Spain: Fifteen Falun Gong Practitioners File Lawsuit for Genocide and Torture Against Jia Qinglin, President of the National Consultative Committee of China

The lawyer for the case, Mr. Carlos Iglesias, holding the lawsuit in his hands in front of the Spanish National Court, "La Audiencia Nacional"

On the afternoon of September the 2nd a criminal lawsuit against Jia Qinglin was filed in the "Audiencia Nacional" of the National Spanish Court system, in Madrid. Jia Qinglin is accused of crimes of genocide and torture against practitioners of Falun Gong in China.

Jia Qinglin, who began an official visit to Spain on September the 3rd, has been accused of the gravest crimes against humanity committed during the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China while holding office as the Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in the city of Beijing from 1999 to November 2002.

The lawsuit was filed with the authorization of 15 Falun Gong practitioners, who suffered either directly or indirectly, by way of their family members being persecuted in Beijing during the time Jia Qinglin was in office.

The accused is one of the members of the Chinese leadership who is known for having directly supported and promoted the persecution of Falun Gong, participating in a direct way and openly supporting the genocide in China.

His activities have been and are being investigated by the "World Organisation to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong", which has verified how Jia Qinglin gave full support to the campaign of persecution against Falun Gong launched by Jiang Zemin on the 20th of July of 1999. Immediately after that date, Jia Qinglin himself summoned a large conference of the Committee on Policies of Beijing, of which he was Secretary General, and publicly demanded all organizations within the Communist Party and its members to adopt a firm position against Falun Gong and its practitioners.

On multiple occasions and as part of his official position, he attacked Falun Gong and all of its practitioners both in the sessions of the National Committee on Policy and during the People's Congress, taking advantage of his speeches to promote the persecution and incite the Chinese authorities to collaborate in this persecution. In many instances he thanked and praised those who were directly involved in the persecution.

Jia attacked Falun Gong in the same manner during the Beijing Conference of Political and Legal Issues, in the Conference of Religions and the Conference of Representatives of the Communist Party in Beijing. In the Sixteenth National Conference, Jia promoted the persecution of Falun Gong as one of the top five priorities of Beijing, and he made specific anti-Falun Gong remarks in his first speech after having been elected as President of the National Committee of the Consultative Political Conference of the Chinese People, going against the position and stance taken by his predecessor Li Ruihuan.

During Jia Qinglin's tenure in office as head of the Committee on Policy of Beijing, from 1999 to 2002, innumerable atrocities were committed against Falun Gong practitioners, with many cases of death due to torture reported and documented, both of women as well as children and even a baby of 8 months of age, son of practitioner Wang Lixuan, who was also cruelly murdered. Other practitioners tortured to death include a professor of the University of Commerce and Industry of Beijing, Zhao Xin.

Many deaths have been documented in Beijing during Jia's time in power and he is directly responsible for the illegal detention of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing. Beijing is the official location of the office of appeals for the Chinese people, where practitioners peaceful go to appeal against the persecution, and where they are detained and sent to one of the many different labour camps in China. Jia is clearly guilty of genocide and shares the responsibility for the persecution Falun Gong practitioners are suffering. After this lawsuit was filed in Spain, the Judge has been asked to have Jia respond to his crimes.

In the lawsuit that was filed today, it was formally asked of the Court of the Audiencia Nacional, that it proceed with Jia's detention and questioning during his visit to Spain, a request which will be studied by the Judge.

Jia Qinglin can't allege immunity, since in the face of genocide it is not possible to argue diplomatic immunity. The barbaric nature of the torture and murder of innocent people can't have been committed as part of official duties. Instead, they were done as personal acts, which were completely illegal and a blatant violation of the Chinese constitution itself and the laws of China.

The legal counsel for the case is Mr. Carlos Iglesias.