By practitioners from Germany
(Clearwisdom.net, December 22, 2003) Among the western practitioners
in Germany, there is an entire family that practices Falun Gong. Hubert and
Edith together with their three daughters, Caroline, Steffi and Johanna, have
practiced Falun Gong since 1998. Their mischievous five-year-old son Joshua also
follows the family practicing the exercises from time to time. Their family
photo has been seen by tens of thousands of overseas Chinese families in a
Chinese Falun Gong booklet called "Go with You." In Heidelberg, the Koerpers are quite famous. Their names are well known to
local people since Hubert and his two eldest daughters, Caroline and Steffi,
went to Tiananmen Square to appeal for Falun Gong in February 2002. At the time,
this incident was widely reported by German media. In late November 2003, the Koerper family was once again involved in a
China-related matter. Pursuant to the International Criminal Law and the German
Criminal Code promulgated on June 30, 2002, the German Falun Gong Association
and forty Falun Gong practitioners from China, Germany, Ireland, Australia, the
U.S. and Canada filed a lawsuit against sixteen Chinese officials headed by
Jiang Zemin, on charges of Genocide, crimes against humanity and cruel torture.
Hubert, Caroline and Steffi were also involved in the lawsuit because Chinese
police abused them in the police station after they appealed in Tiananmen
Square. Abused by Police When Appealing in Tiananmen Square Concerning the appeal on Tiananmen Square in February 2002, Hubert said:
"When I was unfurling a banner that read 'Return Freedom to Falun Gong', I
was immediately grabbed and harshly hit in the abdomen and back repeatedly by
the police. Steffi, who was seventeen years old then, was identified as a Falun
Gong practitioner. She was grabbed from behind, and her mouth and nose were
covered as she was forcefully dragged away. The police grabbed her so hard that
she lost consciousness temporarily. In the police car and the police station
afterwards, policemen slapped her on the face. Caroline has always been regarded
as a quiet and well-behaved child in Germany, but the police also beat her. They
saw many practitioners being thrown to the ground, being stamped on their
bellies and backs by the police, being thrown against walls and being subjected
to other kinds of atrocities. Suing Jiang Zemin in Germany Appealing on Tiananmen Square is their most unforgettable experience over the
past four years. After returning to their hometown, they received a completely
different reception. German newspapers, radio and TV stations came to interview
them. It seemed everyone admired their courage. One of Steffi's teachers posted
the newspaper clipping about Steffi's appeal on the bulletin board in the
teachers' office, together with eye-catching words "Our Student!"
Hubert's mother-in-law, who was a senior lawyer, also regarded them as heroes.
But in Hubert's eyes, he doesn't consider himself a hero as the suffering he
endured is incomparable to what Falun Gong practitioners in China have suffered. Through a German Falun Dafa website, Hubert and other German Falun Gong
practitioners learn more about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in
China on a daily basis. Now their own personal experience has further verified
the persecution displayed on the website. This reinforced their determination to
spread the news about Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong to more people.
Hubert learned that a newly enacted law concerning genocide came into effect in
Germany in June 2002 and that some Falun Gong practitioners wanted to sue Jiang
Zemin in Germany. Hubert felt that the time was ripe. He wanted to use his own
experience to have more people pay attention to the crimes of genocide against
Falun Gong by Jiang Zemin. In Germany, "genocide" is a very sensitive
term. As a German who supports human rights, Hubert felt that he has an
extraordinary obligation to speak for justice when facing unimaginable brutal
persecution. Good Prospects for the Lawsuit against Jiang Zemin Caroline is confident about the success of the lawsuit against Jiang. This
doesn't mean that she thinks they can win the lawsuit against Jiang in Germany,
but whether it succeeds in Germany or not, Jiang will eventually be prosecuted.
Caroline is firmly convinced that justice will defeat injustice. Several months
ago, the Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice was established in the
U.S., and Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S., Belgium, Taiwan, and other
countries have also filed lawsuits against Jiang. Moreover, practitioners have
recently appealed to the European Union and the United Nations. The trial of
Jiang Zemin is just a matter of time; it is not a case of whether Jiang should
be tried or not. Hubert believes that this matter, regarded by many as
impossible, might occur very soon. The capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
by American troops several days ago is a clear example of this. Recently, the
German Nuremberg district court has issued an arrest warrant against a former
Argentine dictator. The German attorney who represented the case is the one who
is representing German Falun Gong practitioners against Jiang Zemin. Love of Chinese Culture, and Looking Forward to Going to China Again Before Hubert began practicing Falun Gong, he had a deep respect for Chinese
culture and dreamed of going to China to learn Chinese medicine. As soon as he
began to practice Falun Gong, he longed to go to China to practice the exercises
with the many practitioners there. In 2001, he set foot on Chinese soil to
appeal for human rights. Hubert commented: "I neither oppose the Chinese
government nor the people of China. Jiang Zemin represents neither the Chinese
government nor the Chinese people. The one I accuse is Jiang Zemin, who has
committed the crime of genocide against the Chinese people." Hubert hopes that he can return to China again one day, but he doesn't want
to appeal in Tiananmen Square again. He sincerely hopes that the persecution
will end by then, and that Falun Gong practitioners in China will be able to
practice the exercises again in a free environment. He would also like to
practice the exercises with his fellow practitioners and share experiences with
them.
The members
of the Koerper's (the Falun Gong Family) in Heidelberg (from left to
right): 2nd eldest daughter Steffi, eldest daughter Caroline, 3rd eldest
daughter Johanna, parents Edith and Hubert, and youngest son Joshua
(front)
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/12/18/62781.html