By European Falun Gong Practitioners
(Clearwisdom.net) At 3 pm on April 7, 2004, renowned Chinese Australian
artist and Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Cuiying filed a Petition
to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights via human rights attorney
Mr. Christ Nyst. The Petition is against Jiang Zemin who initiated the
persecution of Falun Gong in China. Australian Nyst Attorney Firm accepted
and processed the petition. This is the first case of a suit filed by
an individual to United Nations on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners
in China.
Group photo of Australian Senior human rights attorney Mr.
Christ Nyst and plaintiff Ms. Zhang Cuiying
Ms. Zhang Cuiying was imprisoned for eight months in 2000 by Jiang’s
regime for petitioning to Chinese government to stop persecution of Falun
Gong. In prison she was tortured and abused. Later she was released with
the help of the Australian government and international media. The petition
describes in detail her arrest, torture and deprivation of right to contact
Australian Consulate during her imprisonment. The petition states that
the persecution that Ms. Zhang Cuiying suffered violated the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, and United Nations Convention Against Torture.
On April 8, 2004, Ms. Zhang Cuiying and her attorney Mr. Nyst announed the
petition in a press conference in Geneva.
In answering the question why she wants to file a Petition against Jiang
Zemin to United Nations, Ms. Zhang Cuiying said, “My goal is to bring Jiang
Zemin, the main culprit of the brutal persecution of hundreds of thousands of
Falun Gong practitioners in China, to justice and end the catastrophe against
humanity. The persecution is based on lies. The United Nations is a world
organization to protect human rights and maintain peace. China is a member of
the Untied Nations. Jiang’s atrocities violate the United Nations charter.
Therefore I want to file the petition to United Nations and let people
throughout the world try him.”
Ms. Zhang Cuiying said that the petition to United Nations would not affect
China’s image, “We meet many officials from every country in Geneva. They
put forward protest on China’s human rights. If China can improve its human
rights this time, all governments in the world will respect Chinese people and
government.”
Mr. Nyst said that current international community can not accept the
appalling human rights violations in China. From many aspects China is
a new region full of opportunities to business trade of western countries.
However, it must not be a barrier to ignore the human rights issue in
China and block condemnation of human rights trampling in China.
Mr. Nyst hoped that United Nations could make a judgement on Chinese
government’s persecution via investigation, which may also act to stop the
persecution. He hoped that United Nations could explain to Chinese government
that China’s human rights situation had not met the necessary standard,
especially with respect to the persecution of Falun Gong.
When a reporter asked him if the petition would be successful, he said that
he would come back again and again until he wins the case.
United Nations Commission on Human Rights has accepted the petition and
sent copies to Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Special Rapporteur
of the Commission on Human Rights for torture, Special Rapporteur on the
promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,
Special Rapporteur on freedom of belief. The working group and special
rapporteurs normal procedure will likely lead them to verify the facts
of the Chinese government’s persecution of Falun Gong described in the
petition, determine the persons responsible and offer a written reply
to the petitioner.
Since Jiang’s group started persecuting Falun Gong in July 1999, 939
deaths of Falun Gong practitioners due to police torture have been documented
via non-governmental channels. Amnesty International and Human Rights
Watch and other third parties verified the information. However, internal
sources from China indicate that the number of deaths is much more. Hundreds
of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are detained, sent to forced
labor camp, tortured and living under immense pressure. As the initiator
and main persecutor of the persecution, Jiang Zemin has been sued in Chicago,
Spain, Taiwan, Germany, Korea, and Belgium for his crimes of genocide,
torture and crime against humanity.
Posting date: 14/April/2004
Original article date: 13/April/2004
Category: Australian News
