sued over murder of Falun Gong practitioners
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WASHINGTON
DC (FDI) – The High Court of Zambia issued an official arrest warrant and dispatched
police to search for a Chinese official held in contempt of court after being
charged with the murder of Falun Gong practitioners.
Su Rong,
the former head of Jilin Province’s “6-10 Office” and current Gansu Province Communist
Party Secretary, was part of a Chinese delegation that was traveling to several
African nations. Upon his arrival in Zambia on November 4, individual plaintiffs
filed a civil lawsuit charging him with accounts of murder, torture, and degrading
treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
That afternoon a Zambian
High Court Marshall served defendant Su with the court papers. The next day, the
court ordered that Su must remain in the country pending a hearing on November
8. The Zambia border authority was notified of the court order.
After
defendant Su failed to appear in court, a hearing date was set for November 13.
Su was charged with “Contempt of Court,” a criminal offense under Zambian law,
which follows the British tradition.
When Su once again failed
to appear, the Court issued an arrest warrant and dispatched forces to search
for him.
Zambia border authority records indicate that the
defendant is still in the country, although sources working on the case in Zambia
say Su has already “snuck out of the country.” According to these sources, Su
told his counsel that he will never leave China again.
Su
had been in charge of Jilin’s “6-10 Office,” a plain-clothes police task force
responsible for the arrest and brainwashing of Falun Gong practitioners. The deaths
of at least 139 Falun Gong practitioners from state abuse have been verified in
Jilin, making it the second most notorious province in China behind Heilongjiang’s
158.
Su’s case is the latest in a series of 50 lawsuits served
against Chinese officials for persecuting and defaming Falun Gong.
This
is the second African case, the first being in Tanzania, where former Minister
of Education Chin Zhili was sued in early August. Chen attended a court hearing
before fleeing the country.
In most cases against visiting
Chinese delegates, the defendants have typically immediately fled the country
without denying the charges.
Posting date: 20/Nov/2004
Original
article date: 18/Nov/2004
Category: World News
