(Clearwisdom.net, October 28, 2003)

On the morning of October 27, 2003, Cypriot human rights attorney Mr. Laris Vrahimis, representing persecuted Falun Dafa practitioners, filed the lawsuit against Mr. Wu Guanzheng, former Provincial Secretary of Shandong Province and current member of the CCP Politburo's Standing Committee. Wu is one of the key figures in the persecution of Falun Gong, and is being tried in Cyprus for crimes against humanity, torture and genocide.

On July 20, 1999, Jiang and his regime began their brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. Former Provincial Secretary Wu Guanzheng was actively involved in and personally coordinated efforts to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. According to reliable reports, Shandong Province is among the provinces where large numbers of Falun Dafa practitioners have died resulting from the persecution. As of October 2003, nearly one hundred Falun Dafa practitioners have been tortured to death in Shandong Province. Some of the most tragic incidents of the Falun Gong persecution have occurred in Shandong Province, including the tragic death of Ms. Chen Zixiu. Ms. Wang Lixuan and her 8-month-old son were both tortured to death in Shandong Province. One of the plaintiffs in the case is a current Canadian resident and sculptor, Professor Zhang Kunlun, who was detained in Shandong Province and sentenced without trial to three years in a forced labor camp. During his incarceration, Professor Zhang was brutally tortured, both physically and mentally.

At 1:00 p.m. on October 27, 2003, Falun Dafa practitioners held a press conference about the lawsuit against Wu Guanzheng, at the Classic Hotel in Nicosia City. At the press conference, Cypriot human rights attorney, Mr. Laris Vrahimis, spoke about the lawsuit. Falun Dafa practitioner, Ms. Dai Zhizhen told her personal story to the journalists, which revealed the facts of how her husband was tortured to death, and how thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners are enduring cruel physical and mental torture in China.

Major Cypriot media, including TV stations, radio broadcasting companies, newspapers and news agencies all came to the conference and conducted extensive interviews with witnesses to the persecution of Falun Gong. The largest TV station reported on the lawsuit and press conference in the evening news.