20 Nov 2009

FDIC: “Spanish Court Indicts Top Communist Party Officials for Torture, Genocide of Falun Gong”
Nov. 18: In an unprecedented decision, a Spanish judge has indicted five high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials for their role in crimes of torture and genocide committed against Falun Gong practitioners. Among the defendants is former CCP head Jiang Zemin, widely acknowledged as the chief instigator of the decade-long campaign to “eradicate” the spiritual practice.

Following a two-year investigation, Spanish National Court Judge Ismael Moreno last week notified attorney Carlos Iglesias of the Human Rights Law Foundation (HRLF) that the court had granted a petition to indict the defendants on charges of torture and genocide. According to the notice, for committing the crime of genocide, the defendants face imprisonment for up to 20 years and may be economically liable to the victims for damages. The Judge’s notification also stated that the court had granted a petition to send rogatory letters (letter of request) to the five defendants in China with questions relating to each individual's involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong.

The other four accused are Luo Gan, who oversaw the 610 Office, a nationwide secret police task force that has led the violent campaign; Bo Xilai, current Party Secretary for Chongqing and former Minister of Commerce; Jia Qinglin, the fourth-highest member of the Party hierarchy; and Wu Guanzheng, head of an internal Party disciplinary committee.

To read more: http://www.faluninfo.net/article/924/?cid=84
The Epoch Times: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/25211/

FDIC: “10 Things President Obama Should Know For His Visit to China”

  1. Within a 50-mile radius of central Beijing, hundreds of innocent Falun Gong practitioners are being held and tortured in detention centers, forced labor camps, and prison camps.
  2. During Obama’s 3-day trip, an estimated 72 Falun Gong practitioners will be abducted by security forces, 15 will be sent to a forced labor or prison camp for the next 1 to 18 years, and at least one will likely be tortured to death.
  3. Several Communist Party officials Obama may meet are being investigated for egregious human rights violations, including torture and genocide.
  4. Tiananmen Square, a likely destination during Obama’s sightseeing tour, has been the scene of countless Chinese citizens being pummeled, beaten, and shoved into police vans by security forces for peacefully protesting against the persecution of Falun Gong. Many died after being detained there.

To view the other six items as well as additional details for the above four, see: http://www.faluninfo.net/article/923/?cid=84

FDIC: 41-year-old farmer serving 10-year prison “sentence” dies from prolonged abuse in custody
After being unlawfully detained in 2003 for practicing Falun Gong, Mr. Wang Gang (王刚) was “sentenced” to 10 years in prison in 2004 following a sham trial. He was then taken to Baoding City Prison in Hebei Province. In May 2005, prison guards placed Wang in solitary confinement for ten days, tightly tying him to a board and shackling his feet. After being forced to remain stationary with limited blood circulation to his appendages for this extended period, the health of Wang’s right leg deteriorated and had to be amputated immediately upon his release from solitary confinement.

Fearing punishment for Wang’s condition, Baoding Prison authorities transferred him to Jidong Prison. In May 2009, Wang’s health deteriorated, but prison officials refused to release him into his family’s care. He was finally released on October 14, 2009, when he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his lymph nodes. Wang died at 10 p.m. on October 31, 2009. He was 41 years old.

To view the full case, see: http://faluninfo.net/article/931/?cid=6

Freedom House: Falun Gong practitioner included on list of prisoners for President Obama to raise
Nov. 13: “It is critical that President Barack Obama emphasize the importance of human rights and democratic standards during his visit to China later this week, Freedom House said today.

…“The U.S. has a relationship with China’s people, not just its ruling party, and this is an ideal opportunity to show that our country stands on the side of grassroots efforts to advance freedom, justice, and the well-being of millions of Chinese citizens,” said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House’s executive director.

Freedom House urges President Obama to raise the names of the following six individuals…

[…] Xu Na: Xu Na, a poet and a painter, was detained in January 2008 with her husband, Beijing musician Yu Zhou, for possessing Falun Gong-related literature. Yu died in custody 11 days later under mysterious circumstances. Xu was sentenced in November 2008 to three years in prison after an unfair trial because of her identity as a Falun Gong believer.  She had reportedly been tortured during a previous detention and is at risk of abuse.”

To read more: http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=1096

The Canadian Press: New book by former Canadian diplomat and prominent attorney says Falun Gong prisoners in China still being used as organ sources
Nov. 16: “A new book says China is still harvesting organs from Falun Gong prisoners for medical transplants. The book by former Liberal MP [and Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific] David Kilgour and lawyer-activist David Matas, is an update of two previous reports they produced on the Chinese organ trade. It says Falun Gong practitioners are held in labour camps by the tens of thousands and killed for their organs.
… The book offers a series of recommendations, including punitive measures to cut China off from supplies of drugs used in transplants and a ban on allowing Chinese transplant doctors to train abroad. It also urges Canada and other countries to adopt laws prohibiting people from travelling to China for transplants from unwilling donors.”

To read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gNb2nfabmINouTerVrnnUkgj7E3Q
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_china/2009-11-16/188092789504.html

The Epoch Times: Falun Gong Practitioner Returns to U.S. After 10-Year Ordeal
Nov. 11: “San Jose resident Jianhua Lu returned home on Wednesday afternoon, having spent years being persecuted in China for her belief in the spiritual practice Falun Gong. Upon her arrival at San Jose International Airport, she was given a warm welcome by several dozen friends and family members, including her sister Stephanie who embraced her, both in tears. The two hadn’t seen each other in 10 years.”

… San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed also came in person to welcome her. “This demonstrates the difference between living in the USA where you have freedom of association, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, and China, where you don't. It was a terrible thing to have a U.S. citizen and San Jose resident imprisoned in China for basic human rights activities we take for granted here in the U.S. I am so happy to see her released back to freedom,” said the Mayor.

To read more: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/25093/

Category: Falun Dafa in the Media