Canada: Practitioners Rally in front of Vancouver Chinese Consulate to Support Professor Zhang Kunlun's Efforts to Bring Jiang to Justice

On the afternoon of March 13, Falun Gong practitioners in Vancouver, Canada rallied in front of the Chinese Consulate to support the lawsuit filed by Professor Zhang Kunlun against Jiang Zemin and other persecutors for torture. Practitioners called upon people from all walks of life to urge Justice Minister Irwin Cotler to accept Professor Zhang's request for the lawsuit.

On the morning of March 12, Canadian attorneys Mr. David Matas and Lawrence Greenspon represented their client, Canadian citizen and Professor of Art, Zhang Kunlun to formally file a criminal lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and those who participated in the persecution of Falun Gong to the Canadian Justice Minister, Mr. Irwin Cotler.

A 63-year-old Ottawa resident, Professor Zhang Kunlun had been arrested four times during his family visit in China simply because of his practice of Falun Gong. In November 2000, he was sentenced to a three-year-term in a forced labour camp. Later, through the Canadian government's rescue effort, he was released from the labour camp on January 10, 2001 and returned to Canada. During his imprisonment, Professor Zhang endured various physical tortures, including beating, electric shock (jail guards used several electric batons on him simultaneously) and other physical punishments. He also was subjected to different types of mental torture such as brainwashing, having his family harassed and financial extortion.

According to related Canadian laws on torture and terrorism, Professor Zhang directed his attorneys to file a lawsuit for torture against Jiang Zemin and 21 other people who ordered or implemented the persecution.

Vancouver Falun Gong practitioners expressed their resolute support for Professor Zhang's lawsuit, and they called upon the Canadian Justice Minister to accept Professor Zhang's appeal.