An Overview of Legal Cases Filed by Falun Gong Practitioners Around the World

Jiang Zemin and his followers have persecuted Falun Gong for four years, and have taken the precious lives of at least 901 good, innocent Falun Gong practitioners. Over one hundred million Falun Gong practitioners who practice "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" along with their family members have been brutally persecuted. In addition, Jiang's group has also extended the persecution to overseas countries, creating different degrees of damage to Falun Gong practitioners in many Western countries. This bloody persecution is the biggest human rights disaster at the turn of the century.

In order to maintain justice for the human world and to stop the evil persecution, Falun Gong practitioners in different countries have filed lawsuits against Jiang and the lawless personnel who have persecuted Falun Gong. What is awaiting Jiang's group is judgment and punishment according to the law.

Falun Gong practitioners do not get involved with politics, so we do not get involved with political parties, political power, or political systems. There is an old saying: "Each grievance has its root cause and each debt has its creditor." Everyone should be responsible for his or her own actions. Anyone who has committed crimes by taking part in this persecution against Falun Gong will not be able to escape justice by hiding behind political parties, power, political systems, or even superiors' orders. The Dafa practitioners' lawsuits target everyone who have either initiated or participated in this persecution.

The following is an overview of legal cases filed by Falun Gong practitioners around the world.

1. August 29, 2000, Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong and Luo Gan Sued in Beijing

In August 2000 two Falun Gong practitioners from Beijing and Hong Kong, Wang Jie and Zhu Keming, attempted to file a case with the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China against Jiang Zemin (then President of PRC), Zeng Qinghong (Head of Organization Department of the Communist Party of China) and Luo Gan (Secretary of the Central Commission of Political Science and Law, Head of the Central "610 Office" [an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems]) for illegally persecuting Falun Gong. The two practitioners asked the Supreme People's Procuratorate to prosecute Jiang, Zeng, and Luo on six different charges.

2. July 17, 2001, Zhao Zhifei Sued in the United States and Found Guilty on December 21, 2001

Zhao Zhifei, Head of the Public Security Office of Hubei Province (Chief of Police) and Second in Command of the "610 Office" of Hubei Province, was served on July 17, 2001, in New York City during a visit to the United States. Human rights lawyer Mr. Carey R. D'Avino filed a lawsuit against Zhao on behalf of the plaintiff, Peng Min's (deceased) and Li Yingxiu's (deceased) immediate family member, Peng Liang. The complaint charged Zhao with wrongful death, torture, crimes against humanity, and other gross violations of international human rights law against Falun Dafa practitioners in his home province of Hubei. The United States District Court of the Southern District of New York handed the complaint to Mr. Zhao at 11:20 p.m., July 17, in the lobby of the Manhattan Plaza Hotel.

On December 21, 2001 United States District Court Judge Denise Cote entered a default judgment against Zhao Zhifei. Zhao lost in the civil lawsuit, which seeks $50 million in damages.

3. November 2001, Slander and Hate Case of the Chinese Newspaper "Les Presses Chinoises"

More than two hundred Canadian Falun Gong practitioners filed a civil action with the Quebec Superior Court against Les Presses Chinoises for libel and incitement of hatred. On November 3, 2001 slanderous articles using false and disreputable words were published in Les Presses Chinoises and were used to attack Falun Gong. The paper continued to publish dozens of articles slandering and defaming Falun Gong to incite hatred against Falun Gong. Most of the misinformation used by the newspaper is identical to the propaganda originating in Mainland China.

The first court session began on December 10, 2001, and the judge issued an injunction prohibiting the paper from publishing similar content in the future.

On February 2, 2002, despite the injunction, Les Presses Chinoises published a 12-page special edition, in which the head of the newspaper wrote an article calling for society to sign up to "denounce" Falun Gong. That person was subsequently charged with contempt of court.

The final session of the Les Presses Chinoises hate-incitement trial began on November 10, 2003. All court testimony was finished by November 27, 2003.

After more than two years of legal proceedings, the Quebec Superior Court will reach a verdict upon hearing final legal arguments from lawyers of both sides between February 23 and February 25, 2004. The time for verdict of the case of contempt of court is to be determined.

