Press Release: Falun Gong Practitioners File Defamation Lawsuit Against Chinese Newspapers in New York City

NEW YORK, May 23, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Centre) - Residents of New York City, together with the non-profit organization Friends of Falun Gong, have filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court seeking an end to the hate and slander put forth by the New York-area Chinese language newspapers, China Press and Sing Tao Daily.

Several of the plaintiffs, numbering 72 in all, held a press conference outside the China Press offices in midtown Manhattan. Former city councilman Sheldon Leffler, attorney for the case, was present to provide details about the suit.

“Over the past year, a string of defamatory articles published by these newspapers have taken lies, defamatory statements and slanderous labels, and weaved them into articles that incite hatred and distrust for practitioners of Falun Gong among the people of New York City,” said Queens resident Janet Xiong, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “The harm that results from these articles is real, and the damage they have caused has touched numerous facets of our lives.”

One such example occurred last week during World Falun Dafa day celebrations; Over 200 people were celebrating with a colourful parade through lower Manhattan – complete with balloons, traditional Chinese dance and music. However, as the parade made its way through Chinatown, it was confronted by an angry mob that shouted defamatory slogans that drew directly from the content of the articles published by China Press and Sing Tao Daily. The mob’s shouts and gestures were hostile enough to alarm the police squad that was escorting the parade, and the parade was diverted from its planned route. Still, the mob pursued and continued to yell and curse as practitioners quietly practiced the exercises and meditation in a nearby park, protected by a wall of police officers.

The State Supreme Court in New York has issued an “order to show cause,” giving the China Press and Sing Tao Daily a court date of June 6th. Failing that, an injunction order will be issued.

This lawsuit comes on the heels of a class-action suit served in Honolulu last week against one of Beijing’s top Politburo members, Ding Guangen, for his role in the human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners in China.