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| Jane Dai, with daughter Fadu, is a plaintiff in several lawsuits charging Chinese leaders with crimes against humanity. Jane’s husband was allegedly tortured to death by Chinese police because he practised Falun Gong. |
Efforts to hold Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members legally accountable for their role in persecuting Falun Gong are gaining momentum. The last month has seen cases filed in Canada, Ireland, Korea, and the Netherlands. Legal efforts inside China are increasing as well.
The first case was filed in June 2001, a suit with a favourable verdict for Falun Gong. It was brought against Chinese police chief Zhao Zhifei for genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. (news)
This week, judgments in favour of Falun Gong were granted for U.S. cases against former Beijing mayor and head of China’s Olympic Committee Liu Qi, and former Liaoning Province deputy governor Xia Deren.
In all, 66 lawsuits have been filed in 28 countries and territories.
Former CCP chairman Jiang Zemin is named a defendant in 13 of the cases, with Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, and Bo Xilai named in multiple lawsuits as well for their key roles in the brutal campaign.
Jiang launched the campaign against Falun Gong in 1999 at a time when he headed the CCP, Chinese government, and Chinese military. Li had headed “Office 610,” the plain-clothed police unit responsible for carrying out Jiang’s campaign against Falun Gong. And Bo is the former governor of Liaoning Province, which remains the most notorious for torturing and killing Falun Gong practitioners.
Many of the newer cases are targeting the generators of the CCP’s anti-Falun Gong propaganda, such as the libel lawsuit filed against the Chinese vice counsel in Toronto, Mr. Pan Xinchun. Pan was found liable in a Canadian court for defaming Mr. Joel Chipkar, a Toronto spokesperson for Falun Gong practitioners. After payment was not received, the Superior Court issued a Notice of Garnishment against Mr. Pan, who soon after reportedly fled back to China. (news)
Another hate propaganda case is the suit filed in Tanzania against China’s former Minister of Education Chen Zhili, who also fled the country shortly after the filing of the suit against her. Chen has allegedly utilized the Chinese education system to indoctrinate teachers and students against Falun Gong – often inciting violence. (news)
“Our next step is to initiate lawsuits on the international plane,” says human rights attorney Terri Marsh who is heading several of the U.S. lawsuits. “It could be through a temporary international criminal tribunal, such as for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, or through a special court, such as for Sierra Leone.”
Recent Cases
On December 2, individuals in the Netherlands filed a case charging Jiang, Li, and Bo with genocide, as defined under the 1948 United Nations Convention on Genocide.
On November 18, 2004, two Korean individuals filed a lawsuit charging former Chinese Education Minister Chen Zhili with participating in genocide.
Also in mid November, five Falun Gong practitioners in Ireland filed a lawsuit against China’s Vice-Premier Huang Ju, who was about to visit Dublin. The lawsuit charged Huang with being responsible for premeditated torturing of Falun Gong practitioners in clear violation of international law.
Between November 12-15, over a hundred Falun Gong practitioners in Canada jointly initiated legal action against Jiang, Li, Luo, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang and other Chinese officials responsible for the persecution campaign.
In Zambia on November 4, individual plaintiffs filed a civil lawsuit charging Gansu Province CCP secretary Su Rong with accounts of murder, torture, and degrading treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. After failing to appear in court, a warrant for his arrest was issued, but before authorities could apprehend Su, he had already fled the country using falsified identification.
For details of all Falun Gong-related lawsuits, visit: www.flgjustice.org
NEWS – Dec.11, 2004
European Falun Gong Information Centre, More contacts. www.clearharmony.net
Background
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance.” Practised in over 60 countries world-wide, Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture. With government estimates of as many as 100 million practising Falun Gong in China, China’s then-Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report). Since that time, Jiang’s regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practise it. The European Falun Gong Information Centre has verified details of 1157 deaths (reports) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. In October 2001, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE EUROPEAN FALUN GONG INFORMATION CENTRE – Peter Jauhal + 44 (0) 7739 172 452 Nicolas Schols +32 47 98 75 734
More contacts. www.clearharmony.net Email: [email protected]
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