Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan stage a protest against
former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and other Chinese officials in front of
the Presidential Office in downtown Taipei yesterday morning.
Seven Taiwanese Falun Gong members will file a genocide lawsuit tomorrow
against former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.
The members, who all claim to have been abused by Chinese authorities during
visits to China will also file a similar suit against former Chinese vice
premier Li Lanqing and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Luo
Gan.
The group said yesterday that Jiang, Li and Luo had attempted to
systematically extinguish Falun Gong by using politics and the military to
persecute its members.
Theresa Chu, a Taiwanese lawyer who is a member of the New York
State bar and also a Falun Gong practitioner, said that the group was making
its case based on a Taiwanese law against genocide. She said that it would
be the first time this law had been used since it was passed in 1953.
When asked about the issue of jurisdiction, Chu said that the group was
confident that there would be no problem.
“First of all, according to the Constitution, China is still considered a
part of the ROC, so anyone who breaks the law in China can still be punished
by the ROC’s laws,” Chu said.
“Secondly, according to international customs, a major crime that breaks
international criminal laws, such as genocide, fits the principle of
universal jurisdiction — that is, anyone can file a suit against this kind
of crime in any country.”
The group of seven includes Lin Hsiao-kai, the Falun Gong member
who was detained in Shanghai for 10 days by the national security bureau
last month.
Another plaintiff, Chan Pei-chun said that she was detained for
three days when she went to visit some relatives in China during Chinese New
Year last year.
“If we do not speak up in a free country like Taiwan, then the practitioners
in China would have no chance to let their voices be heard,” Chan said.
Posting date: 17/Nov/2003
Original article date: 16/Nov/2003
Category: Media Report
