Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia): Torture case to 'test courts'

March 1, 2005 Tuesday

A SYDNEY woman allegedly imprisoned and tortured for eight months in China would be a test case for the Australian court system, the president of a Falun Gong group said yesterday.

Bankstown artist Zhang Cuiying, 42, yesterday launched civil action in the Supreme Court against the former Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, and his 610 Office -- or Chinese Falun Gong control office -- alleging they were responsible for her torture at a Chinese detention centre.

Falun Dafa Association president John Deller said the case was the first of its type in Australia and was an important step towards convicting the former Chinese president.