High Court Holds Hearing on the Chinese Communist Regime's Telephone Harassment of Falun Gong Practitioners

Belgian High Court in Brussels

On the morning of May 28, 2009, the Belgian High Court held a hearing on a telephone harassment case brought by two Belgian Falun Gong practitioners against the Chinese Communist regime's 610 office.

Representing the two plaintiffs, internationally renowned human rights lawyer Mr. G. H. Beauthier requested that the Belgian Justice Department take further legal action in investigating this case. He also hoped that the Belgian government would not be affected by the Chinese Communist regime's economic and political influence and would act impartially. The court's pre-trial judge and the public prosecutor both attended the hearing and listened to lawyer's case statements. The judge said that the ruling would be made in the near future.

Request to Continue the Investigation of the Telephone Harassment Case

One of the plaintiffs, Falun Gong practitioner Nicolas, is interviewed by the Belgian National TV station at the Belgian High Court

In the hearing, human rights lawyer Mr. Beauthier described in great detail the harassment suffered by Falun Gong practitioners and the ongoing brutal persecution by the Chinese Communist regime against Falun Gong practitioners. After the hearing, Mr. Beauthier accepted an interview with reporters at the Belgian High Court in Brussels.

Internationally renowned Belgian human rights lawyer Mr. Beauthier is interviewed by the Belgian National TV station at the Belgian High Court

Mr. Beauthier said, "Falun Gong practitioners in Belgium have been harassed by the Chinese Communist regime. The regime made threats through emails and anonymous telephone calls. Therefore in 2005, we filed a lawsuit demanding that the Chinese Communist regime's '610 Office' stop its harassment. The pre-trial judge requested that the Chinese government investigate the source of these telephone calls because we knew these calls were from China. In these phone calls, the caller threatened and intimidated recipients with noises and insults. The Belgian government received no reply from the Chinese regime."

He pointed out, "Today through the Belgian judicial system we request that the Belgian government continue to demand answers from the Chinese Communist regime. We request that the public prosecutor expand the scope of its investigation. Because there are new telephone harassments threatening Falun Gong practitioners in Belgium, it needs to be investigated. The Chinese Communist regime threatens dissidents in Europe and China, but it doesn't get punished. This is a very serious matter."

When mentioning the human rights situation in China, Mr. Beauthier said, "The Chinese Communist regime continues to abuse human rights in China at will. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch provide indisputable reports about the Chinese Communist regime's violations of human rights. Now it threatens Belgian and Chinese people in Europe who defend human rights. Therefore the situation has become more and more serious. Thus we couldn't let them escape legal punishment in Europe. From the Tiananmen massacre twenty years ago to the suppression of Falun Gong started ten years ago, we see suppression escalating step by step in China. This is very worrying. Thus we have to continuously condemn the '610 Office' and expose every wicked action taken by the Chinese Communist regime to harass dissidents."

Falun Gong Practitioners Demand an End to the Persecution

As one of the plaintiffs, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Shi said after the hearing that this year is the tenth year of the persecution of Falun Gong. It is of great significance that at this time the hearing is being held about the telephone harassment and the Belgian Justice Department is requested to continue its investigation. The persecution by the Chinese Communist regime has no legal basis whatsoever. Not only does it violate Belgian laws, it also infringes on international laws.

She said, "The hearing of this case today exposes the evil persecution. Even as a Belgian citizen, I still receive such harassment in Belgium. It can be easily imagined the persecution suffered by tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners in China. Now the Belgian government and the international community must make joint efforts to stop the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong as soon as possible and to bring those responsible to justice."

One of the plaintiffs, Falun Gong practitioner Nicolas, is interviewed by the Belgian National TV station at the Belgian High Court

Regarding the case's progress, she said that the Belgian Justice Department should continuously raise the issue with the Chinese Communist regime. She also hopes that the Belgian government will not be influenced by the Chinese Communist regime's economic and political interests.

Another plaintiff, Falun Gong practitioner Nicolas said, "As a Belgian citizen and the victim of harassment, this is a very good example to illustrate how the Chinese Communist regime totally ignores the law and human rights. It is important to let the public know that the regime's persecution is so rampant."

He continued, "We hope the Belgian judicial system will firmly and continuously investigate the Chinese Communist regime. We can't let such a brutal regime act at its will, no matter if it is in China or elsewhere. The regime harasses Falun Gong practitioners, spreads its propaganda and sends out virus-carrying emails. These are all unacceptable. We hope the Belgian Court will take action. The facts are very clear. What is needed is action."

Background of the Case

In July 1999, the Chinese Communist regime started its nationwide illegal suppression of Falun Gong in China. At the same time, the persecution was also extended overseas. The regime uses various ways to harass and threaten overseas Falun Gong practitioners. Especially during the period between late 2004 and early 2005, the regime carried out telephone harassment against many overseas Falun Gong practitioners.

On July 19, 2005, two Belgian Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Nicolas and Ms. Shi, filed a lawsuit in the Belgian High Court, suing, for the crime of harassment, the Chinese Communist regime's 610 Office and its main officials, including Luo Gan, the regime's head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, Zhou Yongkang, minister of Public Security Liu Jing, deputy minister of Public Security, and Xu Yongyue, minister of State Security.

