(Clearwisdom.net) Recently the National Court of Spain indicted five high-ranking Chinese officials for crimes of genocide and torture. Lin Chia-Fan, Director of Taiwan Association for Human Rights, praised the justice and conscience of the Court.
Lin is also a professor of the Department of Civil Education and Leadership of the National Taiwan Normal University. He believes this unprecedented indictment serves as a reminder to the rest of the world not to ignore human rights problems in China, especially when economic profits are involved.
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The International Community Should Uphold the Values of Human Rights
Because of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, Lin believes the prosecution of the Spanish Court is legitimate. "If the defendants failed to respond to the subpoena, warrants for their arrest can be issued. If the defendants could not be arrested, the Court can promulgate an order for their arrests. This way when the five defendants appear in any country that has an extradition treaty with Spain, they can be arrested as active criminals and be tried in that country. This is what we call universal jurisdiction," said Lin.
Lin believes the indictment will bring pressure to the Chinese regime and make it clear to those who participate in the persecution of Falun Gong that their actions are not acceptable to the international community. As long as China wants to be accepted as a member of the international community, it must understand some basic rules, especially when it comes to human rights, said Lin.
Time Limits for Prosecution and Exemption Do Not Apply to the Crime of Genocide
On the issue of human rights, the international community has been using "not having jurisdiction" as an excuse to avoid taking actions. However, the UN General Assembly resolution 217A (III) adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. At the time, the General Assembly resolution 260 A (III) of December 9, 1948 adopted Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Lin is pleased to see trials on genocide cases in Rwanda, Darfur, and Bosnia. He said, "Human rights is an idea that surpasses race and borders. Genocide is a hideous crime that cannot be exempted for any reason."
Lin gave the example of the recent trial on an 89-year-old Nazi member and reminded people that genocide is a crime that will never be forgotten. "This gives dictators in the world a powerful warning that they cannot do whatever they want because they are bound to pay for it, as seen from history."
Many people enjoy living in systems that acknowledge human rights, but never realize the importance of human rights. This is going to change starting with the trials of the German Nazi member and the masterminds of many genocide cases. "I expect to see respect for human rights and valuing of human life worldwide soon."
