four lawsuits filed against Luo Gan during his visit to Europe, exposing his crimes in persecuting Falun Gong.

Another press conference speaker was human rights lawyer Mr. Erkki Kannisto who submitted the case against Luo Gan in Helsinki last autumn. Luo Gan was accused of torture and carrying out and inciting Genocide. Mr. Kannisto described the terrible situation in the Chinese brainwashing camps, which are called “re-education camps” by the Chinese Government. He clarified how all kinds of vicious psychological measures and cruel torture are being used in this place, to force people to turn against their own conscience. Falun Gong practitioners are brainwashed 24 hours a day and they are forced to do hard exhausting labour for long days, sometimes almost 20 hours. Sleep deprivation is also very common torture method. Mr. Kannisto emphasized the meaning of the international lawsuits which are clearly indicating that more and more people outside of China are concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong and they are willing to support the lawsuits against Jiang Zemin and his cohorts in order to improve human rights in China.

Lawsuits against Jiang Zemin and his followers have been filed in United States, Spain, Belgium, Island, France, Germany, Armenia, Moldova, Finland, South-Korea, Taiwan and Cyprus. Similar actions are also being prepared in several other countries.

Being prepared for future legal action is a good idea because so much evidence can be found about the persecution of Falun Gong. The network of international human rights lawyers is also getting tighter and larger, leaving less space for the persecutors. At the end of the press conference, Falun Dafa practitioners in Finland announced that once anyone who is responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong arrives in Finland, legal action will be taken immediately against them.