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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Spanish Court Indicts Chinese Leaders for Persecution of Falun Gong


The Federal court of Spain has indicted senior government officials of the Chinese government, among them the former chairman of the Communist Party – Jiang Zamin, for tortures and genocide of people who practice Falun Gong in China. If the officials indicted do not respond, it is expected that the court will rule on their extradition to Spain and possibly sentences of up to 20 years in jail.

The presiding judge, Judge Ismael Moreno, devoted two years to the investigation, in accordance with a ruling of the constitutional court in 2006 that ordered Spanish courts to accept the case on the basis of the legal principal of universal jurisdiction. This legal principal makes it possible for courts in any locale to undertake proceedings against people who have committed genocide and crimes against humanity in other locations in the world.

Evidence that was brought before the judge in the course of a two-year investigation included testimony written by 15 practioners of Falon Gong and direct verbal testimonies from 7 of them. In arriving at his decision, Judge Moreno also relied on reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Legal Fund and the UN Human Rights Committee.

Attorney Carlos Iglesias of the Human Rights Legal Fund (HRLF) said “The historic decision of the Spanish judge means that the leaders of Communist China who are responsible for the cruel crimes are now one step closer to being brought to justice. When a person commits genocide or torture, this is a crime against the entire international community and not only against Chinese citizens.” A Falon Gong newspaper notes that this is the first time that a court recognizes the persecution of FG believers in accordance with the legal definition of genocide.

Iglesias also said “the perpetrators of crimes of genocide and torture will actually stand before two courts. First they will stand before a court of law, and secondly, they will be judged by history for committing the most horrible crimes of all, persecution of millions of people whose only purpose was to improve their moral and spiritual beings in accordance with universal ethical principles.” He also expressed a hope other countries would also take action. "This decision of the Spanish judge, I sincerely think will open the door for other countries around the world to also start to investigate these crimes - and for justice to be served in the genocide that the Chinese Communist Party is committing against Falun Gong."

Sources:
Epoch Times - Israeli edition (November 26-December 2, 2009). An unprecedented court ruling against senior Chinese officials for crimes of genocide: Standing trial before history. Translated from Hebrew.

Friends of Falun Gong Newsletter. (November 2009) Taiwan: Spanish court indicts former chinese leaders, lawyer calls for the extradition of the five defendants. http://www.fofg-europe.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=36

International Federation for Justice in China (Retrieved May 20, 2010). Jiang Zemin indicted in Spain for genocide and torture of Falun Gong practitioners, http://www.ifjc.org/content/view/1929/30/lang,en/