United States: Update On the Chicago Hate Crime Lawsuit

After the two criminals who beat up a Falun Gong practitioner who was staging a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago in 2001 pleaded guilty in the criminal case, they were recently served with a civil lawsuit, seeking compensation. They were accused of multiple charges, including assault and conspiracy. Since the Circuit Court for Cook County accepted this civil lawsuit on September 2003, there have been a number of hearings, and the two sides will soon meet in court as the case proceeds.

Plaintiffs Bill Fang and Lu Feng filed a civil lawsuit with the Circuit Court for Cook County in 2003, in which they accused the three people involved in the premeditated attacks on them. They said that the accused had been influenced by Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin's regime and their malicious propaganda influencing them to commit hate crimes against Falun Gong practitioners.

After that, the plaintiffs tried numerous times to deliver the complaint to the accused according to legal procedures. Although the accused used all kinds of excuses to evade responsibility, all three were eventually served with the complaint in May 2004. Zheng Jiming, one of the three who beat up a Falun Gong practitioner in front of the Chinese Consulate, had refused to accept the complaint on numerous occasions. The last time he came face to face with the process server, he still refused to admit his identity and refused to accept the complaint. When the plaintiffs confirmed his identity, he was finally served with the complaint.

The prosecutor, Mr. Leonard Beck, presented a supplementary complaint, which requires a response from the defendant Zheng Jiming's lawyer by August 30, 2004.

The difference between this case and other crimes of battery stems from the fact that there was no issue between the victim and his attackers, and the defendants did not have any other motive for their attack except for their hatred of Falun Gong. These crimes were committed in front of the Chicago Chinese Consulate, where Falun Gong practitioners had experienced all kinds of harassment before. One such example was an attack and sexual harassment on July 13, 2001, led by Qiu Chaolian, chairman of the Chinese Association in Chicago. Two months later, on September the 7th, an even more serious incident took place in which Zheng Jiming and Weng Yujun beat up a Falun Gong practitioner and sent death threats to witnesses. It is not clear if the two incidents are connected. The defendants of both cases have strong ties with the Chicago Chinese Consulate.

September 7, 2001, Zheng Jiming, crossing the street towards Mr. Fang as his accomplice Weng Yujun emerges from the back seat of a car	August 27, 2002, Zheng Jiming (right) and Kwok, Sing-chok (left), try to avoid being photographed on their way to court.

The Chinese Association, led by Qiu Chaolian, has been closely following members of Jiang's regime outside of China and has on several occasions attacked and slandered Falun Gong under the instigation of Chinese consular officials. Qiu was quickly promoted to the chairman of the association from a deputy role after his battery of Falun Gong practitioners and has kept that position to date. He was also acclaimed as a "patriotic overseas Chinese leader" for his "achievement." He was granted a personal audience with Jiang Zemin, who is the head perpetrator of the persecution, and he was profusely praised by the Chinese government. In addition, the Chinese State Council appointed him to the position of an advisor for the overseas Chinese association, and he was invited to attend the National People's Congress in China.

There is a slight difference between Qiu Chaolian and the two thugs Zheng Jiming and Weng Yujun. The latter fled the scene quickly after the incident and for a long time kept quiet and a very low profile. Their identity was discovered after their arrest in June 2002. Both are key members of the Mid-USA Fujian Township Association of Chicago, organised by their townsman Zheng Liguang, and both run Chinese buffet restaurants. After his arrest, Zheng Jiming claimed that he did not know the plaintiff and had nothing to do with him. He also lied, saying that he was unemployed. He tried all kinds of methods to evade legal responsibility and even asked the deputy heads of the association, Lin Zengxin and Sing-chok Kwok, to act as mediators. He also tried to offer $15,000 in bribes, hoping that the money would stop the lawsuit against him. Lin Zengxin also stated that Zheng had high blood pressure and did not want his family members to worry about his involvement in a lawsuit. Furthermore, he was concerned that his application for refugee status would be affected, and cited other concerns in hopes that the case against him could be withdrawn. In addition, he adamantly denies any connection with the Chinese Consulate.

Most of the members of the Mid-USA Fujian Township Association were illegal immigrants who later obtained U.S. citizenship by applying for refugee status, including the chairman of the association Zheng Liguang, who obtained U.S. permanent residency the same way. Although Zheng Jiming, Zheng Liguang and Weng Yujun are all "refugees" from China who came to the U.S., both Zheng Liguang and the deputy head of the association, Lin Zengxin, were "honoured" with a personal reception by Jiang Zemin. Weng Yujun had waved a red flag to welcome Jiang Zemin to Chicago and Zheng Liguang even said that his association was like a baby, growing up under the love and care of the Chinese Consulate.

Since the identities of the two criminals were revealed in June 2002, although the two avoided many public activities, kept a low profile and avoided making contact with the Chinese Consulate, the Chinese Consulate continued to show concern and gave support to the Fujian Township Association. For example, at the association's banquet on the 2000 Thanksgiving Day, high level officials from the Chinese Consulate and Qiu Chaolian from the Chinese Association attended the function. The then deputy consul-general and acting consul-general Shen Weilian said, "In the U.S., Thanksgiving Day is an occasion for a family get-together, and today the Chicago Chinese Consulate and the members of the Fujian Township Association are celebrating the day together as one family." There is another Fujian Township Association in Chicago, which did not act under the influence of the Chinese Consulate. Even in Zheng Liguang's mid-USA Fujian Township Association, only a small faction were involved in the battery case.

In April 2004, at the fourth General Meeting of the Chinese Association, when Qiu Chaolian was again appointed chairman of the association, Zheng Liguang, as head of the affiliated mid-USA Fujian Township Association, was promoted to the position of deputy chairman of the Chinese Association. In the introduction of the chairman and deputy chairmen of the association, it was mentioned in particular that Zheng Liguang has led their countrymen from Fujian to "overcome" difficulties in the fight against Falun Gong.