Japan: Falun Gong Practitioners File a Lawsuit Against Jiang Zemin

During the morning of April 12, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners officially filed a lawsuit with the Osaka Local Court against former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, first vice premier of China's State Council Li Lanqing, Head of the 610 Office Luo Gan, Deputy Governor of Liaoning Province Xia Deren and the Chinese Embassy in Japan. The lawsuit charged Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, Luo Gan and Xia Deren with crimes of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. The Chinese Embassy was charged with the crime of libel.

After filing the lawsuit

At the press conference held in the afternoon, the plaintiff's lawyer gave an introduction to the lawsuit. He pointed out that the aim of the lawsuit is to stop the persecution happening in China, and at the same time put the perpetrators on trial. He expressed that the lawsuit is only the first step to punish the perpetrators by law. He and the plaintiffs will work together to achieve this goal.

After that, representative for the Japanese Falun Dafa Association, as lead plaintiff, said that the Chinese Embassy in Japan published slanderous propaganda on its website. The propaganda targeted the Falun Dafa Association, which is legally registered in Japan as a non-profit organisation. The propaganda has seriously harmed the group's reputation. Five individual plaintiffs used their own experiences to tell the reporters about mistreatment, abuse and brutal torture they suffered in China because of the persecution campaign.

The lawyer answers questions from reporters	Japanese Falun Dafa Association representative makes a speech

In the end, lawyer Chu Wan-chi, representing the legal team for the Global Trial of Jiang Zemin, introduced the lawsuits against Jiang in different countries and answered questions from reporters. Reporters from Osaka attended the press conference.

In 1999, Jiang Zemin's regime launched an unprecedented persecution campaign against cultivators who believe in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Since then, 1694 Falun Gong practitioners are verified to have died as a result of the persecution. However, the actual death toll far exceeds this number. The lawsuits against Jiang and his followers for crimes of genocide, torture and crime against humanity have been filed in more and more countries, and this will help end the persecution happening in Mainland China and bring the chief culprit to justice.

While the lawsuit was delivered to the court, many Falun Gong practitioners from across Japan displayed photo boards outside the gate of the Osaka Local Court to expose the persecution. They also held up banners to support the lawsuits against Jiang in Japan and many other countries. They also passed out fliers to passersby to help them know more about the lawsuit. In the afternoon, Falun Gong practitioners held a parade to support the lawsuit against Jiang.