Australia: Prime Minister Howard Pays Attention to the Persecution of Falun Gong

By a practitioner from Australia

(Clearwisdom.net) On September 17, Australia's Prime Minister Howard asked his Senior Advisor (International), Andrew Shearer, to reply Ms. Zhang Cuiying on his behalf. In the letter, Mr. Shearer pointed out: "The government has expressed concerns that China's ban on Falun Gong and treatment of Falun Gong practitioners breaches fundamental human rights."

In the letter from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to Ms. Zhang Cuiying on September 17, Mr. Miles Armitage, the Assistant Secretary expressed: "The Australian Government frequently raises concerns about human right and the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners with the Chinese Government at senior levels." In the letter, Mr. Armitage also told Ms. Zhang: "To ensure that your concerns about your nephew, Mr. Chen Zhongsheng, receive the attention they deserve, I have referred your correspondence to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Alexander Downer MP."

Ms. Zhang was arrested and jailed for eight months in China in 1999 for appealing for Falun Gong. On September 15, 2004, Ms. Zhang filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan and the 610 Office, chief perpetrators of the persecution of Falun Gong, in New South Wales court. The case finally started to progress recently. The Australia Department of Justice sent Ms. Zhang an official letter confirming that her legal complaint had been delivered to Yan Nan, a staff member at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. Penelope Richards, senior legal consultant of the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the Department of Foreign Affairs has finished the delivery process and informed the New South Wales Supreme Court. Mr. Adam Slattery, Ms. Zhang's lawyer, said if they didn't get a response from the accused, they would seek a trial by default.

Ms. Zhang said that the lawsuit has caught the attention of the outside world. She has received more than 80 letters expressing concern from the government officials and congressmen in different countries, including the Prime Ministers of Canada and New Zealand.

Ms. Zhang said: "My nephew, Chen Zhongsheng, was sentenced to three years of forced labor in 2000 because of his belief in Falun Gong. He was badly tortured in the labor camp. In April 2006, he was sentenced to two more years of forced labor. I hope that the Australian Prime Minister will pay attention to my nephew and other Falun Gong practitioners' situations and help to stop the persecution with other leaders in the world."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/10/1/163697.html

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