Greek Media: Falun Gong asks China to Improve Rights by 2008

(Clearwisdom.net) On August 5, 2004, one week before the Athens Olympics, two Greek lawyers on behalf of three practitioners from Australia, Ireland and Greece submitted a criminal lawsuit against former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, former Vice President Li Lanqing, and member of Standing Committee of Political Bureau of Communist Party Luo Gan for genocide and torture. The lawyers also requested Greek prosecutors to issue arrest warrants against Jiang, Li and Luo if they come to Greece for the Olympics.

According to a report of the Greek newspaper Ekathimerini on August 6, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in Athens 8 days before the Olympics to urge China to immediately improve human rights. In a statement, practitioners stated: "In a few days, the Athens Olympics will belong to the past, while the Games' flag... will be turned over to Beijing, the capital of a country which on the eve of the 21st century continues violating fundamental human rights,"

As cited by Ekathimerini, Ms. Wenxin Wu from the European Falun Dafa Association urged media to "Help China make sure that when it hosts the Olympics in four years' time, it will respect human rights."

The report said that two Greek Falun Gong practitioners sued three top Chinese officials including former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Vice President Li Lanqiang for torture and abuse they suffered in Beijing in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Practitioners' Greek Lawyer Tsakirakis said, as quoted by the report, "We ask Greek prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant against them if they should come to Greece for the Games."

According to a law expert in Athens University, Nikos Livos, this lawsuit was "the first time that Greek justice has been called on to rule on a case of torture abroad."

The report said that this lawsuit was the latest legal action by Falun Gong practitioners, who had taken similar actions in other countries such as the United States and Germany.

Source: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_29253863_06/08/2004_45709

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