(Clearwisdom.net)
From January 26 to January 28, 2004, the international conference on "Genocide in the New Era" was successfully held in Stockholm, Sweden. Friends of Falun Gong Europe and International Advocates for Justice were joint sponsors of the event. Using the persecution against Falun Gong in China as an example, participants held comprehensive discussions from multiple perspectives concerning the symptoms of and possible responses to various forms of genocide in today's world.
Over 100 human rights attorneys, representatives of non-governmental organizations, celebrities, and diplomats from Europe, Asia, and North America attended the forum. Over four years of persistent suppression of Falun Gong as well as Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful resistance throughout this period has focused the attention of more and more legal experts on the serious charge of genocide in this persecution. Attending were the five attorneys who represented Falun Gong practitioners in the trials against Jiang on the grounds of genocide in the U.S., Belgium, German, Taiwan, and Spain attended, attorneys who represent Falun Gong practitioners' lawsuits against other high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong across the world, and other legal experts interested in the subject. Two of the attendees were attorneys who have won genocide cases against former dictators: Goerges-Hanri Beauthier, who participated in the trial against former Chilian dictator Pinochet, and Wolfgang Kaleck, a renowned German attorney who has successfully brought to justice the former dictator of Argentina.
While this conference was in session, an international forum on "Prevention of Genocide," sponsored by the Swedish government, was being held in the National Conference Center across the street. Delegations from 58 governments attended this forum. The simultaneous convening of these two conferences in this city has brought the urgent subject of genocide to the attention of governments, non-governmental organizations, and people in various disciplines in the international community. Discussions centered on genocide, its historic lessons and current evolution, how to expose it, and how to prevent and stop it.
According to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of the United Nations, genocide is defined as intentional actions taken "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group" through such means as "killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part...."
This session of the international forum of "Genocide in the New Era" has transmitted an important and urgent message: A large-scale persecution depriving people of their rights to life and spiritual pursuits is taking place today in China! From the facts documented throughout the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China, we have witnessed that this genocide extends to the destruction and extinction of victims' beliefs and conscience in addition to simply killing human beings.
Persecution against Falun Gong -- A New Round of Genocide Taking Place in China Today
Lord Francis Thurlow, a former British senior diplomat, pointed out in the forum's press conference that even as history turns the page on a new millennium, what is happening in China is large-scale genocide based entirely on lies and propaganda. That wickedness has no comparison throughout civilization.
During a discussion on the topic "Human Rights Violations in China," Mr. Yin Lei, Chairman of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, recounted the facts of the brutal persecution experienced by Falun Gong practitioners in China since July 1999. Mr. Harry Wu, Executive Director of the Laogai Research Foundation, displayed photographs taken on site at forced labor camps in China. Mr. Wu himself spent 19 years in a Chinese forced labor camp. In his speech, Mr. Wu told the audience that the Laogai (or "forced labor") system has annihilated countless people from the face of the earth, and he is among the few who have survived. It is exactly this system that has been adopted by Jiang Zemin as the primary means to commit the crime of genocide against Falun Gong practitioners.
China Mental Health Watch, a non-governmental organization composed of several dozen psychiatrists and attorneys, has conducted research on mental and psychological torture employed in the suppression of Falun Gong. Ms. Galli, chairperson of this organization, cited concrete cases of persecution for spiritual beliefs in China's suppression of Falun Gong: deaths caused from the use of mind-altering drugs, forced brainwashing, detention of Falun Gong practitioners falsely accused of having mental problems, slanderous media coverage, hatred incited among the general public, etc.
Ms. Jane Zhizhen Dai, an Australian Falun Gong practitioner, told the audience the account of how Jiang's followers had persecuted and torn apart her family. Ms. Janice Cheung, Executive Director of Petals of Peace, introduced the project: "Petals of Peace is encouraging people to fold paper lotus flowers to help raise awareness of peace, creating a brighter future in a safer world. Peace in the world can be promoted." She did not want to see a repeat of the tragedy of Fadu, Jane Dai's daughter. (Note: Fadu is a young Chinese-Australian girl whose father lost his life because he wrote a letter to the Chinese government appealing for Falun Gong.)
