A fight for faith Arrested, imprisoned and mentally and physically tortured
for Falun Gong; Local sues ex-leader of China
A YAGOONA artist will continue
her fight against former Chinese president Jiang Zemin this Friday when her accusations
of torture are expected to be heard in the NSW Supreme Court.
Zhang Cuiying,
who said she migrated to Australia in 1991, will allege that upon her 1999 return
to China she was arrested, imprisoned and subjected to mental and physical torture
for practising Falun Gong.
The Falun Gong belief system is described as
a form of exercise which focuses on improving the mind and body.
Ms Zhang,
who said she was an Australian citizen, said she was seeking cash compensation
from Mr Zemin for injuries she claims to have suffered between March and November
2000 in the No.1 Shangmeilin Detention Centre in Shenzhen, China.
She declined
to say how much money she was seeking.
A NSW Supreme Court spokeswoman
said the court would discuss on Friday if it had jurisdiction over the matter
or if the allegations would have to be taken to a higher court.
Ms Zhang
said she had returned to China in 1999 to promote the practice of Falun Gong and
said she was detained by authorities four times for her beliefs.
"I
felt that I must speak a word of justice for Falun Gong even though I was aware
that it was extremely dangerous to do so," Ms Zhang said last week in a written
statement to the Canterbury-Bankstown Express.
Yagoona resident Richard
Szabo, a spokesman for Ms Zhang and fellow Falun Gong practitioner, said the former
president had been invited to defend the allegations in court.
Falun Gong
literature shows that Ms Zhang’s case is one of 46 being brought against Jiang
Zemin and his followers by members of the Falun Dafa Association around the world.
Association members claim they were tortured on orders by the former leader.
Mr Szabo said if Friday’s NSW Supreme Court hearing was not acknowledged by
Mr Zemin, Ms Zhang’s case may go to an international court with similar cases
from around the world.
Ms Zhang said the Australian Government had been
instrumental in securing her release in China.
"It was only due to
the intervention of the Australian consulate and with the help of the Australian
Government that I was released," Ms Zhang said.
Ms Zhang said in 2001
she toured 20 countries in Europe and North America to speak to government leaders
and human rights organisations about the persecution and killing of Falun Gong
practitioners in China.
She said she continued to practise her beliefs
in Australia but had suffered bad dreams of being captured and tortured.
Posting
date: 8/Dec/2004
Original article date: 7/Dec/2004
Category: Media Report