4. December 19, 2001, Sing Tao Daily Sued for Libel, Slander, Negligence, and Incitement of Hatred

On December 19, 2001, one hundred and fifty-six Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Canada's largest Chinese language newspaper, the Sing Tao Daily, for libel, slander, negligence, and incitement of hatred. Practitioners also demanded a published front-page apology and refraining from publishing similar articles in the future.

5. August 27, 2001, Zhou Yongkang Sued in the United States
Zhou Yongkang, former General Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party of Sichuan Province, was sued during his visit to Illinois. Falun Gong practitioner He Haiying, 36, a Chinese exile living in Boston, placed the complaint in Zhou's hands, human rights attorney Terri Marsh said. Among charges listed in the complaint filed in federal court in Chicago are torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, crimes against humanity, and false imprisonment. Zhou was being targeted under the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Claims Act. The legislation gives US courts jurisdiction over acts of torture committed outside the country, but a suit can only proceed if defendants are served with legal papers while in the United States. Based on this lawsuit, next time Zhou sets foot on U.S. soil, he will be brought to trial.

6. February 2, 2002, Liu Qi and Xia Deren Sued in the United States and Found Guilty in June 2003

On February 7, 2001, Liu Qi, Mayor of Beijing and also president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games, was served with a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California, for overseeing persecution against human rights and seriously trampling China and overseas Falun Gong practitioners' human rights. The suit charges Liu with "torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, arbitrary detention, crimes against humanity, and interference with freedom of religion and belief." The Center for Justice and Accountability, an organization that represents victims of grave human rights abuse, filed the civil complaint with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on February 7, 2001. The complaint was then served on Mr. Liu later that evening at the San Francisco International Airport before he boarded a flight to attend festivities at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, Xia Deren, then Deputy Provincial Governor of Liaoning Province, was also sued.

On June 11, 2003, a U.S. Magistrate Judge, Edward M. Chen, denied foreign sovereign immunity to former Beijing Mayor and current Beijing Party Secretary, Liu Qi, and Deputy Provincial Governor of Liaoning Province, Xia Deren. Through this ruling, he made it clear that individuals that are responsible for gross violations of human rights may be subject to prosecution regardless of their official rank. Because of their similarities, the two cases that were submitted at different times were merged into one. In a report Judge Chen submitted to the court, both Chinese officials were found guilty of overseeing the torture of Falun Gong practitioners.

7. April 3, 2002, China Ministry of State Security, China Ministry of Public Security, and China Central Television Sued in the United States

On April 3, 2002 over fifty American Falun Gong practitioners filed a civil action with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against China's Ministry of State Security, China's Ministry of Public Security, and Chinese Central Television. China's Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Public Security were charged with using Chinese Embassy and Consulate officials for hiring thugs to engage in criminal gang activities committed in the United States, which directly violated and deprived Falun Gong practitioners' proper rights and freedom as American citizens and residents.

8. May 23, 2002, China Press and Sing Tao Daily Sued for Slander and Inciting Hatred

Residents of New York City, together with the non-profit organization Friends of Falun Gong, filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court, seeking an end to the hate and slander put forth by the New York-area Chinese language newspapers, China Press and the Hong Kong-based newspaper, Sing Tao Daily.

9. October 17, 2002, Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong, and Luo Gan Sued in UN

On October 18, 2002, citizens and residents from Canada, the U.S., France, Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, and China jointly submitted Communications against then China's Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, Zeng Qinghong, and Luo Gan to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in instigating and carrying out the brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

10. October 22, 2002, Jiang Zemin Sued in the United States

On October 18, 2002, when Jiang was visiting Chicago, Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit in the Northern District Court of Illinois against Jiang Zemin for torture, genocide, and other crimes against humanity.

On June 12, 2003, as "friends of the court," thirty-eight members of the US Congress filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs.

On January 20, 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago accepted the case against Jiang Zemin filed by Falun Gong practitioners in Chicago.