Australian artist Ms. Zhang Cuiying gave a personal account of her sufferings in a forced labor camp in China.
Irish Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Ming also recalled his suffering in the Haidian District Detention Center in Beijing.
"The police guards told inmates in my cell to force-feed me in a very brutal way when I was on a hunger strike. One of the inmates pinched my nose shut so that I had to open my mouth to breathe. At the same time, another inmate poured liquid food into my mouth continuously. I tried my best to turn my head to draw in some air, but they held my head very tightly, and it was impossible to turn my head at all. When I opened my mouth to breathe, they used a toothbrush to keep my mouth propped open and poured liquid in very quickly. I hardly had any chance to breathe, and liquid got into both my bronchial tubes and trachea. I coughed very violently afterwards and my lungs were very painful for many days afterwards."
Erkki Kannisto, who served as counsel to several government organizations and commercial groups in Finland, stated in a reported that genocide should include "mental and physical torture, for example by holding someone in prison, forced labor camps, or mental facilities, separating parents and children, coercing people to divorce or have an abortion, depriving groups of people of their right to employment, education, or medical treatment."
Human rights attorney Ye Ning from the United States delivered a speech entitled "China's Massive Suppression of Falun Gong Qualifies as Genocide." Based on the definition in the UN's Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, he concluded that the systematic persecution of Falun Gong in China qualifies as genocide. He pointed out, "It is clear to us, based on credible evidence, that this (persecution against Falun Gong) is a carefully premeditated scheme. Under legal cover-ups by the highest-ranking officials, the '610 Office,' which reports directly to the politburo, has conducted the campaign single-handedly. The goal is to 'physically extinguish, publicly smear, and financially ruin' [Falun Gong followers]." Mr. Ye thinks that this heinous crime has to be judged based on international conventions and covenants.
Clive Ansley, a renowned Canadian attorney and an expert on China, delivered a speech entitled "Courts in China Are No Courts at All." He explained why this tragedy could take place in China. Mr. Ansley spent 19 years working in China and is fully conversant with China's legal system. Calling Jiang Zemin "Mr. Genocide," he pointed out that under the so-called "Rule of Law," China is ruled by people instead of law. Officials put themselves above the law, courts are under the control of Party committees, and legal workers cave in to the will of rulers instead of law. In China there is no law, no constitution, and no court that can defend citizens' rights. Jiang Zemin's individual will is well above any articles of law.
As George-Henri Beauthier, a Belgium attorney, said in the press conference, "We know one day, maybe tomorrow, we will bring these dictators to trial. We are not in an isolated position, as we are here for innocent people instead of for political or economic benefits. What we want to do is bring Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, and Luo Gan to justice."
A Good Start -- The Push to Seek Justice Picks Up Momentum
The three-day conference deeply impressed its participants. The benevolence and perseverance of Falun Gong practitioners in their struggle for justice and truth have greatly encouraged everyone.
A secretary in the Kenyan embassy attended the conference every day. After hearing all the practitioners' accounts of their adherence to peaceful means and following the principle of "truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance" while steadfastly resisting the persecution, he could not help sharing his admiration, "You have brought hope to this world. I'm glad to be able to attend this conference and to know Falun Gong practitioners." On the last day of the conference, he also invited other Kenyan representatives to the conference.
After a Swedish law school graduate student had attentively studied Ms. Zhang Cuiying's painting and pictures taken in Chinese labor camps, he told Falun Gong practitioners, "You have displayed the true beauty and kindness of humankind. Those who persecute you have displayed evil and ugliness."
A Finnish attorney remarked on the program's well-organized content, "I have gained a deeper understanding of this on-going persecution. I will offer greater support for your lawsuits against those responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong." Upon returning to Finland, he held a joint press conference with Falun Gong practitioners, announcing his decision to help Finnish Falun Gong practitioners bring to trial the primary perpetrators who started the persecution.
February 16, 2004
Category: News & Events
