Contempt of Court Trial to Proceed April 15-19 for Newspaper that Allegedly Slandered Falun Gong

(Clearwisdom.net)

Judge: Importance of matter and threat to security of persons, particularly in China, provides grounds for quick court date

Montreal, April 11, 2002 ---- The trial for the Contempt of Court charges relating to the case laid by Falun Gong practitioners against Montreal Chinese newspaper Les Presses Chinoises, which published a 12-page insert allegedly containing defamatory anti-Falun Gong material in virtually every sentence is to be held next week April 15-19 inclusive.

Considering the importance of this matter, and given the threat to Falun Gong practitioners, the trial dates were expedited to be held at the first Contempt of Court hearing on March 14, by Madam Justice Julien, after conferring with Superior Court Chief Justice Lyse Lemieux. The trial will give a unique opportunity for Falun Gong practitioners to state their case in a legal forum and to seek the justice that would otherwise be denied in China.

Background

On November 3, 2001, and in the following weekends, Les Presses Chinoises continuously published articles defaming Falun Gong. Some of the content was copied word for word from materials provided by the Chinese Embassy. To stop this defamation, 126 Falun Gong practitioners from Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto filed a lawsuit against the paper. From December 10, 2001 to February 7, 2002, the Quebec Superior Court reiterated 3 times a safeguard order in 3 consecutive hearings, each time with stricter restrictions, to prohibit the paper from publishing offensive anti-Falun Gong material.

However, these orders have been ignored. A 12-page insert was published on February 2, 2002 allegedly containing defamatory anti-Falun Gong material in virtually every sentence.

Falun Gong practitioners laid Contempt of Court charges against the newspaper in March.

The trial dates are set during the first Contempt of Court hearing on March 14 by Justice Julien, who also further ordered Les Presses Chinoises remove from its website offensive anti-Falun Gong materials.

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