January 24, 2004

It is one thing for the U.S. government to sit by idly as thousands of Chinese are tortured for following the spiritual path of Falun Gong. That's benign neglect and simply repugnant. But it's disgusting when the State Department takes on the responsibility of defending the People's Republic's great torturer and murderer Jiang Zemin in a federal court in Illinois.

Thousands of Chinese have been tortured for practicing Falun Gong. It is impossible to know how many. China, for all its economic inclinations toward capitalism, is a closed society, a dictatorship that routinely tramples basic human rights.

Terri Marsh, an attorney for Falun Gong, filed a lawsuit against Jiang as the persecutor of Falun Gong followers. State Department attorneys argued Jiang was immune to such a lawsuit because he serves as a head of state. A federal judge agreed and dismissed the case.

Tuesday Marsh filed an appeal with the 7th District Court of Appeals in Illinois. She said in part: "To say or speak the words 'Compassion, Tolerance, and Truthfulness' [the fundamental teaching of Falun Gong] is a crime in China, which brings up to 18 years of jail time, murder by torture, and forms of torture, which not even the most evil of minds could conceive. Torture of infants, young mothers, young children, the elderly, the strong and able. No one is excluded."

There is no reason for optimism. It's not likely the appeals court will take the case. U.S. foreign policy takes little note of China's human rights abuses.

The Falun Gong have been persecuted in China since 1999. It was then that the movement had grown to an estimated 100 million Chinese, which was perhaps twice the number of people in the Communist Party. Jiang considered the movement's astonishing growth as a threat. He outlawed anyone who followed it.

The Chinese government contends the Falun Gong is [slanderous words omitted]. It has been banned "to protect the basic human rights and freedom of the Chinese system and to uphold its constitution and laws." It is an absurd accusation.

Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi, appeared on television this week. He said China's leaders "couldn't tolerate so many people practicing Falun Gong. It's a form of jealousy. This jealousy led to the oppression." Li was correct in naming Jiang as "the most evil person in China. The whole world can see his stupidity, his cruelty."

Falun Gong is a spiritual pursuit. It is not a religion or a cult. It offers a spiritual prescription for life and poses no political threat to any government. Its practitioners are apolitical. However, they are also resolute and will continue to suffer incredible torture and abuse in fighting for their rights.

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/opinion/7019.php