Friday, December 24, 2004

A federal judge has ruled that a high-ranking Chinese official is liable for crimes of torture and genocide against followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilkin ruled Dec. 8 that Beijing Party Secretary Liu Qi violated U.S., international and Chinese law, based on the application of the standard of command responsibility, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy.

The United States does not have jurisdiction to pursue Liu in domestic court, but the plaintiffs hope to bar Liu from visiting.

The Chinese government has cracked down on the Falun Gong, a movement that emerged in 1992.

Six plaintiffs from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Sweden and the United States filed the federal lawsuit in 2002.

Liu, who was then mayor of Beijing and head of China's Olympic committee, was served with legal papers at San Francisco International Airport the same year while en route to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Both the Chinese government and State Department had submitted statements urging that the case be dismissed.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/12/24/BAGEEAGJC01.DTL