(Clearwisdom.net) At around noon on May 20, 2004, near 100 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at Time Square. The practitioners held a press conference to expose the Jiang regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and announced the official kickoff of the "Van Tour to Support the Lawsuit against Jiang Zemin."

In October 2002, Falun Gong practitioners sued the chief perpetrator of the persecution Jiang Zemin in a Chicago federal court for genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. Since then, Jiang and his key accomplices have been sued in succession in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Korea, and Taiwan. In January 2004, Falun Gong practitioners appealed to the 7^th Circuit Court regarding the lawsuit against Jiang and a hearing will be held in Chicago on May 27.

Demonstration of torture suffered by practitioners in China

Spectators shocked by the brutality of the torture methods

A passerby signing his name on a giant petition in support of the lawsuit against Jiang

Clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to passerby

During the press conference, practitioners demonstrated some torture methods such as being forced to sit motionless for days on a tiny bench, being hung up and beaten, and being force-fed--all of these were methods used by the Chinese police to try to force practitioners to give up their belief. Practitioners who were persecuted in China and relatives of practitioners who are being persecuted in China shared their experiences. The demonstration of the torture methods attracted a large crowd. Many said that they were shocked by the brutality of the persecution and signed their names on a giant yellow banner in support of the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin.

Mr. Chen Gang was detained in Tuanhe Labor Camp of Beijing for one and a half years. The torture method demonstration reminded him of his own experience in the labor camp. He said that he was subjected to these kinds of torture methods in labor camp for refusing to give up Falun Gong. He said that some Chinese Falun Gong practitioners in prisons and labor camps are suffering from even harsher torture. Fortunately, he said, people around the world are getting better understandings of the persecution and are against it. The persecution is sure to end soon.

Benjamin Zgodny, who works on Wall Street for a financial company, is 24 years old and has practiced Falun Gong for 4 years. He is one of the van tour participants. He said that the Jiang regime's persecution of peaceful, innocent people shocked him. He went to China 2 years ago during Chinese Spring Festival. For carrying Falun Gong books, he was detained and deported by the Chinese authorities. From the rough treatment he got as an American citizen, one can easily imagine what the Chinese Falun Gong practitioners detained in prisons and mental hospitals are going through. Mr. Zgodny said that all four of his grandparents were killed during the Holocaust. He said that the Jiang regime's genocide is killing innocent people, just as what happened in the Holocaust. He decided to join the van tour to let more people know about the persecution so that more people will support the lawsuit, and in the end bring the chief perpetrator of this persecution to justice.

A young man watched the demonstration for a long time. He commented that everyone in the world has the right to live a peaceful life. When he was asked about his opinion on the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, he replied: "It's a good idea, very good idea!"

One woman said that she had heard many stories of various religious groups persecuted by the Chinese regime. She said that the demonstration was very important because it helped her to visualize what was happening in China.

Ms. Wen Yi, a member of the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, introduced the lawsuit in Chicago. She said that the lawsuit would help the international community understand Jiang's crimes and the brutality of this persecution. It will be a trial for the human conscience and justice. Regardless of the verdict in the courtroom, in the hearts and minds of everyone around the world, they will be able to see and decide for themselves based on the facts of the persecution.

It was reported that a number of activities, including a large-scale public rally and seminars on the lawsuit coinciding with the court hearing on May 27, will be held to support the lawsuit.

Similar van tours have also been launched in a number of cities including Houston and San Francisco. The van tours will end in Chicago. A bike tour, which consists of 6 teenagers, left Washington DC for Chicago on May 13. The length of the bike tour is about 700 miles.

The New York Van Tour to Chicago consists of 7 vehicles, and the route is about 700 miles long. On the way to Chicago, vehicles from other cities will also join the van tour, which will hold press conferences in cities on the way to call on people to pay closer attention to the Jiang regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.