France: Li Changchun is Sued as an Accomplice to Torture by Falun Gong Practitioners in Paris

On July the 2nd 2004, at 3:20 p.m. in Paris, lawyer Delva filed a complaint to the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris against Li Changchun on behalf of three Falun Gong practitioners, for being an accomplice to torture in the persecution of Falun Gong. Li Changchun, who is currently visiting Paris, is a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and former Party Committee Secretary of Guangdong Province.

Lawyer Delva being interviewed by the media

Li Changchun has been in the forefront of the suppression against Falun Gong. His crimes can be summarized in two respects. First, before he took the post as a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the CCP Central Committee in 2002, he was the Party Committee Secretary of Guangdong Province. He himself acknowledged that several months prior to the Jiang group's suppression of Falun Gong, he organized people to compile materials attacking Falun Gong; after the oppression began, he abused his power to actively promote the persecution and he was directly involved in arresting practitioners. It has been verified that 23 practitioners in Guangdong Province have died from the persecution, where the death toll is ranked eighth in the country. There are 52 jails, labour camps, and brainwashing centres and 5 psychiatric hospitals in the province, all detaining a large number of Falun Gong practitioners. The persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province have been extremely brutal.

Second, Li Changchun, currently a Politburo Standing Committee Member of the CCP Central Committee, is in charge of China’s propaganda. He abused his power to widely spread lies defaming Falun Gong, deceive people and instigate hatred, by using radio and TV broadcasts, films and various exhibitions. This propaganda has greatly assisted in the suppression of Falun Gong. Information gathered by Falun Gong practitioners indicates that Li's activities in suppressing Falun Gong have continued until at least the end of this May, and his negative influence is not limited to Guangdong Province, but has been a force throughout Mainland China.

The first of three plaintiffs in the case is Chinese-Australian Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Dai Zhizhen, whose husband Mr. Chen Yong was tortured to death in Guangdong Province because he practised Falun Gong. Ms. Chen Ying, currently a resident of France is also a plaintiff. She lived in France with her husband who worked for the Chinese Embassy. Later, because she went back to China and peacefully appealed for Falun Gong, she was arrested and detained several times. During her detention, Ms. Chen was beaten, injected with harmful drugs, deprived of sleep and forced to undergo brainwashing. The third plaintiff in the case is Ms. Chen Zhumei, also residing in France. Ms. Chen Zhumei went back to China to call for an end to the persecution but was beaten, threatened and verbally abused by Chinese police officers.

The complaint against Li Changchun was filed on behalf of the three Falun Gong practitioners. Several media outlets including the news bureau from the court, Taiwan Central News Agency, New Tang Dynasty and Epoch Times were there to cover the event.

After the complaint was successfully filed, practitioners who had gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy protesting the shooting of Falun Gong practitioners in South Africa immediately unfurled a banner with words in both Chinese and French: "Li Changchun Sued in Paris as an Accomplice to Torture." They also announced this news through a loudspeaker in both French and Chinese.

According to media reports, on the same evening, the defendant, Li Changchun, presided over the closing ceremony of the Chinese Cultural Year at Versailles Palace in the suburbs of Paris. This coincidence made Falun Gong practitioners' lawsuit more significant: practitioners do not oppose the friendly exchange and communication between the French and Chinese people, but those who have committed crimes in the persecution of Falun Gong must be brought to justice.