(Clearwisdom.net) Two days after I mailed a letter to various legal offices seeking advice on how we could sue the former dictator of China Jiang Zemin, I received a phone call from a lawyer who wanted to meet my husband.

My husband was held in a forced labour camp for two and a half years. During this time he resisted the intense brainwashing methods ordered by Jiang's regime. He was rescued in 2002 through the efforts of Canadian Falun Dafa practitioners and the Canadian government.

When we arrived at the office, a lawyer in his mid-thirties met us. After some brief introductions, he started to ask us some questions.

"I know about Falun Gong. Don't you guys believe in 'Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance'? Why would you want to punish someone by taking him to court?" He looked puzzled.

My husband said, "We do believe in 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance'. In the past four years, we have never resorted to violence to resist the persecution. That's a testament to our beliefs, but that doesn't mean that we should allow the evil to continue. We need to safeguard goodness. Condoning the persecution of innocent people is being disrespectful to the principles of 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance'."

We handed him a package containing detailed cases of torture: A three-month pregnant engineer who died after being forced into the Huangpu Detox Center in Guangzhou City; a 64-year-old retired worker who died lying on a concrete floor after being brutally beaten--his body covered in cuts and bruises and even his eyeballs were lacerated; an eight-month-old infant and his mother in her twenties who both died in the Discharge Department of Beijing Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp; a seventeen-year-old girl who died; men that were hung up by their arms and brutally beaten; women whose most sensitive body parts were shocked with electric batons (including their anuses, vaginas, and their mouths); women who had metal needles inserted into their nipples, which were then attached with wires and electrified, and older men were forced to run barefoot in the snow during freezing-cold weather until they passed out. The lawyer did not say a word as he read through the pages and looked at the pictures. Apparently, he was deeply disturbed by the sheer brutality of the inhuman torture.

He had more questions for us. "I am a lawyer with over ten years of experience in this profession. I would like to advise you, from my personal point of view, that the law does not always represent justice. Sometimes, the law and other societal factors influence a judge's decision more than the facts. In addition, you need to spend a lot of time and money on a legal case. I am afraid that it will not be worth your while to proceed. Even if you win the case, what can you do to him?" The kind-hearted lawyer looked so concerned.

"Those who survive the brutal persecution have given up just about everything." My husband said. "As long as it can help put an end to the persecution, I am willing to do whatever it takes. My ability is limited, but I believe I will have the support of other Falun Gong practitioners."

The lawyer listened without saying a word. My husband turned on his laptop and started a CD that showed scenes of a parade with thousands of participants, women wearing white dresses and holding pictures framed with greenery of those who died as a result of the persecution, and elected officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations speaking against the persecution and their resounding voices of "stop the persecution."

My husband said, "You see, if we were afraid of losing, we would not have done all this. We are faced with imprisonment and death and the resources of a nation that has 1.4 billion people, police officers, armed forces, and special agents. But we have persisted."

I pointed to the speakers and those signing the petition on the screen. "What they gave us was voluntary; and their support was based on their consciences and virtue. While trying to rescue my husband, Amnesty International mobilized many university professors and students to get signatures on a petition. I saw them working under the scorching sun. They are not Falun Gong practitioners but they tried to explain to others about what Falun Gong and 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' are all about."

"Who made this CD and the other materials?" The lawyer asked, touched by what he was looking at.

"The practitioners did everything, paid for the materials, shot the scenes, and printed the materials as well. We have practitioners in all walks of life and in different professions that contribute their time and skills."

"That's great. You have all kinds of talented people. That's a great resource. You can do many things. I have some ideas that can broaden your ways of thinking. First of all, this is a persecution of humanity and human rights. So you have to come out very strong. You should make this case into a nation-wide campaign." He stood up and continued, "You should invite some influential people and get their ideas or to establish a think-tank. You can expose Jiang thoroughly and help stop the persecution."

"Great," my husband answered, " Do you realize that if this case goes forward it will be like opening a window of opportunity, through which people can see what is right and wrong for themselves. Now, lies abound in China. The people are numb. Even people outside of China are influenced by the defamatory propaganda. Many people are not willing to learn about the persecution and Falun Gong. The lawsuit itself will shock many Chinese when they hear about it. It will start people thinking about good and evil, and the truth, and it would awaken many people."

"Great! Let's explore ways to bring him to court. First of all, as long as you live in the province of Quebec you can sue him in the Quebec courts. Secondly, if this person has property in Canada, you can also sue him using federal laws. Thirdly, you can sue his representatives in Canada, such as the government officials in the Chinese Embassy and Consulates."

"That's great. So there is more than one way to sue him."

"It's getting late. Are you about done for the day?" I asked, knowing that time is money for many lawyers.

"Oh, it has already been three hours. It seemed like only 10 minutes. Well, we will keep in touch. If you have any ideas or updates, we can get together and talk about them."

My husband extended his hand and said, "Thank you so much" The lawyer shook his hand firmly and said to him, "One last suggestion, you should send out an invitation to lawyers like myself to enlist their voluntary support. I suggest that you establish a legal team. I would be very willing to be part of it."

2003-9-16