Australia: Guangdong Party Secretary Sued During Visit to Australia, Plaintiffs Request a Trial by Default

The Australian New South Wales High Court held a hearing on April 17th, 2007 regarding Falun Gong practitioners Li Fuying and Xie Yan's lawsuit against Chen Shaoji, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Political and Judiciary, Deputy Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of Guangdong Province's Political Consultative Committee.

The court listened to the plaintiffs' statements and evidence proving that the summons had been delivered to the defendant. After the court procedure verified that the defendant did not appear in court to respond to the charge, the plaintiffs requested to conduct a trial against the defendant by default. The court approved the plaintiffs' submitted written statement for this action. After the hearing, the plaintiffs held a press conference in front of the High Court regarding the case.

Legal counsel of the plaintiffs introduces the development of the lawsuit

One of the plaintiffs, Li Fuying, at the press conference

Mr. John Dale says officials who persecute Falun Gong practitioners should not be allowed to enter Australia

At the press conference, the plaintiffs legal counsel first introduced the cause and developments of the lawsuit. She said that in December 2006, Falun Gong practitioners Li Fuying and Xie Yan filed a lawsuit in the NSW High Court against Chen Shaoji, head of the Guangdong Provincial 610 Office, and former secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Political and Judiciary Committee. They accused him of illegal detention, torture and other crimes. The plaintiffs successfully delivered the summons to the defendant who was leading a Guangdong Province delegation to visit Sydney.

Jiang's group started the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999 and by October 2005 (the period Chen of Chen's tenure) it had been verified that 64 Falun Gong practitioners from Guangdong Province have died as a result of persecution, the 8th highest region of Falun Gong practitioner deaths in custody across China.

During that period of time, Chen Shaoji who was secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Political and Judiciary Committee, head of the provincial public security department actively participated in the persecution campaign. He was directly in charge of the "610 Office," and ordered or supervised, controlled, assisted and instigated police officers to intensify the brainwashing, "reforming" and assaulting of Falun Gong practitioners. Chen Shaoji should bear responsibility for the crimes committed against Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province.

The counsel said that since the summons had been delivered and the defendant did not respond to the charge in court, she had requested, on behalf of the two plaintiffs, to conduct a trial against the defendant by default. The court agreed that the plaintiffs could submit a written statement requesting a default trial.

At the press conference, the two plaintiffs, Li Fuying and Xie Yan, talked about the brutal persecution that they and their relatives in Guangdong Province had been subjected to. Li Fuying, who is nearly 80 years old, was illegally detained twice in Guangzhou City for believing in Falun Gong. Her daughter Yan Haiyu was sentenced to two years of forced labour for practising Falun Gong, and was detained in Guangzhou City's Chatou Women's Forced Labour Camp, where she was subjected to physical and mental torture. She staged a protest hunger strike and was force-fed numerous times. After Ms. Yan's term was expired, she was once again forced into Guangzhou City Law School Brainwashing Centre where she suffered from more torture methods and despicable brainwashing methods. Ms. Yan was extremely traumatised. Ms. Li Fuying could not hold back her grief and cried several times while recalling the persecution that she and her daughter had suffered, and the brutal persecution that countless Falun Gong practitioners in China are still suffering.

The other plaintiff, Xie Yan, said that she was illegally detained for three months in a forced labour camp for distributing Falun Gong truth clarification materials. She suffered brutal torture during the detention. She said that they filed the lawsuit today not only for themselves, but for hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted.

Xie Yan said, "The law in China is trampled upon, and Falun Gong practitioners like us who are persecuted do not have a place to redress the justice. So in Australia, a country that is free and respects human rights, we want to use the law to voice our grievances for ourselves and all persecuted Falun Gong practitioners (in China), and bring Chen Shaoji and other persecutors to justice."

Coordinator of the NSW Falun Dafa Association John Dale made a speech at the press conference. He felt satisfied and grateful to the Australian court for taking a righteous position on the human rights lawsuit filed by Falun Gong practitioners. He also said that more and more Australian people have realised that they cannot sacrifice righteousness and human rights for the sake of trade with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He thought that CCP officials like Chen Shaoji should not be allowed to enter Australia. The crimes committed by Chen Shaoji and other CCP high officials are no less severe than the crimes committed by the Nazis during World War II.

Former ballet teacher Ms. Colleen hosted the press conference. Before the conclusion of the press conference, Ms. Colleen said that the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in still going on in Guangdong Province and other areas in China. Only in March, Amnesty International released an urgent action notice for eight Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province who were illegally sentenced to forced labour, calling upon the international community to help rescue these Falun Gong practitioners. Colleen hoped more Australian people will support these human rights lawsuits and be concerned about and help stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.