On November 10, 2005, Hu Jintao arrived in Berlin and started a 4-day visit. At around 3:30 pm, German president Horst Koehler met Hu and his delegation at Schloss Charlottenburg. Before the meeting, President Koehler got out of his vehicle and talked with groups that were holding appeals outside the building. Taking this opportunity, a German practitioner asked the president to tell Hu: "Falun Dafa is good!"

As Hu Jintao arrives in Berlin, practitioners call for end of the persecution

On November 10, the Schloss Charlottenburg was heavily guarded because of Hu's visit. There were three groups in front of the Schloss Charlottenburg, with practitioners from all over the world at one side, the Chinese student group at the other side and Amnesty International in the middle. The Chinese student group was organized by the Chinese Embassy to welcome Hu. The police used several vehicles to separate the welcome group from the other two.

At around 3 p.m., German president Horst Koehler arrived first, and he talked with members of Amnesty International about human rights issues in China. He then came to the practitioners' group, greeted the practitioners and asked them what their wish was.

Practitioner Christina asked the president to tell Hu: "Falun Dafa is Good."

Practitioner Christina, a resident of Hanoverian, took a day off to participate in the event in Berlin. She got the opportunity to talk with Mr. Koehler. When the president asked her about her wish, she said: "Please tell president Hu Jintao that Falun Dafa Hao! [Falun Dafa is Good]" She then told Koehler the meaning of this Chinese sentence. Mr. President then repeated this sentence in Chinese as best he could, and promised that he would support human rights. Christina then asked him to help end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Berlin practitioner Zhihong Zhen told Mr. Koehler: "We came here to let the heartfelt wish of all Chinese people be heard: Stop the persecution of Falun Gong." The president was touched by her words and shook hands with her. Ms. Zhen then added: "I think that president Hu Jintao doesn't want to persecute Falun Gong, and the chief perpetrator of the persecution is former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, who spearheaded the persecution and is responsible for so many tragedies. We hope that Hu can stop the persecution."

After talking with the practitioners, he waved good-bye.

On November 8, 2005, Zhang Dejiang, member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Politburo and Secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province, was served with a summons from the Supreme Court of New South Wales for the crime of torture against a Sydney resident, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Xie Yan. He received the court summons as he led a delegation to attend the China Guangdong-Australia Business Conference 2005 at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. The news that Zhang Dejiang was sued and messages from the "Great Wall of Courage" formed by Falun Gong practitioners outside the Hilton Hotel caused a ripple among conference delegates from both inside and outside of China. At the noon break, many delegates carefully read the contents of the banners while leaving or entering the Hilton Hotel. Quite a few people stood at the gate discussing amongst each other while looking at the banners.

Falun Gong practitioners hold press conference in front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Sydney

Falun Gong practitioners form a "Great Wall of Courage" in Front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Sydney

Falun Gong practitioner Xie Yan, who sued Zhang Dejiang in court, holds a photocopy of the letter of complaint

Australian Federal police accept list of officials who participated in the persecution

At around 11:00 a.m. on November 8, 2005, Xie Yan, together with NSW Falun Dafa Association representative Kay Rubacek and John Deller, went to the Federal Police Department to deliver a letter of complaint. They introduced the contents of the complaint to a representative from the Federal Police Department. The complaint was against Zhang Dejiang, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Committee of Guangdong Province, Wang Huayuan, Deputy Secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province, and Lu Xiao, Deputy Head of the 610 Office of Guangdong Province, all of whom have committed crimes of torture and crimes against humanity for actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong. The complaint requested the federal police to investigate the crimes committed by these CCP officials, arrest and detain them and file a criminal lawsuit against them. Police officer Ms. Thaiter accepted the complaint document on behalf of the federal police, and expressed that she would immediately deliver the document to related departments for handling and investigation. She said they would inform Xie Yan as soon as possible of the result of the investigation and of the decision they made.

One of the officials listed in the letter of complaint, Wang Huayuan, is currently deputy secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province, secretary of the Discipline and Inspection Commission, and in charge of the Political and Judiciary system. In 2001, after the CCP authorities staged the self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Wang Huayuan, who was secretary of the Provincial Discipline and Inspection Commission, immediately summoned Guangdong Province's Discipline and Inspection commission to hold a session to "expose and criticize Falun Gong." He made a speech to attack Falun Gong during the session. As revealed by Falun Gong practitioners who have personally suffered persecution, Wang Huayuan once came to Sanshui Forced Labor Camp when he was deputy head of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province and secretary of the Guangdong Province Discipline and Inspection Commission, to direct and oversee the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Moreover, Wang Huayuan also went to the province's No. 2 Rehab Center, the Women's Forced Labor Camp, to inspect and organize the persecution. The third official listed in the letter of complaint, Lu Xiao, is deputy head of the 610 Office of Guangdong Province. She was once head of the "Leadership Group for Handling Falun Gong Issues" of the CCP Committee in Maoming City.

