(Clearwisdom) According to reports by overseas media, including the Agence France Presse, Falun Gong successfully filed a lawsuit on July 17 in the United States against an official from Mainland China who persecuted the group. Several other major media have also reported this news.
The First Overseas Lawsuit by Falun Gong
It was reported that on July 17, Falun Gong practitioner Peng Liang filed a lawsuit against Zhao Zhifei, Director of the Public Security Bureau of Hubei Province. Peng Liang said that his mother and brother were killed during the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese authorities. According to the Falun Dafa Info Center, four Falun Gong practitioners were burned or beaten to death in Hubei Province last month.
One of these four practitioners was burned to death by the local police. Two others were dragged on the ground by motorcycles driven at high speeds. Zhao Zhifei is the No. 2 figure in the "610" office of Hubei Province. The 610 office is a special unit set up by the Central Government to implement the suppression of Falun Gong. Zhao Zhifei, who is visiting the US, was charged in New York with human rights violations in China, including murder, abuse, and illegal detainment of Falun Gong practitioners.
A Falun Gong spokesperson said that Zhao Zhifei was charged with violating the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Claims Act. A copy of the legal documents has been received by the defendant, and the Federal Court in the Southern District has registered the lawsuit.
Observers believe that overseas Falun Gong practitioners may use this case to enhance the collection of criminal evidence against corrupt officials in China who persecute Falun Gong, and use legal channels to help Falun Gong practitioners appeal for redress of their grievances and seek financial compensation.
US laws allow for the freezing of all the defendant's property for the purpose of financial compensation
According to American law, anyone can accuse a person of violating human rights or international laws by filing a civil lawsuit in a US court, even if the crimes were committed outside the US. After a defendant receives a summons, he has 20 days to respond. If the defendant does not reply to the court according to the order, the court may reach a verdict that is unfavorable to the defendant. Regardless of the criminal responsibility of a case, as long as the defendant is convicted in the civil lawsuit and a financial compensation is ordered, all property and assets in the US in the defendant's name can be frozen and used to pay the compensation.
All the officials in Mainland China who have participated in the persecution of Falun Gong are corrupt criminals.
According to information reported by both the Chinese government's People's Daily and Falun Gong's Minghui Net, if the Chinese authorities would sincerely crack down on corruption and conduct an investigation of the personal incomes of those officials who are actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong, some overseas experts on Chinese issues assert that the results would show that all those officials are corrupt. These types of individuals make use of their power and rank to try and grab profits from the public whatever way they can. Meanwhile, as they take every opportunity to make personal gains and forcibly steal from the public, they often try to transfer a huge amount of their property to the US, then secretly arrange for their offspring to immigrate to the US. They are looking at the US as a safe refuge, especially after the day when the Chinese XX Party collapses.
This successful overseas legal action by Falun Gong undoubtedly sends a strong warning to these people: once a person's past and present criminal behavior and/or record of persecuting Falun Gong are reported, and this person is charged with criminal activity, all the property in his name can be frozen or confiscated, and all the property of any economic entities related to him will also be at risk. For these corrupt Chinese officials who endeavor to look for a way out, there are some other facts that may also threaten them. America is a society that enjoys the freedom of information. If they become defendants in any civil lawsuits, then the applications for immigration and businesses by their children and relatives may also be adversely affected. This is because it is possible for many people to obtain related documents and/or evidence through public information channels, and then use this information against these officials during the legal actions. Based on this evidence, a judge may reach an unfavorable decision against these officials. The fact that Falun Gong has successfully lodged an overseas lawsuit has made the US no longer a safe place to escape for the corrupt Chinese officials who persecute Falun Gong.
The historical lessons of the Nuremberg trials should not be forgotten.
According to historical records, on December 9 1946, in Nuremberg Germany, an International Court Martial prosecuted 23 Nazi doctors who were charged with directly engaging in war crimes and atrocities against humanity. The responsibility of a doctor is to rescue the dying and help the wounded. However, a large number of German doctors did things that were against their consciences at the request of the murderers during the Nazi rule. Not only did over 49% of German doctors join the Nazi Party, but also they participated in and took the lead in developing the techniques for appalling crimes like the "sterilization plan." "ultimate solution," "death concentration camp," "human body experiments," "human race comparison," "twin comparison," etc. It can be said that the Nazi doctors provided important technical assistance for Hitler and his accomplices to commit crimes against humanity. This is why the first case immediately following the prosecution and sentencing of major Nazi war criminals was the "trial of doctors."
Just like the defendants in the other 12 prosecution cases in the Nuremberg International Court Martial, Nazi doctors also argued that they merely followed orders. However, evidence shows that there were no specific, compulsory orders that forced them to do these inhumane deeds, nor were any German doctors persecuted because of their refusal to do these things. Those Nazi doctors had obviously received the best education, and some of them were famous medical doctors and scientists. However, they never thought that they would be regarded later as people with "no consciences." These Nazi doctors were smart, but they did not realize that once the Nazi power they relied on collapsed, their excuse that "I was ordered to do this" would not save them.
In order to prevent personal crimes, the United Nations has set up a court for the trial of international criminals.
Most documents, treaties and declarations related to human rights protection, including the UN's "Human Rights Declaration," originated from reflections on the holocaust during WW II, especially the trials conducted at the Nuremberg International Court Martial. Based on the proceedings of this tribunal, the UN founded an International Justice Court that is directly responsible for prosecuting war criminals, crimes against humanity, and individuals who commit the crime of genocide. Thus, these criminals are now unable to hide in any countries and/or under the names of any governments.
The lessons of the past should be learned by today's people. These corrupt Chinese officials should realize, as they are directly or indirectly participating in crimes against Falun Gong, that they might very well face an international criminal court that will prosecute them for their crimes. They should also realize that someday in the future, the evil order that "no measures are excessive when dealing with Falun Gong" will not be a valid excuse for anyone's participation in this persecution.
Since WW II, the principle of "an eye for an eye" has been followed.
The Israelis who follow this principle have constantly searched around the world for those Nazi criminals at large who persecuted and murdered Jews. Today, Falun Gong practitioners maintain and uphold their own beliefs fearlessly and unyieldingly. Tomorrow, when the tyrant collapses as a natural consequence of history, Falun Gong, having survived the bloody persecution, will certainly become an international spiritual practice. At this time, Falun Gong practitioners will make even more efforts than the Israelis to send the criminals who once persecuted and murdered their people to trial. The sword of justice will forever point to those criminals until they are sentenced by law.
We urge those corrupt officials who persecute Falun Gong to repent, based on their own conscience, if they still care for and consciously think of their children and relatives, and if they want to leave some way out for themselves in the future. Otherwise, they have cut off their futures, not just for themselves, but for their families as well.
Category: Perspective
