Australia: Foreign Minister Downer Stops Signing Restriction Certificates to Avoid Appearing in Court (Photos)

By a practitioner in Australia

(Clearwisdom.net) On the morning of April 3, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of ACT Supreme Court in Canberra about the case against Foreign Minister Alexander Downer over restrictions on their regular protests outside the Chinese Embassy. It was heard that Downer could not provide related evidence to justify his actions, and had to stop issuing the certificate barring protesters from displaying large banners outside the embassy. He also agreed to pay petition charges.

Falun Gong attorney Bernard is interviewed

Falun Gong practitioners call for attention to the atrocities in Sujiatun Concentration Camp

Lawyer Bernard Collaery said in an interview that Downer stopped issuing certificates to avoid showing up in court and providing government evidence to justify his actions. Downer falsely claimed to Australia's Parliament, media and public that Falun Gong practitioners broadcast for 24 hours a day with loudspeakers and interfered with Chinese Embassy staff. He used his power and signed certificates every month for four years, barring practitioners from displaying large banners outside the Chinese Embassy. Because Downer cannot provide evidence of his allegations and former Chinese Consulate official Chen Yonglin exposed the under the table agreement about Falun Gong between the Australia Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Communist regime, Downer realized that he would face questioning from the public about his agreement with the CCP. To avoid showing up in court, he decided to stop signing the certificate. The lawyer said that Downer should know that he would face legal challenges if he does similar things in the future.

Falun Gong practitioner Jeff read out loud an open statement in the conference. The statement said that Downer's allegations are not true. Falun Gong practitioners used a small speaker in front of the Chinese Embassy, turned on only when tourist bus arrived and turned off after they left. The statement said that in February 2006, an Australian reporter once followed up the Chinese Embassy's complaint to the police about noise from practitioners and that the Australian federal police denied such allegations after an investigation. This indicated that Downer signed the certificates based on false charges.

The statement said that the Supreme Court held several hearings, but Downer intentionally delayed appearing and providing evidence to the court. In the end he could not delay anymore but stopped signing the certificate and agreed to pay the lawsuit fee.

Plaintiff practitioners Cuiying Zhang and Zhizhen Dai said in a joint speech, "The certificate issue is not only related to Falun Gong practitioners, but involved with very basic human rights issue in Australia, including freedom of speech and freedom of belief. We will continue to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy and expose the CCP's brutal crimes."

Ms. Seland, a practitioner, said in an interview that since the Supreme Court accepted the case in June 2005, Falun Gong practitioners have held many truth-clarification and signature collection activities in front of the court. Through various channels, practitioners called on the Australian public to pay attention to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and help end Foreign Minister Downer's abuse of power to ignore human rights and deprive practitioners' rights of peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Background

On March 16, 2002, one day before the upcoming visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Australia Foreign Minster Downer signed the first certificate barring Falun Gong practitioners from using banners in front of the Chinese Embassy. He used the excuse that the practitioners' banners and music was harming the dignity of the Chinese delegation and Embassy in Australia. From that point on, Downer signed the certificates for four years based on a 1992 foreign mission privilege and waiver. For three years, Falun Gong practitioners tried to have a dialogue with him to resolve the issue but got no response. Thus, on June 9, 2005, practitioners Cuiying Zhang and Zhizhen Dai jointly filed a petition to the ACT Supreme Court alleging that Foreign Minister Downer abused his power to sign the certificates and deprived the Falun Gong practitioners' rights. They requested the court to issue an order to keep Downer from signing the certificate.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/4/6/124637.html

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