Ms. Jane Dai, an Australian citizen who lost her husband
is one of the plaintiffs
SYDNEY (FDI) — On March 18th, during the United Nations 59th Human Rights meeting,
a Swiss attorney announced plans to launch a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for
torture, crimes against humanity and genocide if the former Chinese leader ever
visits Switzerland.
Philip Grant, legal representative to the plaintiffs and President of TRIAL
(Track Immunity Always), a non-governmental organization in Switzerland devoted
to combating impunity, announced that he is organizing an international coalition
to bring Jiang to justice.
Mr. Grant announced that, in the coming weeks, criminal complaints will be
“prepared and/or filed” in a number of countries who possess universal
jurisdiction for crimes of “torture, crimes against humanity and/or genocide.”
Mr. Grant made clear that all parties who assist in the persecution of Falun
Gong under Jiang’s orders would also be targeted: “From the top to the
bottom of the Chinese State or of the Communist Party, those who plan or execute
the scheme of terror and mass human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners
must know that they will be held accountable for their criminal behaviour…”
(Full statement @ http://faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=7140)
According to Mr. Grant, the persecution of Falun Gong is in violation of the
1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which
China has signed and ratified. Jiang Zemin or anyone who follows him in persecuting
Falun Gong, Mr. Grant points out, can be immediately arrested as soon as they
land in countries that have ratified this convention.
On March 15, 2003, Jiang Zemin stepped down from his post as President. According
to Mr. Grant, Jiang Zemin will no longer be able to enjoy the prerogative of
immunity granted to a head of state.
Other than his native Switzerland, Mr. Grant would not disclose which countries
he is actively working with for the international coalition presumably to leave
Jiang Zemin and others who persecute Falun Gong in the dark as to when and where
they may face a lawsuit and arrest.
For the lawsuit prepared in Switzerland, the plaintiffs include: a graduate
student from Ireland, Mr. Ming Zhao, who was tortured for almost 2 years in
a Chinese labour camp, Ms. Yuzhi Wang from Harbin, China who was arrested and
tortured until she lost most of her vision and Ms. Zhizhen Dai, an Australian
citizen who is raising her young daughter on her own after her husband was tortured
to death in China because he practiced Falun Gong. (http://www.falunau.org/daistory.htm)
Extensive reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, official
records at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Falun Dafa Information
Centre document how people are tortured and brainwashed to sign statements to
give up their belief. Violent persecution continues for those who continue to
hold onto their faith, including: rape, sodomy, forced abortion, forced drug
injections, 30,000-volt electric shocks, beatings, stabbings, suffocations,
drowning, sleep depravation, long term confinement in small cages, and starvation.
Many sources in China estimate that millions are forced to leave their homes
to avoid persecution.
______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Dr. Michael Pearson-Smith 0409 500 271
Kati Vereshaka 0408 165 094 WEBSITES: www.faluninfo.net , www.falunau.org
E-MAIL : news@falunau.org
