EFGIC: Persecution of Falun Gong Sparks Broadest Legal Efforts since Nuremberg (Photo)
Jane
Dai, with daughter Fadu, is a plaintiff in several lawsuits charging
Chinese leaders with crimes against humanity. Jane's husband was
allegedly tortured to death by Chinese police because he practised Falun
Gong. (Clearwisdom.net) LONDON [EFGIC] - Lawsuits against persecutors of
Falun Gong have become the broadest collaborative efforts since the
International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Efforts to hold Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members legally accountable for
their role in persecuting Falun Gong are gaining momentum. The last month has
seen cases filed in Canada, Ireland, Korea, and the Netherlands. Legal efforts
inside China are increasing as well. The first case was filed in June 2001, a suit with a favourable verdict for
Falun Gong. It was brought against Chinese police chief Zhao Zhifei for
genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. This week, judgments in favour of Falun Gong were granted for U.S. cases
against former Beijing mayor and head of China's Olympic Committee Liu Qi, and
former Liaoning Province deputy governor Xia Deren. In all, 66 lawsuits have been filed in 28 countries and territories. Former CCP chairman Jiang Zemin is named a defendant in 13 of the cases, with
Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, and Bo Xilai named in multiple lawsuits as well for their
key roles in the brutal campaign. Jiang launched the campaign against Falun Gong in 1999 at a time when he
headed the CCP, Chinese government, and Chinese military. Li had headed
"Office 610," the plain-clothed police unit responsible for carrying
out Jiang's campaign against Falun Gong. And Bo is the former governor of
Liaoning Province, which remains the most notorious for torturing and killing
Falun Gong practitioners. Many of the newer cases are targeting the generators of the CCP's anti-Falun
Gong propaganda, such as the libel lawsuit filed against the Chinese vice
counsel in Toronto, Mr. Pan Xinchun. Pan was found liable in a Canadian court
for defaming Mr. Joel Chipkar, a Toronto spokesperson for Falun Gong
practitioners. After payment was not received, the Superior Court issued a
Notice of Garnishment against Mr. Pan, who soon after reportedly fled back to
China. Another hate propaganda case is the suit filed in Tanzania against China's
former Minister of Education Chen Zhili, who also fled the country shortly after
the filing of the suit against her. Chen has allegedly utilized the Chinese
education system to indoctrinate teachers and students against Falun Gong -
often inciting violence. "Our next step is to initiate lawsuits on the international plane,"
says human rights attorney Terri Marsh who is heading several of the U.S.
lawsuits. "It could be through a temporary international criminal tribunal,
such as for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, or through a special court, such
as for Sierra Leone." Recent Cases On December 2, individuals in the Netherlands filed a case charging Jiang,
Li, and Bo with genocide, as defined under the 1948 United Nations Convention on
Genocide. On November 18, 2004, two Korean individuals filed a lawsuit charging former
Chinese Education Minister Chen Zhili with participating in genocide. Also in mid November, five Falun Gong practitioners in Ireland filed a
lawsuit against China's Vice-Premier Huang Ju, who was about to visit Dublin.
The lawsuit charged Huang with being responsible for premeditated torturing of
Falun Gong practitioners in clear violation of international law. Between November 12-15, over a hundred Falun Gong practitioners in Canada
jointly initiated legal action against Jiang, Li, Luo, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang
and other Chinese officials responsible for the persecution campaign. In Zambia on November 4, individual plaintiffs filed a civil lawsuit charging
Gansu Province CCP secretary Su Rong with accounts of murder, torture, and
degrading treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. After failing to appear in
court, a warrant for his arrest was issued, but before authorities could
apprehend Su, he had already fled the country using falsified identification. For details of all Falun Gong-related lawsuits, visit: www.flgjustice.org # # # NEWS -- Dec.11, 2004
European Falun Gong Information Centre, More contacts. www.clearharmony.net
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