Falun Gong Practitioners Around the World File Lawsuits Against Jiang Zemin

August 25, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net) August 26th report: Falun Gong practitioners from many countries have filed lawsuits against Jiang Zemin, attracting the attention of the international community.

United States: In October 2002, Falun Gong practitioners and their families filed a lawsuit in the Northern District Court of Illinois against Jiang and representatives of China's "610 Office," the institution responsible for carrying out the terror campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. The suit accuses the defendants of torture, genocide and other crimes against humanity. The case has been active since being accepted by the court. On June 11, 2003, the court accepted an amicus curiae brief signed by 39 U.S. congressional members, requesting the court to proceed with the lawsuit.

Belgium: On August 20, 2003, a criminal lawsuit was filed in Belgium. This suit charges the former Chinese Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, with crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and state directed torture. Six Falun Gong practitioners in Belgium handed this suit to federal prosecutors. Many foreign media outlets were shocked by the news. The practitioners accused Jiang of systematically annihilating scores of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The report said that renowned lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier, who is representing the Falun Gong practitioners in this action, brought the first successful case under human rights law in which two Rwandan nuns were sentenced to between 12 and 20 years for their part in their country's 1994 genocide.

Switzerland: On March 18, 2003, a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization, "Track Impunity Always," and the Swiss Falun Dafa Association jointly announced that they would file a lawsuit in Switzerland against the former president of China, Jiang Zemin. Jiang Zemin will be sued for committing torture, genocide, and other crimes against humanity. Attorney Philip Grand declared that he would represent several Falun Gong practitioners who had been suffering from persecution and file a lawsuit in Switzerland against Jiang Zemin. The attorney will take corresponding legal actions the next time Jiang Zemin comes to Switzerland. In addition, an international group composed of a number of human rights lawyers is taking proactive measures to safeguard Chinese human rights victims and to form a global network to sue Jiang Zemin and tighten the net of justice around Jiang.

UK: Falun Dafa Information Center August 9^th report: According to a report from Falun Gong practitioners in the UK, they are to prepare a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for his persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Canada: Falun Gong practitioners are seeking a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for his persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Australia: Renowned artist Ms. Zhang Cuiying was detained for eight months by Jiang's regime for her belief in Falun Gong. She suffered various tortures during her detention period and wishes to bring an individual lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. World-renowned lawyer and human rights campaigner Sir Geoffrey Robertson has agreed to assist her with the lawsuit. This case will be filed with the United Nations. Mr. Robertson is currently the president of the United Nations Special Court in Sierra Leone. This court serves the same purpose as the court in The Hague in Holland, where former Yugoslavian president Milosevic was tried. Mr. Robertson participated in the trial against Milosevic. The purpose of such a trial is to bring criminals, especially heads of state who have committed crimes against humanity, to justice.

Germany: According to the Falun Dafa Information Center in Germany, the Falun Dafa Association and some Falun Gong practitioners plan to file criminal charges against Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese president. The charges include genocide and crimes against humanity. The "Code of Crimes Against International Law" passed in 2002 targets genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Before this code took effect, German criminal law already had corresponding decrees regarding these three offenses. The difference between those and the new code is that "Code of Crimes Against International Law" made a breakthrough for the "principle of universal jurisdiction," meaning the German court can take actions on such crimes regardless of the location or identity of victims.

Joining hands with foreign governments, urging the International Court to try Jiang:

Falun Gong practitioners around the world are collecting and organizing evidence about the persecution. They plan to publish some newly discovered evidence, including witness accounts, that describe in detail the process of some practitioners' torture and death, and show pictures of deceased practitioners as well as provide a most up-to-date list of names of practitioners who have been tortured to death. Falun Gong sources said they will seek help from legal professionals and organizations around the world, deliver the evidence of Jiang's persecution against Falun Gong to foreign governments, ask governments to uphold justice, request the United Nations and related agencies to file a class-action lawsuit, and try Jiang in International Criminal Court for the crimes he committed against the people of China and the world.

"Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice" Publicly Tries Jiang Zemin in Different Parts of the World

France: More than 40 different organizations and individuals in Europe, Asia, America and Australia have actively prepared to launch the "Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice." The coalition's Preparatory Committee held their first conference in the Chinese Culture and Education Center in Paris' 13th District, to launch the first symbolic public trial of Jiang Zemin. Wu Jiang, Chairman of the Paris-based China Democratic Party first stated the facts of Jiang's rule during his 13-year term. The three things that the dictator Jiang Zemin is accused of are: genocide, trading off Chinese territory, and corruption.

Boston: Preparatory Committee for the "Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice." Another symbolic Jiang trial was held at the Boston Commons.

More than 50 organizations in Europe, America, Asia and Australia have joined the "Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice.

Other members of the Preparatory Committee for the "Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice" include China's Democratic Party, Global Coalition Against Article 23, China Peace, Amnesty International China, Society for Democratic Culture in China, headquartered in France, Overseas Chinese Students Press, Committee for Investigation of Persecution of Religion in China, The Society for Life Science Research in New England, and Friends of Hong Kong and Macau in Boston.