The "610 Office" was established in June 1999 by the Chinese Communist regime with the sole mission of cracking down on Falun Gong. The organization is above the law and can use the whole nation's resources to recklessly persecute Falun Gong practitioners.

The Belgian High Court officially accepted the case then and immediately started its investigation. After completing the domestic investigation in Belgium, the Belgian Justice Department requested that the Belgian Government seek the Chinese Communist regime's assistance in investigating the source of the harassing phone calls. But it never received any response from the Chinese authorities.

Currently the Spanish High Court is also carrying out an investigation into the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong. In 2003 Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit in Spain against Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party, and Luo Gan, accusing them with the crime of genocide and torture against Falun Gong practitioners. In 2004 when Chinese Communist Party official Jia Qinglin visited Spain, Falun Gong practitioners also filed a lawsuit accusing him of torture and crimes against humanity.

In addition, in early May this year, Spanish National Court judge Santiago Pedraz formally requested from the Chinese Communist regime, permission to enter China to investigate eight suspects involved in the crime of genocide regarding the regime's human rights abuse in Tibet. These suspects include China's Minister of Public Security, Minister of State Security and Minister of Defense, etc. The lawsuit was filed by a Tibetan group in Spain in July 2008, accusing the Chinese Communist regime of the crime of genocide during the regime's suppression in Tibet in March 2008.

Practitioners in Turkey Promote Falun Gong at Local Community Festival

On June 7^th, Falun Gong practitioners took part in the Arnavutkoy Festival in the Besiktas District of Istanbul. They also gave a musical performance and handed out paper lotus flowers and flyers to introduce Falun Gong to the attendees.

A practitioner hands out lotus flowers and introduces Falun Gong	A young practitioner performs Falun Dafa is Good
Mr. Ismail Unal, head of the Besiktas district, congratulates the young practitioner	Mr. Ismail Unal, head of the Besiktas district, enjoys a paper lotus flower

During the celebration that lasted for nearly two hours, practitioners introduced Falun Gong and its wide spread in over one hundred countries across the world.

Many people expressed interest in Falun Gong and asked practitioners for more information. Some people also asked about the address of the practice sites so that they could come learn the exercises.

A young practitioner played Falun Dafa is Good on the violin for the audience twice and received warm applause.

Mr. Ismail Unal, head of the Besiktas district, expressed his congratulations to the young practitioner who performed the music. He also enjoyed the paper lotus flower that a practitioner gave him.

Several television stations in Istanbul covered the event. Kanal 8 TV reported the event on its prime time news on the same evening and showed the Falun Dafa is good performance in its entirety.

The Persecution and Untimely Death of Mr. Wang Hongrong (Hefei City, Anhui Province)

Before Mr. Wang was subjected to the persecution

Mr. Wang Hongrong, a Falun Gong practitioner from Hefei City, Anhui Province, was illegally sentenced to jail for eight years in 2005 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was tortured by prison guards in Suzhou Prison and became paralyzed. The police released him when he was in critical condition. Two months later, on June 22, 2007, he passed away at home.

Mr. Wang was born on April 4, 1949. He worked for the Forklift Plant Administration Division in Hefei City, Anhui Province. He was known to be a good person by everyone in his company.

On April 30, 2003, the 610 Office police went to Mr. Wang's home, and they threatened and harassed him because they saw a practitioner enter his home. They ransacked Mr. Wang's home and confiscated his computer equipment and household appliances, which had a total value of over 10,000 Yuan. He was forced to leave home and went from place to place. Mr. Wang's wife, Ms. Zhang Jiyu, was also victimized by the persecution. She was forcibly sent to a detention centre for one month and then held in an administrative detention camp for another 15 days. Then she was taken to a brainwashing centre for more persecution.

This photo was taken after Mr. Wang was released from jail.

Bedsore suffered while in police custody
Mr. Wang's badly burnt feet	Mr. Wang's badly burnt feet

On September 24, 2004, Mr. Wang went to help produce truth-clarification materials in Fuyang City. He and more than 10 other practitioners were arrested by the CCP personnel there. They were held in different places. They were severely beaten and had confessions extracted from them by torture.

On June 15, 2005, the CCP court in the Yingzhou District, Fuyang City secretly held a hearing for Mr. Wang and other practitioners. The court did not inform practitioners' families or announce the names of the judge and adjudicator. There were no spectators allowed. Because practitioners had no lawyers who could defend them, they had to represent themselves. During the hearing, they shouted "Falun Dafa is good!" and "Falun Dafa is an upright teaching!"

In September 2005, the court secretly held another trial against Mr. Wang. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and sent to the Suzhou Prison in Anhui Province. During his imprisonment, the wardens ordered two inmates who had infectious diseases to supervise him. One of them had tuberculosis and the other had hepatitis. They forced Mr. Wang to do hard labour everyday.

Mr. Wang was very steadfast in his belief in Falun Gong even when he was in prison. In February 2007, the police searched Mr. Wang's body. They found some copies of writings by Falun Gong's Teacher. As a result, they threw him into the confinement cell, where he was severely beaten. They also instigated prison personnel and inmates against him. As a result of the persecution, Mr. Wang became incontinent and his lower body was numb. Because he could not look after himself and nobody else did, he was often covered in faeces.

