Australia: Artist Zhang Cuiying Holds Press Conference in front of Supreme Court about Filing Lawsuit against Jiang Zemin

Ms. Zhang Cuiying, a renowned artist of traditional Chinese paintings from Sydney, held a press conference on September the 16th 2004 in front of the Supreme Court and disclosed her filing of a lawsuit in Supreme Court of New South Wales Australia against the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin for genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. Ms. Zhang is now a citizen of Australia.

Representatives from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), Australian Group to Rescue Family Members of Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted, Australian Association of Legal Assistance for Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners, Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice Australia Division, and the local Falun Dafa Association were present to support the event.

Zhang Cuiying	Falun Dafa Association spokesperson

Ms. Zhang Cuiying narrated her own experience of practising Falun Dafa. She said she recovered from serious arthritis which had her in a state of near paralysis within two months after beginning to practise Falun Dafa. She could finally continue her career in painting. In 1999, when former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin started to persecute Falun Gong, she went back to China to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong. She was arrested and detained in four prisons for more than eight months in China. During that period, she suffered all kinds of humiliation and torture. She was subjected to unlawful forced labour to manufacture export products, and even thrown into men's cells twice to destroy her human dignity. The guards instigated criminals to beat her so that their prison terms would be reduced. She had to take showers and change clothes under the gaze of male prisoners and guards. During her 50-day hunger strike to protest the inhuman treatment and torture, they beat her, cursed her, pulled her hair, splashed water on her, and used hard objects to hit her. Her life was in extreme danger. Under the effort of her husband Zhou Zhongmin, the Australian Government, and Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Zhang was released and returned to Australia after being imprisoned for 8 months.

She said that though she is free, hundreds of thousands of practitioners in China are suffering. She wanted to call for justice to other practitioners persecuted.

To stop Jiang faction's persecution of Falun Gong, Ms. Zhang decided to file a lawsuit against Jiang in the Supreme Court. It is the eighth lawsuit that has been filed against Jiang, following cases in the U.S., Belgium, Spain, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, and Greece.

WOIPFG Australia read a statement in the conference to support the lawsuit.

David Liang, who was shot in the foot when he travelled to South Africa to clarify the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong, gave a speech at the conference. He talked about the incident and exposed Jiang faction's terrorist act overseas.

Xie Yan, a practitioner rescued from China recently, said that she was taken away and imprisoned in forced labour camps for two and half years for distributing a few flyers on the street. She was tortured. She called for kind people to pay attention to and offer help to Falun Gong practitioners, and help end the persecution.