Montréal, Jan.7 -- Québec Superior Court Judge Reynald Fréchette upheld the decision of his colleague, prohibiting a Montréal-based, Chinese-language newspaper, Les Presses Chinoises, from publishing any materials defaming Falun Gong.

The judge mentioned that the fact that Falun Gong is persecuted in China was a factor in his decision, and that the rights of reputation of the Falun Gong practitioners superseded the issue of freedom of the press.

The court order, first ordered by Justice Danielle Grenier Dec.10th, restrains the newspaper and the author, Ms. Bing He, from publishing or distributing any materials attacking Falun Gong, its founder, or its practitioners, which are unreasonable and contrary to Canadian and Quebec law.

Copies of the court order and up-to-date details about the lawsuit can be obtained directly from the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mr. Michael Bergman.

Background information

Falun Gong is a cultivation practice aimed to refine body, mind and spirit through focusing on the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and practicing gentle exercise and meditation.

First awarded and praised in China, Falun Gong became the target of a large-scale persecution campaign after government surveys showed that the number of Falun Gong practitioners exceeded that of Communist Party membership. Since that time, the Chinese President Jiang Zemin launched a worldwide propaganda smear campaign to defame Falun Gong and justify his human rights abuses. Hate materials have been distributed directly to our Canadian government officials, schools, libraries and citizens. In China, over 1600 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death in police custody, according to sources in the Chinese government. 8 deaths have been reported in the last 3 days alone.

In November 2001, articles in the form of 'advertising' severely defaming Falun Gong, its practitioners, and the founder of the practice were published in Les Presses Chinoises. Despite requests for peaceful negotiation and 4 lawyers' letters warning of legal action, Les Presses Chinoises continued to publish articles attacking Falun Gong. Some of this material is identical, word-for-word, to that used by the Chinese government to incite hatred against Falun Gong.

With no other choice, in order to stop the stream of hate-inspiring articles, 126 individual Falun Gong practitioners seeking redress for damages, a retraction of the material and an apology, filed a lawsuit against the author, the newspaper, and the owner of the publication.