At 2:30 p.m. on February 8, 2002, Falun Gong practitioners and attorney representative of CJA (Center for Justice & Accountability) held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate.

The press conference declared that Liu Qi, Mayor of Beijing and also president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games, was served with a law suit filed in U.S. District Court in North California shortly before he boarded a flight to Salt Lake City in San Francisco International Airport.

The papers states that Beijing police, with mayor Liu Qi's permission, persecuted Falun Gong practitioners systematically. The civil lawsuit was filed by six Falun Gong members who were brutally beaten and tortured in Beijing, including two Chinese citizens, one US citizen, two Swedish and one French.

Liu Qi is charged with "torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, arbitrary detention, crimes against humanity and interference with freedom of religion and belief."

The Center for Justice and Accountability, an organization that represents victims of grave human rights abuse, filed the civil complaint with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco Thursday afternoon.

Ms. Sandra Coliver, Executive Director of CJA, said, "CJA participates in this lawsuit to send a message to those human rights violators internationally notorious that if they come to the United States they will be held accountable for what they committed. They can do whatever they please and not be punished in their own country. However, they will run into an unpleasant situation for being sued by victims."

Mr. Joshua Sondheimer, Director of Civil Litigation said, "The Mayor of Beijing, the highest administrator for Beijing City, must oversee the police and safeguard the rights of detainees. We would like to testify that he did not stop or punish the violators after he knew that numerous Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and physically abused. On the contrary, he carried out the systematic and cruel torture policy himself."

Based on news report from Reuters on January 15, 2001, in an Olympic convocation in September 2000, Liu Qi claimed that Beijing would "eliminate Falun Gong" to prepare the run for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games.

CJA has successfully participated in many similar cases. The lawsuit document was signed by the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on February 7, 2002. Liu Qi can inquire to the court about the date of his appearance or acknowledge guilt.

Mr. Joshua Sondheimer, Director in Civil Litigation is interviewed by a TV station

Dafa practitioners practice the exercises and send forth righteous thoughts in front of Chinese Consulate

Posting date: 2/12/2002
Original article date: 2/11/2002
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/2/10/24653.html

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