(Clearwisdom.net) On May 27, 2004, an oral argument regarding the lawsuit against Jiang will be heard in Chicago. In Texas, a van tour to support the lawsuit against Jiang started in Houston and traveled through several major cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Austin and Waco. The van tour arrived in Dallas on May 20. The tour team and local practitioners exposed torture methods used against practitioners in China and held a symbolic trial of Jiang in downtown Dallas.

Passersby looking at the display posters

Demonstrating torture methods used against practitioners

Local Falun Gong practitioners took their lunch break to go to Kennedy Plaza located in downtown Dallas and prepared the setup for the torture exhibit and the symbolic trial. Some practitioners distributed truth-clarifying materials and introduced the content and purpose of this activity.

At noontime, the symbolic trial began. The judge announced the beginning of the trial of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, charged with "genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity". The plaintiffs' attorney first gave a brief introduction of this lawsuit. Then, practitioner Ms. Wu testified regarding the persecution that her mother, an emeritus professor from Jilin University who is nearly 70, has endured over the past four plus years. The defendant's attorney said that the defendant was a head of state when he was served and therefore, he should enjoy immunity. In the end, the judge read the verdict, "No one, including a Head of State, can stand above the law. This court of morality finds the accused, Jiang Zemin, guilty on the charges of torture, crimes against humanity and genocide. The accused has persecuted "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," the moral principle that guarantees the essence of humanity."

The torture exhibit was set up to the side of the tribunal. Two practitioners played the part of persecuted practitioners in China suffering from the torture of being tied and hung up under the scorching sun. The scene drew much attention from passersby. People stopped to watch and ask questions. Some had heard about the persecution of Falun Gong but were not very clear about it. Born and raised in a democratic country, they had a hard time grasping just how brutal the suppression has been.

A passerby asked practitioners, "In China, since such an inhuman persecution is going on, why wouldn't the Chinese people work together to oppose it? Why would they allow such things to continue?" The practitioners explained that Jiang controlled the state media to spread lies defaming Falun Gong and covered up the atrocities. Many people did not know the facts. In addition, the previous persecution people had suffered under the Chinese Communist Party's rule made people afraid to speak the truth.

Another lady talked with a practitioner for a long time after the activity and asked many questions.

Ms. Fu from Beijing told reporter, "Although the electric baton was not real, when it was turned on, I still felt shaken in my heart. It feels so horrible when I thought about the fact that practitioners in China are struck by police officers with several electric batons simultaneously." Mr. Wang, who participated in the van tour around Texas in support of the lawsuit against Jiang, said that along the tour, he further understood the plight of the persecuted practitioners in China. He said that when he simulated for the first time the suffering of being hung up with both hands cuffed, the one-hour simulation made him feel uncomfortable for two days. From reports on Clearwisdom.net, we often saw that practitioners endured various kinds of torture in detention centers, labor camps or jails for a few dozen days, several months or even years. Our practitioners outside China should really cherish what practitioners in China have endured, and make good use of our time to clarify the truth and save sentient beings!

In October 2002, Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit in Chicago against the perpetrator of this persecution, Jiang Zemin, charging him with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. Afterwards, Jiang and his key followers have been successively sued in different countries including Belgium, Spain, Germany, Korea and Taiwan. In January of this year, the U.S. 7^th Circuit Court in Chicago accepted the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal and will hear oral arguments on May 27 in Chicago.

In order to help more people learn about the crimes committed by Jiang Zemin, and to further clarify the truth about the persecution to different levels of government, media and the society, some practitioners in the U.S. started a van tour from the west coast as well as east coast, and will converge in Chicago to support the lawsuit against Jiang.

It was reported that eight practitioners from the Northern California van tour set off on May 11 from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. It traveled through nearly 10 states and 20 cities, and arrived at Chicago on May 21. Six young practitioners from the east coast embarked on their 700-mile bike tour on May 13 from Washington DC to Chicago.