A spokesperson from the "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (WOIPFG) said that WOIPFG has recently implemented the Global Monitoring and Tracking System. New cases of severe persecution are documented and filed, ensuring that when the responsible persons leave China, appropriate legal action can be taken against them. The legal action against Zhang Dejiang and others has been assisted by WOIPFG.

Secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province is sued in the NSW Supreme Court for the crime of torture in relation to active participation in the persecution of Falun Gong

On November 8, 2005, Sydney Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference and formed a "Great Wall of Courage" in front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Sydney to introduce the facts about Falun Gong to delegates attending the conference. They also announced to the media the lawsuit against Zhang Dejiang, secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province, who has been charged with the crime of torture, filed with the NSW Supreme Court by Australian Falun Gong practitioner Xie Yan on November 7. The lawsuit concerns Ms. Xie's experience of being persecuted in China, including physical injury and illegal incarceration. The court has accepted the lawsuit and issued a summons, which was formally delivered to Zhang Dejiang himself as he was attending the China Guangdong-Australian Business Conference 2005 held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. According to the Australian Judicial Act, Zhang Dejiang must respond to the court within 28 days from the day that the summons was delivered to him, otherwise the court will issue a default verdict against him.

Ms. Zhao, who helped Xie Yan successfully deliver the summons, said that the guards at the conference were on strict alert as if they were expecting an enemy attack. But when the conference was about to conclude at noon, she broke through layers of guards and media reporters, and handed the complaint letter to Zhang Dejiang in person. The CCP's ambassador in Australia, Fu Ying, standing nearby quickly shouted, "Don't accept it!" and struck the letter out of Zhang's hand. The letter fell on the table in front of Zhang. She then called security, and the situation became chaotic. The whole audience witnessed the scene, and many reporters took pictures of it.

At the press conference, plaintiff Xie Yan recounted her experience of torture and persecution. She was sentenced to two years and three months of forced labor for distributing Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials to passersby on a Guangdong street. While being incarcerated in a forced labor camp, Ms. Xie suffered tremendously, both physically and mentally. She was once force-fed and hung up by the handcuffs. At one time, she was hung up for five days and nights, and she was also forced to read and watch materials and videos that slander Falun Gong, in an attempt to force her to renounce Falun Gong. Fortunately, with the help of her fiancé who is an Australian citizen, and of kind-hearted people overseas, Ms. Xie was rescued to Australia. However, in China, tens of thousands of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners do not have a place to appeal, so this time, through suing Zhang Dejiang in the Australian court, she hoped that justice will be upheld in this free land.

Zhang Dejiang, as a member of the CCP Politburo, during his term as secretary of the CCP Committee of Guangdong Province, actively implemented the CCP's policy to persecute Falun Gong. After he took office, 33 Falun Gong practitioners in the Guangdong area died as a result of persecution. He should take full responsibility for the severe persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in the Guangdong area. The governor of Guangdong Province, Huang Huahua, was also sued when he visited the U.S. and Canada this year, for the crime of torture in relation to his active participation in the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong spokesperson Kay Rubacek and Sydney Falun Dafa Association representative John Deller said at the press conference that on October 9, 2005, the Falun Dafa Association published an announcement stating, "From today on, overseas Falun Gong practitioners will file civil or criminal lawsuits against all important government or CCP officials who participate in or continue to implement the persecution of Falun Gong and as a result, commit new crimes in addition to those they have already perpetrated against Falun Gong."

Zhang Dejiang is the third CCP official sued for participating in the persecution of Falun Gong since the Falun Dafa Association published the announcement. Falun Gong practitioners sternly warn those CCP officials who continue persecuting Falun Gong: Once they land on Australian soil, they will be subjected to possible lawsuits against them at any time. Some staff members who had persecuted Falun Gong in the past expressed a willingness to change their behavior and correct their mistakes. These people are advised to send their guarantee statement or regret letter through safe channels to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website or to any regional Falun Dafa Association to be archived. The Falun Dafa Association will not investigate the various crimes of those who are determined to correct their mistakes. However they will continue to monitor their actions.

Guangdong Province is among the provinces that severely persecute Falun Gong

According to WOIPFG's investigation, Guangdong Province is one of the provinces where Falun Gong is severely persecuted in China. As of October 2005, the number of Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province who are verified to have died as a result of persecution was 64, ranked eighth in the country. The methods used to torture Falun Gong practitioners are horrific and brutal.

In addition, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center, Australian citizen Richard Chen's sister-in-law Liang Zihui from Guangdong Province suffered severe persecution. Before practicing Falun Gong, she suffered from meningitis, external injury to her head and severe depression. After practicing Falun Gong, she became healthy both physically and mentally. Her husband Chen Ruichang was the deputy editor-in-chief of the Guangdong Television Station. The couple was illegally arrested and sentenced to forced labor numerous times by the police department and the 610 Office for practicing Falun Gong. In January 2005, Liang Zihui was arrested once again for distributing truth clarification materials. As she resisted the arrest, three to four guards held her on the ground and brutally beat her to the point where her whole body was black and blue. She was then detained at the Tianhe Detention Center. On June 8, 2005, the Guangzhou City Tianhe District Court charged Liang Zihui with "using [slanderous term omitted] to disrupt legal implementation." Ms. Liang refused to plead guilty and protested the persecution against her. On September 15, 2005, she was illegally sentenced to two years in prison.

