These eight Falun Gong practitioners are victims of persecution by the Jiang regime. In October 2002, four of them formed part of a peaceful demonstration on Tiananmen Square. They were arrested, ill-treated and sent back to their country without being allowed to contact their embassy. The remaining four, who went to Hong Kong following mass arrests in Changchun (China) in March 2002, also suffered from ill treatment, arrest and judgement, and were sentenced to a fine for so-called “obstruction of public order”. It was evident that Hong Kong was under pressure from Beijing to condemn Swiss nationals, solely due to their adherence to Falun Gong. Knowing that they were innocent and that the verdict was unjust, they decided to file a complaint for this grossly unfair eight week trial that led to a great deal of expense and sacrifice on their part, as they had to leave behind their children and work to remain in Hong Kong for the duration of the trial.
This complaint comes as a result of Jiang Zemin’s policy, to “defame the reputation of Falun Gong practitioners, ruin them financially and destroy them physically”. Following their heart and in defence of human rights, they went to appeal and found themselves being treated like criminals. They could thus observe directly what happens to Falun Gong practitioners in China who, since 1999, have been tortured.
Is it a crime to want to nurture one’s heart and life according to the principles of Truth, Benevolence and Tolerance? To denounce this flagrant injustice and to alert the world to this brutal repression that has claimed thousands of victims, the eight aforementioned practitioners shared with journalists their decision to bring Jiang Zemin to justice on the accounts of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. They expressed their will and determination to use all available means to expose Jiang Zemin’s crimes.
The practitioners made it clear that they harbour no hatred towards the Chinese government, which is not being targeted by these charges, but they wish for those responsible to be brought to justice and convicted. Mrs Dai Zhizhen, one of the victims and plaintiffs, has also been able to witness to the horror of this persecution that has destroyed entire families. A participating NGO representative of an organisation against religious intolerance insisted on praising Ms. Dai for her courage, and for having spoken out on behalf of all mothers and children who are still suffering from cruel persecution.
At the second press conference on the 4th of September at the United Nations, journalists of large international press agencies, as well as the Swiss news agency, asked many questions of practitioners and appeared extremely interested, wanting to learn more about the lawsuits being filed worldwide. Once again the Swiss victims were able to voice their determination and their will to file a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the instigator of the persecution and the “610 Office”. During a long question-and-answer session, the victims present were able to clarify the facts regarding the persecution in China and the suffering resulting from it. Mrs. Dai’s testimony touched many people in the audience, including members of the security team who confessed to having been very moved by her story. They also shared their admiration for practitioners of Falun Gong, who for four years have been continuously denouncing this persecution, by wishing the victims good luck and encouraging them to continue their fight against injustice.
Translated from Chinese at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200309/24152.html
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