Austria: Lawsuit Filed against Chief Perpetrators in the Persecution of Falun Gong

(Clearwisdom.net) The Austrian Falun Dafa Association and the International Society for Human Rights (IGFM) held a joint press conference on December 15, 2006 in Landtmann, a well-known caf¨¦ in Vienna. They announced that a lawsuit has been filed against chief perpetrators who have been directly involved in the persecution of Falun Gong, including Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, Liu Qi and some others. They are suspected of committing crimes of genocide and torture.

On December 14, the IGFM and a number of Falun Gong practitioners who have suffered the persecution imposed upon them by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) filed the lawsuit at the Vienna Prosecutor's Office. The lawsuit follows the visit of former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia and Pacific David Kilgour to Austria, where he made a report on the CCP's harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners. This lawsuit also helps people from Austria to gain a deeper understanding of the CCP's atrocities in the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

President of the IGFM Ms. Katharina Grieb said, "This is the most serious human rights abuse since the Nazis. I'm pleased to participate in the prosecution. It is a very important issue and has a direct impact over the persecution."

Lawyer Mr. Michael Sommer said, "The lawsuit in Austria should not be viewed as an isolated case, but from the scope of the whole world. It is a significant event. It also helps those who have been involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and ordinary Chinese citizens change their minds. When those who have been involved in the persecution leave China to go abroad, they are likely to be faced with lawsuits against them."

One of the plaintiffs, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Alexander Hamrle, said, "As a Westerner, I was beaten (for appealing for Falun Gong) and mentally tormented in China. This incident helps Westerners fundamentally understand the severity of the persecution." Though four years have passed, he can still remember what a Chinese police officer said, "No international laws and conventions can be carried out in China."

Another plaintiff Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Yong said, "My application for passport extension was rejected by the Chinese embassy. We can see that the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong has been systematic and is happening worldwide."

The lawsuit is pending.