The New South Wales High Court held a hearing on April
17, 2007 regarding Falun Gong practitioners Li Fuying and Xie Yan's lawsuit
against Chen Shaoji, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Political and Judiciary,
Deputy Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of Guangdong
Province's Political Consultative Committee. The court listened to the plaintiffs'
statements and evidence proving that the subpoena had been delivered to the defendant.
After the court procedure verified that the defendant did not appear in court
to respond to the charge, the plaintiffs requested to conduct a trial against
the defendant by default. The court approved the plaintiffs' submitted written
statement for this action. After the hearing, the plaintiffs held a press conference
in front of the High Court regarding the case.
Legal counsel of the plaintiffs introduces the development of the lawsuit
One of the plaintiffs, Li Fuying, bitterly cries at the press conference
Mr. John Dale says officials who persecute Falun Gong practitioners
should not be allowed to enter Australia
Legal counsel of the plaintiffs first introduced at the press conference the
cause and development of the lawsuit. She said that in December 2006, Falun
Gong practitioners Li Fuying and Xie Yan filed a lawsuit in the NSW High Court
against Chen Shaoji, head of the Guangdong Provincial 610
Office, and former secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Political and Judiciary
Committee. They accused him of illegal detention, torture and other crimes.
The plaintiffs successfully delivered the subpoena to the defendant who was
leading a Guangdong Province delegation to visit in Sydney. Since Jiang's
group started the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999 to October 2005,
it has been verified that 64 Falun Gong practitioners from Guangdong Province
have died as a result of persecution, ranking No.8 across China. The persecution
methods used to persecute Falun Gong practitioners were cruel and severe.
During that period of time, Chen Shaoji who was secretary of the Guangdong
Provincial Political and Judiciary Committee, head of the provincial public
security department and other titles actively participated in the persecution
campaign. He was directly in charge of the “610 Office,” and ordered or supervised,
controlled, assisted and instigated police officers to intensify the brainwashing,
“reforming” and assaulting
Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners in the Guangdong area were
in a serious persecution environment. Chen Shaoji should bear responsibility
for the crimes committed against Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province.
The counsel said that since the subpoena had been delivered and the defendant
did not respond to the charge in court, she requested on behalf of the two plaintiffs
to conduct a trial against the defendant by default. The court agreed that the
plaintiffs could submit a written statement requesting the default trial.
At the press conference, the two plaintiffs, Li Fuying and Xie Yan, talked
about the brutal persecution that they and their relatives in Guangdong Province
had been subjected to. Li Fuying, who is nearly 80 years old, was illegally
detained twice in Guangzhou City for believing in Falun Gong. Her daughter Yan
Haiyu was sentenced to two years of forced labor for practicing Falun Gong,
and detained in Guangzhou City's Chatou Women's Forced Labor Camp,
where she was subjected to physical and mental torture. She staged a protest
hunger strike and was force-fed numerous times. After Ms. Yan's term was
expired, she was once again forced into Guangzhou City Law School Brainwashing
Center where she suffered from more torture methods and despicable brainwashing
methods. Ms. Yan was extremely traumatized. Ms. Li Fuying could not hold back
her grief and cried several times while recalling the persecution that she and
her daughter had suffered, and the brutal persecution that countless Falun Gong
practitioners in China are still suffering.
The other plaintiff, Xie Yan, said that she was illegally detained for three
months in a forced labor camp for distributing Falun Gong truth clarification
materials. She suffered brutal torture during the detention. She said that they
filed the lawsuit today not only for themselves, but for hundreds of thousands
of Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted.
Xie Yan said, “The law in China is trampled upon, and Falun Gong practitioners,
like us, who are persecuted do not have a place to redress the justice. So in
Australia, a country that is free and respects human rights, we want to use
the law to voice grievances for ourselves and all persecuted Falun Gong practitioners
(in China), and bring Chen Shaoji and other persecutors to justice.”
Coordinator of the NSW Falun Dafa Association John Dellar made a speech at the
press conference. He felt satisfied and grateful to the Australian court for
taking a righteous position on the human rights lawsuit filed by Falun Gong
practitioners. He also said that more and more Australian people have realized
that they cannot sacrifice righteousness and human rights for the sake of trade
with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He thought that the CCP officials like
Chen Shaoji should not be allowed to enter Australia. The crimes committed by
Chen Shaoji and other CCP high officials are not less than the crimes of the
German Nazis during World War II.
Former ballet teacher Ms. Colleen hosted the press conference. Before the conclusion
of the press conference, Ms. Colleen said that the CCP's persecution of
Falun Gong practitioners in still on going in Guangdong Province and other areas
in China. Only in March, Amnesty International released an urgent action notice
for eight Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province who were illegally
sentenced to forced labor, calling upon the international community to help
rescue these Falun Gong practitioners. Colleen hoped more Australian people
will support these human rights lawsuits and be concerned about and help stop
the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Posting date: 23/Apr/2007
Original article date: 22/Apr/2007
Category: Australian News