News and Events from around the World -- May 8, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content


  • A Summary of Falun Gong's Lawsuits Around the World Against Human Rights Violations

  • France: Practitioners Urge the French Government to Help Stop the Killing of Falun Gong Practitioners in China



  • A Summary of Falun Gong's Lawsuits Around the World Against Human Rights Violations

     On May 1, 2006, International Advocates for Justice (IAFJ) published some statistics which show that the Falun Gong group has filed as many as 54 civil and criminal lawsuits in 33 different countries on the five continents against Jiang Zemin (former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party), Luo Gan and 30 other high-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party that have been playing the most active roles in the persecution of Falun Gong. According to IAFJ, Falun Gong has filed the largest number of human rights lawsuits in the 21st century and the charges are among the most severe international crimes defined by international criminal laws.

    As of April 2006, the Falun Gong group has filed lawsuits against Jiang Zemin in 16 countries around the world.

    According to IAFJ's report on the statistics of Falun Gong's human rights lawsuits, the Falun Gong group has filed lawsuits against Jiang Zemin in 16 different countries as of April 2006, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Greece, Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

    In addition to Jiang Zemin, Falun Gong practitioners have also filed lawsuits against many high-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party, including a former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Minister of Culture, Minister of Commerce, a former Minister of Education and Minister of Information.

    There are three main types of charges against these officials of the Chinese Communist Party: genocide, torture and crimes against humanity, which are identified as the most severe international crimes defined by international criminal laws.

    According to IAFJ, Falun Gong practitioners have filed the largest scale of human rights litigations in the 21st century in terms of the number of countries where the lawsuits were filed, the largest number of Chinese Communist Party officials sued for the same persecution and oppression, the total number of litigations, etc. It is also a joint legal action involving attorneys from the largest number of different countries in the world since World War II.

    So far the human rights attorneys representing Falun Gong all over the world include Mr. William Bourdon, a French human rights attorney who also participated in the lawsuit against Chili's ex-dictator Pinochet, Georges-Henri Beauthier, a human rights attorney in Belgium, Geoffrey Robertson QC, a world-renowned human rights attorney, David Matas, a human rights attorney in Canada, as well as Dr. Terri Marsh, an American human rights attorney who filed the first lawsuit in the United States against Jiang Zemin in Chicago, Illinois.

    As of today, Falun Gong has won at least five of the civil suits in the United States and Canada. For those lawsuits that have been rejected or dropped on the grounds of lacking jurisdiction or immunity, Falun Gong's attorneys have filed appeals. At present, most of Falun Gong's global human rights lawsuits are being processed by the courts or are in the process of being filed. As for those requests for a trial or an investigation made to the international justice system, Falun Gong is still waiting for a reply.

    IAFJ states that governments worldwide, the international human rights arena and the United Nations' human rights committee should pay serious attention to Falun Gong's human rights litigations. It urges countries around the world to not be influenced by any political power or interest and process these litigations according to international human rights laws and their countries' respective laws.

    According to IAFJ's statistics on Falun Gong's human rights lawsuits from 2001 to April 2006, Falun Gong practitioners have filed lawsuits in 33 different countries on the five continents against Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan and 30 other high-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party that have been playing the most active roles in the persecution of Falun Gong, as well as five lawsuits against Chinese embassies and consulates for slander. The statistics also include Falun Gong practitioners' complaints and requests for an investigation or a trial made to prominent international justice organizations, such as the United Nations' Human Rights Committee, its Torture Committee, International Criminal Tribunal, European Court of Human Rights, etc.

    The Falun Gong group's litigations are mostly criminal litigations. Some are based on special local laws, such as the criminal lawsuits filed in Taiwan and Canada. Some are based on local criminal laws, such as the lawsuits filed in Spain, Greece and Holland.

    For the past six years since 2001, Falun Gong practitioners have filed at least 54 civil and criminal lawsuits, not including lawsuits against some overseas Chinese media for slander.

    International Advocates for Justice (IAFJ) is an international non-governmental organization registered in the state of New York and founded in July 2004. Its members include human rights attorneys and professionals working in the field of justice worldwide.

    Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/5/2/126657.html



    France: Practitioners Urge the French Government to Help Stop the Killing of Falun Gong Practitioners in China

     On April 27, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners from France, in response to the recently revealed trade in organs taken from living Falun Gong practitioners, handed in petition letters to several important government offices in France including the President's Office, Prime Minister's Office, the Home Office, Foreign Office and the Health Office, with the aim of urging the government to help to stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners in forced labour camps and concentration camps in China.

    Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the President's Office at about 9.30 in the morning, after briefly telling the receptionist their intention. They said, "We are here handing in a petition letter today because the situation is so urgent. Since the revelation of the crimes of the CCP in harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners at the beginning of March, Falun Gong practitioners in China are facing an even more brutal mass killing. The CCP is currently trying to destroy the evidence by killing the practitioners; this is reflected by the increased number or organ transplants being performed in China at the moment. That is why under these circumstances, we urgently need to send this message to our President and inform him about this atrocity of the CCP in suppressing the freedom of belief by brutally killing the practitioners, which is in total contempt for human life and against humanity. We hope that the President will pay attention to this and use all his power to rescue the Falun Gong practitioners in China whose lives are in great danger at any moment now." After hearing that, the officer from the President's office accepted the petition letter and said that he will deliver it immediately to the President.

    Falun Gong practitioners also handed in the petition letter at the Prime Minister's Office, the Home Office and the Foreign Office.

    At the Health Office, the secretary of the Health Minister met with the practitioners, and after listening to what they said about this urgent issue, expressed his shock upon hearing about the brutal nature of the CCP's acts. He also said that he would pass the message straight away to the Health Minister and get a reply as soon as possible. He also thanked the practitioners for the information.

    Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/4/30/126471.html