On Monday 18 July 2005, a Directions Hearing will be held in the Supreme Court
of the ACT. The case will be heard in court from 9am and a press conference will
be held outside the court immediately after the hearing. The plaintiffs and lawyer
for the plaintiffs will be available for interview.
The action is seeking an
injunction to restrain the Foreign Minister from relying upon certificates he
issued pursuant to the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunity Regulations 1992 that
prevent the display of banners and the use of amplified music outside the Chinese
Embassy in Canberra.
After three years of prevention of signage and freedom
of expression outside the Chinese Embassy by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer,
Falun Gong practitioners filed the legal proceedings on the 9 June 2005.
“This
is a moral issue. China’s communist regime has not lessened the torture, killing
and illegal detention of Falun Gong practitioners of all ages since it began in
July 1999. The closed-door bilateral human rights talks between Australia and
China have not shown any progress towards ending the persecution. It should be
the ‘dignity’ of Australian citizens being protected by our Foreign Minister,
not the world’s largest communist regime.” Said Kay Rubacek, Falun Gong spokesperson.
Press
Conference:
Immediately after Hearing, Supreme Court of the ACT
Public
Event: Rally & Anti-Torture Exhibition, 12:30pm Garema Place, Canberra
Background
Information:
The 20th of July 2005 marks the 6th year since the persecution
began against Falun Gong in China. Despite countless reports of heinous crimes
while tens of millions of innocent and peaceful Falun Gong practitioners are being
persecuted, the Chinese Communist party (CCP) continues to deny any use of violence.
Accurate reporting on Falun Gong:
Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa)
is a spiritual practice. It is composed of five sets of exercises and the belief
in the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. It is
inaccurate to describe Falun Gong as a sect or a cult. The Chinese Communist regime
takes such statements from the Western Media and use them to support their propaganda
drive which leads to the torture and deaths of more peaceful Falun Gong Practitioners
in China and continued harassment of Australian Falun Gong practitioners.
