Austria: Falun Dafa Information Centre and International Human Rights Association hold a Joint Press Conference

On August the 31st 2004, the Austrian Falun Dafa Information Centre and the Austrian International Human Rights Association held a joint press conference about filing a lawsuit against Jia Qinglin.

Jia is currently part of the Central Political Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. When he worked as the Secretary of Beijing City Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 1999 to 2002, he proactively participated in the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners.

In politics, Jia followed Jiang Zemin’s persecution policy against Falun Gong very closely. When Jiang’s group started persecuting Falun Gong on July the 20th 1999, Jia immediately declared his stance and called a large meeting of Beijing City Committee of the Communist Party. During the meetings of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People’s Conference, Jia repeatedly emphasised the political struggle against Falun Gong and took every opportunity to attack Falun Gong. Jia also guided Beijing City Government’s investigation on the issue of Falun Gong. In addition, he slandered Falun Gong in various meetings and occasions. In Beijing’s mobilisation meeting to host the 16th Communist Party Congress, he proposed the persecution of Falun Gong to be one of the five most important tasks for Beijing City.

Among the twenty-seven Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted to death in Beijing is Zhao Xin, a 32-year-old professor in the Economics School of Beijing Technology and Business University. She was beaten by Beijing’s public security officials because she practised Falun Gong exercises openly. Her cervical spine was fractured and smashed. Suffering from the torment and pain for six months, she died on the evening of December the 11th 2000.

After paying a visit to Korea, Jia Qinglin continued his travels to Austria on August the 30th 2004. The Austrian Falun Dafa Association, the International Human Rights Association, “The Society for Threatened People” (a German human rights organisation), many private individuals and Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted in Beijing filed a joint lawsuit against Jia for committing crimes of torture.

Practitioners stand in front of the Procurator’s office in Vienna with the lawyer

In the press conference, a spokesman for the Austrian Falun Dafa Information Centre revealed the persecution that Jia has enforced on Falun Gong practitioners. The representative from the International Human Rights Association also provided an introduction about the details of the legal action.