11. December 4, 2002, Li Lanqing Sued in France

Four Falun Gong practitioners from France, Ireland, and Canada, through well-known human rights lawyers Georges-Henri Beauthier (France) and William Bourdon (Belgium), launched legal action based on related legal regulations in the UN and France against Li Lanqing, who was China's First Vice Premier, a former member of the Chinese Communist Party's Standing Committee, and, along with Luo Gan, Head of the Central "610 Office." The charges were for the torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The four plaintiffs were French citizen Irena Petty, French resident Chen Zhu-mei, Ireland resident Zhao Ming, and Canadian resident Wang Yu-zhi.

The French criminal court began legal proceedings on the case in July 2003.

12. August 2003, Chinese Deputy Consul General Sued and Later Found Guilty on February 3, 2004, in Canadian Court for Libel against Falun Gong Practitioners

On May 1, 2003, in a letter that appeared in The Toronto Star, Chinese Deputy Consul General, Pan Xinchun viciously attacked Canadian real estate agent and Falun Gong practitioner Joel Chipkar and other Falun Gong practitioners, and labeled Joel Chipkar and Falun Gong practitioners as being members of a "sinister cult." In August 2003 Mr. Chipkar filed a libel lawsuit against Pan Xinchun in the Ontario Superior Court.

On February 3, 2004 the Ontario Superior Court began proceedings for the lawsuit filed by Mr. Chipkar against the Deputy Consul General of China in Toronto, Pan Xinchun. Defendant Pan Xinchun was convicted of libel. Justice Spiegel granted the judgment in absence of the defendant and ordered the defendant to compensate for losses he caused to the plaintiff.

13. August 20, 2003, Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, and Li Lanqing Sued in Belgium

On August 20, 2003 six Falun Gong practitioners filed a criminal lawsuit in Brussels, Belgium through their legal counsel Mr. Georges-Henri Beauthier. The lawsuit charges former Chinese Communist leader Jiang Zemin and two of his senior aides: Luo Gan and Li Lanqing (heads of the Central "610 Office"), with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity.

14. September 8, 11, 16 and 18, 2003, Luo Gan Sued in Four European Countries for Torture and Genocide

Luo Gan was the head of the Central "610 Office" and a central figure in carrying out the suppression and persecution against Falun Gong. In September 2003, when Luo Gan was on a tour of four European nations, Falun Gong practitioners filed criminal lawsuits against him and charged him with genocide and torture.

On September 8, 2003, on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners and their family members, Ragnar Adalsteinsson, a renowned Icelandic human rights lawyer, filed the action with the State Criminal Prosecutor, Bogi Nilsson. The lawsuit charged Luo Gan with torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

On the morning of September 11, 2003, Mr. Erkki Kannisto, a renowned human rights lawyer, represented Falun Gong practitioners and filed the complaint with the Chief Prosecutor's Office and a police station in Helsinki, Finland. The lawsuit charges Luo Gan with torture and genocide.

On September 16, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit at the court of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, suing Luo Gan for the crimes of torture and genocide.

On September 18 the international human rights organization World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, The Committee for Global Action in Rescuing Family Members, and European/St. Petersburg Falun Dafa Associations filed a class action lawsuit charging Luo Gan with torture, genocide, and other crimes. Representatives from these organizations filed a lawsuit with Moldova's Prosecutor General in the capital city Chisinau during Luo Gan's visit to Moldova.

15. October 15, 2003, Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan Sued in Spain

On October 15, 2003 fifteen Falun Gong practitioners from the United States, Australia, Belgium, and Spain filed a criminal lawsuit with Spain's High Court, charging former Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member, Luo Gan, with directing genocide and torture of Falun Gong practitioners.

16. October 27, 2003, Wu Guanzheng Sued in Cyprus

On October 27, 2003, Cyprus human rights attorney Mr. Laris Vrahimis, representing persecuted Falun Dafa practitioners, filed a civil lawsuit against Wu Guanzheng, former Provincial Secretary of Shandong Province and current member of Chinese Communist Party Politburo's Standing Committee, who has overseen persecution of Falun Gong, for torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

17. November 17, 2003, Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, and Luo Gan Sued in Taiwan

On November 17, 2003 seven Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners filed a criminal complaint with the Taiwan Superior Court against former President of China, Jiang Zemin, former Premier of China State Council, Li Lanqing, and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member, Luo Gan, for the crime of genocide, which violated Taiwan's Genocide Penal Code.

