(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced on November 30, 2022, that its former leader Jiang Zemin had died that day. According to modern criminal laws, usually a deceased person can no longer be held criminally responsible.
However, posthumous trials (held after the defendant’s death), although rare, do have precedents in both ancient and modern times.
Joan of Arc (1412-1431), a patron saint of France, was convicted of being a heretic and executed. A formal appeal was filed decades later, and her conviction was overturned in 1456. Manente degli Uberti (1212-1264), an Italian aristocrat and military leader, was exhumed and tried for heresy in 1283. He was found guilty and his remains were subjected to posthumous execution. Henry Plummer (1832-1864), an outlaw in the American West who was accused of killing several people, was tried posthumously (which was later declared a mistrial) in 1993. Sergei Magnitsky (1972-2009), a tax advisor and lawyer in Russia, was convicted of tax evasion in 2013, a few years after he died in prison in 2009. His wrongful conviction sparked condemnation by the international community. The United States Congress in late 2012 enacted the Magnitsky Act aimed to punish Russian officials responsible for his death. The Act was later expanded to target human rights offenders in general. Several other countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and European Union have followed suit in passing similar laws.
The above examples indicate that a defendant’s death does not necessarily end their prosecution. It is entirely possible to convict the wrongdoer or overturn a wrongful conviction posthumously.
Besides the punishment meted out by the court of law, other forms of posthumous punishment against the wrongdoer have also existed. For instance, Qin Hui, Chancellor of the Song Dynasty, was one of the most notorious imperial officials in ancient China. After he died in 1155, Qin was given two derogatory posthumous titles, one being miu chou (treacherous, from Emperor Ningzong in 1206) and another one miu hen (vicious and brutal, from emperor Lizong in 1254). In The History of the Song Dynasty, he was included in the “Traitor Biographies.”
Given the above, I believe that a fair and just assessment of the crimes committed by Jiang, who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999 and led the nation by corruption, is warranted to cement him as one of the most corrupt, promiscuous, and evil leaders in history.
Minghui has published numerous articles on Jiang recently, including “Jiang Zemin Is Responsible for China’s Widespread Moral Corruption”, “Jiang Zemin's Legacy to China: Incalculable Destruction”, and “Jiang Zemin's Report Card Is All F's.”
I’d like to share my thoughts on why we must still hold Jiang responsible after his death in this three-part series.
(Continued from Part 2)
Falun Gong practitioners and their families have suffered tremendously during the past 23 years of the persecution. But those bearing the largest losses – both legally and morally – are probably the CCP officials, police officers, judges, prosecutors, and many others who were manipulated by the CCP to take part in the persecution. As a result of deceit, coercion, and enticement by the regime, these individuals acted against their consciences and sold their souls to the vicious CCP. They will eventually face legal consequences and moral condemnation.
Falun Gong practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be better citizens and they do not have enemies. Over the years, they have done their best to explain to people, including their perpetrators, what Falun Gong is, why the persecution is groundless, and why they should stop persecuting innocent practitioners.
Bringing Jiang to justice would give the perpetrators another chance to review and repent for what they have done wrong. As long as they are alive, it is a sign that the divine is giving them opportunities to repent. Those who will be in charge of prosecuting Jiang and ending the persecution and the CCP will also be allowed to repent if they are still alive.
Repentance by those participating in the suppression
The Chinese saying that “good is rewarded with good and evil meets evil” is consistent with the universal values of cause and effect relation. Therefore, anyone involved in the persecution will sooner or later pay for their karmic debts. As the persecution targets innocent Falun Gong practitioners simply for upholding their faith and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the consequences for the perpetrators can be grave. Were they to miss the opportunities to repent while alive, the sin and the dire consequence is beyond imagination.
Because of this, it is better for those perpetrators to grab the chance of repenting while they are still alive. It is important to point out this is repentance out of one’s conscience to the divine. This is thus very serious and one needs to do it from his or her heart. If one is really sincere, he or she could list details of the wrongdoing committed against practitioners, and provide information of other perpetrators involved. They can also detail what led them to go against their conscience to persecute practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners are innocent and good citizens, and the practice improves mind and body without any harm. What made these perpetrators hostile to Falun Gong and its practitioners? By examining their thought process in detail, the perpetrators may be able to realize how vicious Jiang and the CCP have been that led them astray. It would help the public, including the perpetrators themselves, realize how sinful this persecution is – illegal, immoral, and should never happen again.
