(Clearwisdom.net) On May 21, the "Van Tour to Support the Lawsuit Against Jiang Zemin" that set off from California traveled through Wisconsin, stopping at the state capital of Madison and Milwaukee. The practitioners exposed the different kinds of torture that Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to in China's labor camps and jails. They also demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. The van tour reached their destination in Chicago in the evening of May 21.
  Clarifying the truth to passersby |
In front of the State Capitol in Madison, we happened to encounter an annual event, where the city government gives away tulip flowers to its citizens. Several hundred citizens who came to get tulip flowers watched the torture exhibit and the Falun Gong exercise demonstration. Some people who did not accept our literature at the beginning took the initiative to ask for the materials after watching the demonstration.
One resident said after accepting the materials that it was very important to have more people be aware of the persecution happening in China. He suggested that we contact the media to let more people know about the persecution.
NBC TV reports on the van tour's visit to New Mexico
When the van tour passed by New Mexico on May 16, the practitioners stopped at the Albuquerque City Hall Plaza. They demonstrated the graceful Falun Gong exercises and simulated the torture that the practitioners in China are being subjected to. TV stations including NBC and CBS came to cover the event.
NBC said in its broadcast that Falun Gong staged an appeal in the city of Albuquerque. Falun Gong is a meditative practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. In 1999, Falun Gong was banned in China. Now, people who firmly believe in Falun Gong are demonstrating to the American public the tortures used by the Chinese government. Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against former Chinese President, charging him with torture, and a hearing will be held in a week in Chicago.
Van tour members request to put Jiang on trial on charges of torture
The Lincoln Journal Star, a newspaper in Nebraska, also reported on the van tour. The report said the practitioners were staging a protest to bring former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin to justice on charges of torture and genocide. The group is touring the country to raise awareness of the torture methods that have been used by Jiang and his followers against the practitioners. The report said that the group showed three types of torture the Chinese government has used on Falun Gong practitioners. The report added, " 'Former President Jiang Zemin is facing 16 lawsuits filed in several countries by Falun Gong,' the protesters said. At least one of the suits alleging torture, genocide and crimes against humanity was dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge, who cited Jiang's diplomatic immunity. That case has been appealed. A hearing has been scheduled for May 27 in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Falun Gong practitioners plan to gather there before the hearing begins."
Converging with other tour teams in Chicago and supporting bringing Jiang to justice together
The California van tour team converged with other tour teams from Houston, New York and other cities in Chicago. The theme of this national tour was to support bringing Jiang to justice. The tour teams will participate in other activities in Chicago with practitioners from all over the world.
Six young practitioners from the east coast set off on their bike tour on May 13 from Washington DC to Chicago. The length of their trip was about 700 miles.
The chief perpetrator Jiang Zemin and his key followers who participated in the persecution of Falun Gong are being sued in the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Korea and Spain on charges of "genocide, tortures and crimes against humanity". Oral arguments for the lawsuit against Jiang will be heard on May 27 in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court.
Category: Rallies & Protests
