(Clearwisdom.net) On the morning of February 5, 2008, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith met his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi. Falun Dafa practitioners held a press conference in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra to urge the Australian government to maintain Australia's values of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. They called for the Australian judicial department to maintain its independence and not succumb to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pressure and interfere with Falun Gong practitioners who are suing CCP officials for their participation in the persecution. Practitioners also called on the CCP to stop persecuting Falun Gong, and to refrain from interfering with the upcoming Chinese New Year Spectacular.

Falun Dafa practitioners held a press conference in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra in the rain

Zhang Cuiying, plaintiff in the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, gave a speech

SBS-TV filmed the rally and conducted interviews

Dr. Fan Jiazhong, representatives of the Australian Falun Dafa Association, read an open letter to the Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith. The letter requests Minister Smith to:

1. Clearly inform Mr. Yang Jiechi of the overwhelming desire of many Australians to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China immediately.

2. Refute the pressure of the Chinese Embassy as it seeks to use the Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (FSI Act) to protect all Chinese Communist Party officials from scrutiny under Australian law for serious crimes, including mass torture and murder.

3. Ask Mr. Yang Jiechi to stop officials from the Chinese embassy and consulate from interfering with the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular shows.

Ms. Zhang Cuiying, plaintiff in the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, said in her speech: "I sued Jiang Zemin, the prime culprit in the persecution of Falun Gong and the former Chinese President, in the New South Wales Supreme Court for crimes of torture and crimes against humanity on September 15, 2004. Jiang Zemin is very afraid and used economic trade to put pressure on the Australian government in an attempt to stop this lawsuit. I urge the Australian government to refute the CCP's attempted interference in Australia's judicial fairness. Jiang and his followers have committed the most serious crimes against humanity by persecuting Falun Gong and cannot be granted foreign immunity."

Ms. Zhang has submitted an application to the court, requesting a default judgment towards defendants Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan.

A representative of Falun Gong practitioners said in a speech afterwards:

"Defendants Jiang Zemin, Bo Xilai, and Chen Shaoji have committed crimes against humanity, which can't be protected under foreign immunity. They have brutally tortured Falun Gong practitioners with over a hundred types of tortures. Many Australian Falun Gong practitioners have suffered torture in China, such as electric shocks, violent beatings, force-feeding, being handcuffed and hung up, their heads covered with a plastic bag and suffocated, long periods of sleep deprivation, being locked up in a small cell, forced labor, and brainwashing.

"The defendants committed these crimes in secret; however 38,000 torture cases have been recorded. In China, over 800,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been detained and as of 2007, verified deaths of practitioners due to persecution reached 3,122, while the actual number is many times that.

"They used the CCP political regime to systematically implement genocide and torture of Falun Gong practitioners, and extended their crimes outside of China. This is not only in violation of Chinese law. These crimes have lasted for eight and a half years, and are still continuing.

"The crimes of these defendants completely conform to the international jurisdiction of crimes against humanity. National sovereignty can't infringe on basic human rights, and crimes committed using state power are the most serious crimes.

"We expect the Australian government to refute the CCP's threats; maintain Australia's values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights; maintain the commonly recognized criterion that 'human rights are bigger than sovereignty;' and hold on to the Australian principle of independence and fair jurisdiction. Not granting immunity to Jiang Zemin and other defendants for their crimes of torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity; making a fair judicial decision; and punishing the wicked and supporting the kind gives warning to these people!"

After the press conference, Zhang Cuiying and other practitioners submitted a letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General in the Australian Parliament House. SBS-TV sent a crew to cover the event.