Australian citizen Lisa's younger sister, 37-year-old Tang Yiwen, who lives in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province in China, was released in October 2003 with the help of the Australian Government and the international community after being tortured for two years in the Chatou Women's Forced Labor Camp of Guangzhou. Even though her legs had been beaten until they were disabled, she was once again arrested by Guangzhou City's Zhuhai Police Station when she applied for a passport to come to Australia to visit her relatives on February 23, 2004. Ms. Tang was then sent to Chatou Brainwashing Center of Baiyuan District, Guangzhou City. After learning about this news, Australia Falun Gong practitioners, together with Tang Yiwen's sister Lisa, held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney. Tang Yiwen started a hunger strike the day she was arrested to protest the persecution against her, and by the 17^th day of her hunger strike, she was at the brink of death. The Guangzhou City 610 Office, being afraid of pressure from both inside and outside China, and afraid of taking responsibility for the consequences of her death, informed Ms. Tang's family to take her back home. Though they verbally promised to release Tang Yiwen, they sent four or five people to follow her home. Tang Yiwen had to live a homeless life in order to avoid harassment and re-arrest. She is still homeless, and her life is in great danger.

On the morning of October 21, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference together with the famous Belgian human rights lawyer, George Henri Beauthier, at the Supreme Court of Belgium. Mr. Beauthier gave a status report on the Falun Gong practitioners' lawsuit against the 610 Office on charges of telephone harassment. Mr. Fenjun Hao, the former 610 officer who has defected from the CCP, attended the conference and gave supporting evidence about the existence of the "610 Office" as well as its persecution of Falun Gong.

Press conference

Mr. Fengjun Hao gives accounts about the 610 Office's crimes

The lawsuit was submitted to the Supreme Court at the Belgian capital Brussels on July 19th, on the sixth anniversary of the CCP's persecution. Representing two Falun Gong plaintiffs, Mr. Beauthier filed a lawsuit against the CCP's "610 Office" and its key personnel on grounds of harassment. Those indicted included Luo Gan, the Secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the CCP Central Committee, Zhou Yongkang, the Minister of Public Security, Liu Jing, the Deputy Minister of Public Security, and Xu Yongyue, the Minister of National Security. Another similar lawsuit was filed in France earlier. The Belgian court has officially accepted this lawsuit.

The lawyer said, "We have evidence to show that these telephone calls originated from China, more specifically from the Chinese authorities. The judge in charge of this case has promised to do his best to find out the sources of these harassing phone calls. The first steps are difficult, as the Chinese authorities will not cooperate. The Judge will ask the Chinese authorities to provide more detailed information. We will bring these harassers to justice."

The lawyer went on to say that Falun Gong practitioners are protected in Belgium. Everything the Falun Gong practitioners do is legal, from their continuing peaceful appeals to call for a stop to the persecution in China to their constant lawsuits against the persecutors. They aim simply to stop the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in and out of China as soon as possible. It is the persecutors in China who have violated the law.

Mr. Hao gave the press an overview of the basic operation of the "610 Office". He pointed out that the "610 Office" is a Gestapo-like organization specifically set up to persecute Falun Gong and other dissidents, which supersedes the Constitution and the law. Mr. Hao commented, "First, I wanted to provide evidence that such a "610 Office" actually exists in Mainland China. Secondly, I want this persecution to end as soon as possible, which was the reason why I came here."

At 9:00 am of November 10, Macao practitioners read the Falun Dafa Association Announcement in front of the Chinese Liaison Office to urge Chinese officials to abandon the persecution and choose to be good.

Macao practitioners read the Falun Dafa Association announcement outside the Chinese Liaison Office

The announcement was issued on October 9. It stated: Since 1999 when the dictator Jiang Zemin initiated the bloody persecution of Falun Gong in China, the CCP has relied upon state power and an array of CCP terrorist mechanisms under its control to suppress innocent Falun Gong practitioners to the greatest extent possible. Under Jiang and the CCP's menace, many province- and city-level officials have acted as ringleaders or collaborators in the torture and killing of Falun Gong practitioners. Using their official positions, they have participated in this persecution to varying degrees, not only as initiators, co-conspirators and ringleaders, but also as aiders, abettors, and other types of accomplices.

The announcement stressed: Ever since the publication of The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, Chinese people have more clearly recognized the nature of the CCP and the evil nature of the persecution. ... At this critical historical moment, the Falun Dafa Association has made a special announcement: From today on, overseas Falun Gong practitioners will file civil or criminal lawsuits against all important government or CCP officials who participate in or continue to implement the persecution of Falun Gong and as a result, commit new crimes in addition to those they have already perpetrated against Falun Gong.

Macao practitioners urge individuals who have taken part in the persecution to abandon the evil path and correct their wrongdoing to secure a good future for themselves.