(Clearwisdom.net) On September 11, 2007, another hearing against Chen Shaoji, former Secretary of the Guangdong Province Political and Judicial Committee, current Vice Secretary of the Guangdong Communist Party Committee and Chairman of the Political Consultation Committee, was held in the New South Wales Supreme Court. The lawsuit was filed by Australian Falun Gong practitioners Li Fuying and Xie Yan. For the first time, the two plaintiffs appeared before the court, after the Supreme Court permitted them to apply for a default judgment. The court agreed to grant the plaintiffs two months in order to prepare documents and other materials concerning this judgment. The plaintiffs' legal assistant said that a human rights lawyer is reading the file and assisting the plaintiffs in applying for a judgment by default. The legal assistant believes that the legal process of a proper hearing and trial at an Australian Court will certainly help the plaintiffs in seeking justice - an outcome not to be hoped for in China where the defendants' crimes against practitioners of Falun Gong are unlikely to be presented in a court of law.
Currently, there are several other human rights cases lodged with the NSW Supreme Court, filed by Falun Gong practitioners who are suing high ranking CCP officials for persecuting Falun Gong. The petition against Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan lodged by Australian citizen Zhang Cuiying, and the petition against former Liaoning Province Governor Bo Xilai lodged by Pan Yu have been delivered. If the defendants do not respond to these within two months, Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Cuiying and Pan Yu will also apply for a default judgment.
From 1999 to the present, it has been reported that a large number of Australian citizens or residents and family members living in China have been or are being persecuted there because of their belief in Falun Gong. Recently, the CCP's 610 Office refused to issue a visa to the mother of Zeng Jianling, a Falun Gong practitioner and Australian citizen. This resulted in her elderly mother being unable to visit Australia and be reunited with her daughter.
Review of Prosecuting Chen Shaoji
In December 2006, Falun Gong practitioner Li Fuying and Xie Yan filed a lawsuit to the NSW Supreme Court suing Chen Shaoji, (the head of the Guangdong Province 610 Office, and former Secretary of the Guangdong Province Political and Judicial Committee), for crimes of illegal imprisonment and torture. They also successfully served a summons to the defendant who was leading a Guangdong delegation to Sydney. From July 20, 1999 to October 2005, there were 64 documented deaths of practitioners due to the persecution in Guangdong Province, which ranked No. 8 in the entire country. These provincial authorities persecute Falun Gong practitioners using brutal means, and the situation is serious.
During that period of time, Chen Shaoji held several posts, including Secretary of the Guangdong Province Political and Judicial Committee, and Minister of the Guangdong Public Security Department. He actively participated in the persecution, directly led the 610 Office, ordering, supervising, controlling, assisting and instigating police officers to intensify the brainwashing and attacks against Falun Gong practitioners. Therefore, Falun Gong practitioners in the Guangdong Area underwent severe persecution. Chen Shaoji is now being held responsible for these crimes.
Li Fuying is nearly 80 years old. She was illegally imprisoned in Guangzhou City twice for remaining steadfast in her belief of Falun Gong. Her daughter, Yan Haiyu, was sent to the Chatou Women's Forced Labor Camp for a two-year term without any legal procedures. She suffered physical and mental torture and was force-fed many times. After Yan Haiyu served this term, she was then sent to Guangzhou City Legal School Brainwashing Center, where fresh air was only let in once every 24 hours. She suffered various tortures, brainwashing by thugs and other cruel means of persecution. Because of this,Yan Haiyu was greatly traumatized mentally.
Another plaintiff, Xie Yan, was detained in a forced labor camp for two years and three months for distributing Falun Gong truth-clarification material. She suffered brutal torture while in detention.