For the second time in three months, Falun Gong practitioners have filed a lawsuit against a high-ranking Chinese official visiting Africa. Gansu Province Party Secretary Su Rong was served on November 4 while visiting the southern African nation of Zambia, where he was ordered to stay pending a court appearance.
Su Rong is the second high-ranking Chinese official to be sued in Africa and the first official to be forced to remain in a foreign country.
In early August, former Education Minister Chen Zhili was sued in Tanzania. She reportedly fled the country after a date was set for her to face trial.
According to a China Broadcasting Corporation online news report on November 10, Su was part of an official Chinese delegation visiting several countries in Africa. The delegation is led by Wu Bangguo, who chairs the People’s Congress. Their itinerary began with a visit to Kenya on October 29, then on to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Nigeria. They arrived in Zambia on November 4, planning to stay two days.
However, on the first day of the stay, Su was served with papers by the court, requiring him to appear this week. The Chinese delegation then left Zambia, leaving Su behind to face the charges against him.
Falun Gong practitioners have filed lawsuits against Chinese officials in several countries around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Spain, and Australia. Charges range from torture and genocide to civil rights violations.
In July 1999, former President Jiang Zemin banned Falun Gong, an exercise and meditation practice. Since then, the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and others have urged the Chinese government to end its suppression of the group. Chinese officials maintain they are not persecuting Falun Gong and have simply detained some of the group’s leaders.
The New York-based Falun Dafa Information Center has documented nearly 1,100 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners at the hands of the Chinese government.
Posting date: 14/Nov/2004
Original article date: 12/Nov/2004
Category: Media Report