In early April 2007, the general manager from Mr. Wang's company visited him in the prison. Mr. Wang told he that he couldn't move his legs anymore. Shocked by the scene, the manager demanded that one of the prison guards take him to the hospital for treatment. Before going to the hospital, Mr. Wang said, "I am very dirty and smell so badly. I'd like to take a shower before I go to the hospital." Enraged for some reason, the prison guard ordered inmates to force his feet into a bucket of boiling water. Half a day later, his feet swelled up and festered, with blisters all over. The prison guard then forced Mr. Wang to say on videotape, "The inmates were just trying to help clean my legs. They didn't do it intentionally."

Mr. Wang was diagnosed by the hospital as having bone cancer, paralysis, numbness, and incontinence. He was in good health before the persecution. His critical health problems are directly attributable to his long-term imprisonment and mistreatment.

In order to shirk responsibility, Suzhou Prison released Mr. Wang in late April 2007 after he was tortured to the verge of death. On April 26, 2007, Mr. Wang's wife went to pick him up . As she tried to apply for medical treatment for Mr. Wang, the prison chief, who had the last name Tang, told her that they had no money. He also stated that Mr. Wang had to write guarantee statements to give up Falun Gong to be eligible for medical care.

When Mr. Wang returned home, a huge bedsore was found near his buttocks. Because he had not relieved his bowels for more than 10 days, his stomach was extremely swollen. He became incontinent and his face was grossly distorted. He was diagnosed with bedsore sepsis two months after he was taken home. At 5 o'clock on June 22, 2007, he passed away at the young age of 59.

Departments that were directly involved in the persecution of Mr. Wang included the Forklift Plant of Hefei City, the Public Security Bureau of Hefei City, the Public Security Bureau of Fuyang City, and the Suzhou Prison in Anhui Province. People who were directly responsible for Mr. Wang's death were Security Section Chief of Hefei City Wu Jiabin, the Deputy Section Chief Li Jin, Team Captain in the West District of Hefei City Zhan, and prison warden Wang Jun.

The Third Prison in Suzhou, Anhui Province:
Warden Feng Jiabo 86-557-3061826
Political Commissar Lu Yong 86-557-3061517
Head of the Brainwashing Centre Tang Chuanyou: 86-557-3039687, 86-13305576300 (Cell)
Instructor Xia Liangmin 86-557-3052363

Assistant Head of the Brainwashing Centre Liu Jiazhong 86-557-3059980

Divisional Head of the Brainwashing Centre Huang Qijun 86-557-3043062

Instructor Yao Song 86-557-3061373

Germany: Information Day Held in Darmstadt

On June 13, Falun Gong practitioners in Darmstadt, Germany, held a Falun Dafa Information Day, clarifying the truth about Falun Gong and exposing the persecution in China. Many people signed petitions to support the practitioners.

Demonstrating the exercises	People ask for more information about Falun Gong.
People are viewing the truth-clarifying materials.	People sign petitions to support Falun Gong.

Many tourists were attracted to the exercise demonstration. They accepted flyers and signed the anti-persecution petition. Some of them also wanted to learn the exercises. A lady from South America read a flyer in Spanish. She signed her name and told practitioners that many traditions in her hometown have been lost, and this Chinese traditional cultivation method, which teaches people Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, should not be persecuted.

A Chinese lady who was visiting her family told practitioners that life in Germany is much better than in China, where many food products contain poisonous ingredients. She was happy to accept a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.

A Chinese couple who have lived in Germany for many years talked to practitioners for a long time. They paid their respects to practitioners and said that they had already quit the party. They were worried about the moral corruption in China very much. Before leaving, they wished practitioners good luck, and hoped Falun Gong can help improve the moral standards in China.

UK: Promoting Falun Gong at the Glasgow Art Festival

Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises at the Glasgow Art Festival.

On Sunday, June 14, 2009, the annual art festival was held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine. Falun Gong practitioners from Scotland and northern England attended the festival and demonstrated the beauty of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa).

There were nearly one hundred stalls at the festival. The Falun Gong stall near the entrance was very eye-catching. Banners that read "Falun Dafa in Scotland" and "Falun Dafa Is Good" as well as beautiful hand-made paper lotus flowers on the table attracted visitors. On the other side of the entrance, practitioners set up a table and laid out different kinds of information about Falun Gong and the petition forms condemning the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners also repeatedly demonstrated the five sets of exercises to the public.

There were many people at the art festival, and the Falun Gong booth was always crowded. Some lined up for Chinese calligraphy, some calmly watched practitioners' exercise demonstrations, while others signed petition forms calling for an end to the Chinese Communist regime's organ harvesting from living practitioners. Many people enquired where they could learn the Falun Gong exercises.

The festival organizing committee also invited practitioners to demonstrate the exercises on the central stage. At the end of the day, several thousand copies of Falun Gong flyers had been distributed, and about five hundred people had signed the petition form. Practitioners also helped eighteen Chinese people quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.