Many of Jiang's followers and Party officials facing lawsuits

According to Falun Dafa Information Center, besides Jiang Zemin, seven other Party officials who participated in the persecution of Falun Gong were charged in foreign courts. Among them, Zhao Zhifei, deputy head of Hubei Province's Department of Public Security, has been indicted.

He was the first Chinese governmental official to be sued for the persecution of Falun Gong.

Charged with torture in the U.S: Zhao Zhifei was served with the lawsuit in a hotel in Manhattan, New York City on July 17, 2001. This case was filed with the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. The complaint charged Zhao with wrongful death, torture, crimes against humanity, and other gross violations of international human rights law against Falun Dafa practitioners in his home province of Hubei. On December 21, 2001, the judge pronounced Zhao Zhifei guilty of torture deaths of Falun Gong practitioners, a violation of the "Torture Victims Protection Act."

In the U.S., Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing and Xia Deren, deputy head of Liaoning Province, are both charged with torture, acts against humanity and other crimes. On February 7, 2002, when Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing and president of the Beijing Olympic Committee was attending the 19^th Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, he was served with a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco for his responsibility in overseeing severe human rights abuses against Chinese and foreign Falun Gong practitioners. Six Falun Gong practitioners who were beaten and tortured in Beijing filed this lawsuit. Charges against the mayor include torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment; arbitrary detention, crimes against humanity and interference with freedom of religion and belief. Another defendant was Xia Deren, deputy head of Liaoning Province. In June 2003, both Chinese officials were found guilty and were denied diplomatic immunity.

Zhou Yongkang, General Secretary for the Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in Sichuan Province is charged with crimes against humanity in the U.S. On August 7, 2001, when Zhou Yongkang was visiting in the US, he was served with a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, accusing him of violating the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Claims Act.

Zeng Qinghong, head of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee and Luo Gan, secretary of the Politburo are charged with genocide, torture, and denial of religious freedom and belief in the UN.

In October 2002, the UN Torture Committee, UN Human Rights Committee and International Criminal Court charged Jiang Zemin along with Zeng Qinghong, head of the Organizational Department and Luo Gan, secretary of the Politburo. The lawsuit accuses them of irrefutable responsibility in starting and promoting the persecution campaign against Falun Gong. The practitioners hope the International Criminal Court will conduct a thorough international, criminal investigation of the three defendants. The plaintiffs in this case came from Canada, the U.S., France, Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong.

(REF: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/8/13/39094.html)

France: Li Lanqing, former Chinese Vice Premier, has been charged with torture. An examining magistrate in Paris has been assigned to the case. It was reported that the complaint was originally filed on December 4^th, 2002 in Nice, France. It was been verified by news from Paris that the Chinese government used and is still using various diplomatic means in an effort to halt the case, which led to no progress in the processing of the case in the Nice court. Mr. Bourdon, the attorney responsible for the case and also Mr. Beauthier transferred the case to Paris, where the criminal court accepted it in July 2003. One of the plaintiff's attorneys, Mr. William Bourdon, who is one of the lawyers responsible for the trials against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, announced that a French criminal court has assigned an examining magistrate in Paris to a lawsuit, charging the former Vice Prime Minister of China, Mr. Lanqing Li. This signifies the case has entered the official investigation stage.

The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong ("WOIPFG")

WOIPFG is currently investigating evidence regarding the persecution of Falun Gong.WOIPFG states, "This organization openly invites and seeks support from individuals and institutions of global social conscience, and plays a coordinating role in the effort to investigate - broadly, thoroughly, and systematically - all instances of criminal conduct on the part of individuals, institutions, and organizations involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. This includes Jiang Zemin himself, all levels of the "610 Office" directly responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong at Jiang's orders, the National Security Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, the judicial court system, forced-labor camps, mental institutions involved in the persecution, the state-controlled media and its mouthpieces that spread false accusations, that fabricate lies and frame Falun Gong. It further includes those individuals who directly or indirectly participate in the mental, physical, and financial persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and their family members. "Based on factual findings, this organization shall bring these criminals to court, so that justice may be served."

WOIPFG calls on the people of China, the governments of each nation, international organizations, all groups in the world community and all people of conscience to help provide evidence, leads, manpower and material resources, to participate or assist in this investigation in the name of world justice and public conscience.

United Nations Accepts List of Names of Persons Responsible for Persecution

In March 2003, at a meeting held by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, a persecution-monitoring organization, "Fawanghuihui," submitted two documents related to the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong, a total of more than 4,000 pages. The first document lists more than 11,000 "610 Office" officials, police officers and other persons involved in this persecution and lists the details of their crimes. The second list includes the names of more than 20,000 victims of this persecution as well as their persecution experiences.

According to "Fawanghuihui," the organization currently has more than 10,000 persons on record who are responsible for persecuting Falun Gong. When the opportunity arises, the organization will file lawsuits against every one of them. These people will face possible lawsuits during foreign visits.