18. November 21, 2003, Jiang Zemin and 16 Other High-ranking Chinese Leaders Responsible for the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners Sued in Germany

Lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck from Berlin, known as a representative for German victims of the Argentine armed forces Junta, represented the German Falun Dafa Association and forty Falun Gong practitioners from Germany, China, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland and filed a lawsuit with the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany, against former President of China Jiang Zemin and other senior officials and personnel responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, charging them with genocide, crimes against humanity, and torture, as well as dangerous bodily harm to Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The accused include:
· Chinese former head-of-state Jiang Zemin
· Li Lanqing, former Vice Premier and director of the "610 Office"
· Luo Gan, Standing Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Vice Director of "610 Office"
· Xia Deren, Deputy Governor of Liaoning Province
· Liu Qi, former Beijing Vice Mayor and also President of the Beijing Planning Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games
· Zhao Zhifei, Deputy Head of Hubei Province's Department of Public Security
· Jiang Wanlai, Section Chief of the General Administration Department in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Yang Fenghua, Section Chief of the Education Department in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Jiang Haiquan, Deputy Leader of Branch 3 in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Tu Chiwen, accused of murder in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Chuang Hsuhung, accused of murder in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Wang Chao, a prison guard in the Dispatching Office in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Sha Hsuehmei, a prison guard in the Dispatching Office in Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp
· Wang Chaofeng, a prison guard in Beijing Xinan Forced Labor Camp (now Beijing Female Forced Labor Camp)
· Cheng Tsui E, a prison guard in Beijing Xinan Female Forced Labor Camp
· Chiao Hsuehhsien in Beijing Xinan Forced Labor Camp and the other defendants who are unnamed in the lawsuit, in particular the government officials and the heads of the "610 Office" in such seriously persecuted provinces as Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, Heilongjiang Province, and Shandong Province, who are mentioned in the additional testimony from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong.

19. November 26, 2003, the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice Submitted Request to the Hague International Court and Requested to Investigate and Try Jiang Zemin

The Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice held a rally outside the Hague International Court. The coalition submitted printed materials about the lawsuit against Jiang from different countries to the first judge of the International Court and requested to try Jiang.

20. December 26, 2003, Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan Sued in Korea

On behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in Korea, the head of the Korean Falun Dafa Association, Mr. Quan Hongda, announced the filing of a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and Head of "610 Office" Luo Gan on charges of genocide. The filing procedure has been completed and the Seoul Local Court has formally accepted the genocide lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan.

21. January 2004, Jiang Zemin and 45 Cohorts on Canada's RCMP Watchlist For Persecuting Falun Gong

The Falun Dafa Association of Canada submitted the names of 45 people including China's former Chairman Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, Luo Gan, Wang Maolin, Liu Jing, other well-known party leaders and forced labor camp personnel, along with evidence of their crimes to the officials in the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program (CAHWCP). The names have been added to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) watchlist. If anyone on the list attempts to enter Canada, a prompt investigation could take place, potentially resulting in refusal of visas to Canada, cancellation of their Canadian citizenship, deportation, charges, and even punishment based on Canada's laws governing crimes against humanity and war crimes.

22. January 28, 2004, China Culture Minister Sued in France for "Incitement of Massacre and Persecution"

Four Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against the visiting Chinese Culture Minister, Sun Jiazheng, in the Paris prosecutor's office. The complaint said that Sun Jiazheng, who is China Culture Minister and co-chairman of the Web Culture Engineering Organizing Committee, instigated public criticism and incited hatred of Falun Gong in order to eradicate Falun Gong through the use of newspapers, Internet, and cultural exhibits. He is an accomplice of crimes of torture and is guilty of "incitement of massacre and persecution."

We Falun Dafa practitioners will do our best to process these legal cases until all who have taken part in the persecution are brought to justice.

(Also refer to: http://www.bjtj.org/ for more information.)