An opportunity for the post-Jiang CCP leaders
The procedure of bringing Jiang to justice is also a warning and a chance for the CCP top leaders after Jiang, who have yet to announce an end to the persecution against Falun Gong.
Because the suppression is against universal values and was initiated by Jiang and the CCP, any leaders after Jiang would be found guilty of malfeasance, or even being accused of being accomplices of Jiang since they represented the CCP. Moreover, Jiang’s regime fabricated countless lies to defame Falun Gong, undermine traditional values, and cover up facts, making people unable to tell right from wrong. This hate propaganda still continued after Jiang’s era and the successors of Jiang are also responsible for not making the corrections.
Moreover, Chinese culture focuses on the harmony of heaven, earth, and mankind. While dynasties or ruling parties come and go, the fundamental moral values concerning good or evil remain unchanged. Anyone or any groups endangering the moral foundations is committing the most serious sins.
In Chinese culture, there was a saying that no one can defy heaven’s will. The CCP is doomed according to heaven’s will. If some CCP leader really wants to disintegrate the CCP, things might not be as daunting as they thought. Suppose a post-Jiang CCP leader is not interested in communism per se and does not want to become the scapegoat of Jiang’s crimes, why doesn’t he take action to stop the persecution? With appropriate actions, he could avoid the fate of sinking with the CCP.
In fact, all CCP leaders after Jiang should have long severed ties with Jiang before his death. Now that Jiang has died, many missed opportunities have become history. The only thing left is bringing Jiang to justice and taking the long overdue actions mentioned in Part 2 of this series. Only then are they responsible for themselves, the Chinese nation, and future generations.
As a Falun Gong practitioner living in China who has been through 23 years of suppression, I have some suggestions for Chinese leaders to move forward in this direction.
First, the persecution of Falun Gong continued after Jiang stepped down as the president of China in 2003, which means that all post-Jiang CCP leaders had been on board with his persecution policy. As such, it is important that they solemnly declare to sever ties with Jiang and his suppression of Falun Gong.
Second, based on traditional Chinese culture, we could redefine the Chinese government as one whose mission is to carry out heaven’s will. In other words, traditional Chinese culture should feature prominently in the rule of China, and the CCP’s atheism and materialism should be totally discarded.
Third, China’s top leader has the responsibility of guiding people to cherish humanity and virtue. In addition to reflecting upon themselves and repenting their mistakes, such leader(s) should also perform an impartial review of Jiang so as to educate the public of his crimes.
Fourth, a special agency or task force is needed to investigate what Jiang did after becoming a government official, especially after he rose to the top position. Because Jiang was the head of state, he should be evaluated based on what he did and his responsibility for what happened in China during his tenure. Based on the investigation, all the honors given to him by the country could be revoked and he should be indicted and prosecuted. Depending on the situation, the assets he amassed by abusing his power could be totally or partially confiscated.
Fifth, those successors of Jiang also need to repent for how their malfeasance harmed the country and misled the public. They could repent and allow others involved in the suppression to do the same.
Sixth, on behalf of the nation, the successors of Jiang should formally apologize to Falun Gong’s founder and practitioners. Based on the thorough, detailed investigation, and repentance status of those involved in the persecution, appropriate legal consequences could be pursued.
For thousands of years, traditional values were well preserved in China. In fact, 89 Chinese emperors had issued scriptures of penitence, and some even did it numerous times. For example, King Cheng of Zhou issued 260 such scriptures, while Taizong of Tang issued 28. History records showed that, starting from Yu the Great, most kings and emperors issued “scriptures of penitence” except for the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and Emperor Yang of Sui.
But the CCP dismissed all these and has never repented for its mistakes or crimes. Instead, it attacked anyone who valued traditional culture. By promoting class struggles, inciting hatred, and sugarcoating brutality, the CCP successfully suppressed one group after another. Jiang, in particular, vowed to eradicate Falun Gong and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in three months. By doing so, he placed himself and his followers (including CCP members) on a dangerous path – one that will be phased out by history.
Therefore, it is critical for us to be clear on the importance of bringing Jiang to justice even after his death. Living in this era of history, we have the opportunity to make a difference. Actions based on our conscience will lead to a brighter future; otherwise, there could be many consequences such as SARS, COVID, and other tragedies.
(The end)