Press Conference
Date/Time: 11am, Wednesday 1 February 2006
Venue:
In front of Supreme Court of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney
The
first directions hearing will be held tomorrow in the Supreme Court of NSW for
the lawsuit against Zhang Dejiang, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of
Guangdong Province. Sydney resident and Falun Gong practitioner Ms Xie Yan filed
the case last November for the crime of torture after spending two years in a
Guangdong labour camp because of her spiritual belief.
Zhang Dejiang is
among a group of top government officials in China who has been involved in implementing
and sustaining a campaign of eradication of Falun Gong practitioners in China,
particularly in Guangdong Province. This campaign includes, but is not limited
to, extra-judicial killing, arbitrary detention, forced labor, cruel, inhuman
and degrading treatment, and torture.
Zhang Dejiang was attending the China
Guangdong – Australia Business Conference 2005 (8/11/05) when he was served the
papers. A Criminal Complaint was also made to the Australian Federal Police the
same day.
"Although currently all legal remedies to help bring justice
to victims of the persecution in China have been blocked, Australia has a well-defined
national legislative framework of enforcing Australia’s obligations to the UN
Convention Against Torture through the Crimes (Torture) Act 1988. Such legal actions
are a peaceful means to bring an end to the persecution in China and bring justice
to the victims and their families." Said Kay Rubacek, Falun Gong spokesperson.
In
a similar action taken in the U.S. in 2002, former Mayor of Beijing, Liu Qi, was
sued for genocide and crimes against humanity in relation to the persecution of
Falun Gong in China. Although he fled the country after the Court Summons, a default
verdict found him guilty.
Posting Date: 31/Jan/06
Original Article
Date: 31/Jan/06
Category: Media Release
