24 HOURS (Canada): Toronto man, others sue China's ex-president

An historic $20-million lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto will attempt to bring powerful Chinese officials to justice over the "systemic genocidal brutalization" of Falun Gong practitioners.

Published on November 16, 2004

24 HOURS (A large daily newspaper circulated across the Greater Toronto Area)

Launched yesterday, this unprecedented lawsuit - the first in Canada - brought against former president Jiang Zemin and four other top Chinese leaders allege they are "primarily and directly responsible for the harm done to the plaintiffs."

Two of the six plaintiffs spoke yesterday along with their lawyer about the mental and physical torture that has scarred them for life.

Lizhi He of Toronto said he "was nearly tortured to death."

"I still fear somebody calling me by my name," said He, who suffers trauma from when prison guards would call for him before electric shocks and beatings. "No one can imagine such a feeling that his own name becomes a humiliation to him."

He said he is still tormented by nightmares of the time he endured 1,290 days in detention. During this time he contracted tuberculosis, and a lack of medical attention has left him with breathing complications.

"The mental harm has been so severe to affect my new life in Canada," said the softspoken He, 40.

Kunlun Zhang, 60, of Ottawa, was a Canadian citizen when he was detained and tortured after returning to China to care for a sick relative.

The lawsuit alleges "the defendants used, or more accurately abused, their positions as top officials of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government, to force the initiation and implementation of this campaign of terror..." and that they used threats, intimidation and rewards to force or compel thousands of governmental members to participate in the campaign.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, Kate Kempton, said justice in Chinese courts is impossible.

"This is their only recourse," she said, adding there are 15 similar cases worldwide going through the courts.

[...] A reported 1,100 practitioners have been killed and thousands have been tortured and detained as a result. There are thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in Canada.