(Minghui.org) Various spheres of society are paying close attention to the massive wave of lawsuits raised against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin.
Joel Etienne, a renowned Canadian attorney, Sheng Xue, Chair of the Federation of a Democratic China, and Han Guangsheng, former Director of the Shenyang Judicial Bureau, spoke in agreement of the great significance of these lawsuits in a recent interview.
Joel Etienne, a renowned Canadian attorney
Bringing Changes to China Will Impact Entire Planet
Canadian attorney Joel Etienne commented on corruption in the Chinese political sphere, “...the problem is misapplication of laws. The laws are in the infrastructure, but not applied, or lack transparency. You can turn a dictatorship into democracy. You don't have to necessarily change or transform the infrastructure.”
According to Etienne, if investigators, prosecutors, and judges collaborate properly, all human rights criminals can be brought to justice. Only a few successful verdicts are needed to bring sweeping changes to the entire country. In a court case outside China of a serial killer murdering 25 people, 25 trials would not be necessary. A single conviction in a court of law can sentence such a criminal to life imprisonment.
Etienne said the lawsuits against Jiang will cause a huge impact to the entire planet, and that its influence would reach beyond China. Chinese people's filing of complaints can be considered a form of voting and a form of expression.
Etienne said, “If you had a choice between being a voter for American president, or an individual right now filing a [criminal] complaint in China, I would rather be the person filing the complaint in China, because if you can help bringing changes to China, you are really changing the entire planet. I wonder sometimes if people in China have a correct understanding of the impact it would have on the entire planet if they could help their government evolve and change.”
Etienne fully supports more people suing Jiang because “there is strength in numbers... This is a classic reason why dictatorship cannot stand. If only one person is on the street, the dictator can get rid of that person. If all the people are on the street, then the dictatorship is done.”
Lawsuits Against Jiang Very Encouraging
Sheng Xue, Chair of the Federation of a Democratic China, described the tide of lawsuits against Jiang Zemin as encouraging and carrying immeasurable significance.
Sheng Xue, Chair of Federation of a Democratic China
Sheng said the many lawsuits filed overseas are making great progress. However, suing Jiang in China was an especially great undertaking. She mentioned that the verdicts of high-level Communist Party officials Wang Lijun, Bo Xilai, and Zhou Yongkang failed to include their crimes against humanity. All Falun Gong practitioners' lawsuits against Jiang charge him for crimes against humanity. When these lawsuits are carried out, the influence will be immeasurable.
A Breakthrough is Imminent
Sheng Xue said many people are aware of the numerous problems in Chinese society. “They know the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is a monstrosity, but don't know what to do.” Sheng believes that suing Jiang Zemin was a good starting point for a breakthrough; it's not only to stop the persecution of Falun Gong, but also to push China a step forward.
Referring to the communist dictatorship, Sheng said, “When you attempt to ply loose the first piece of a puzzle in the system, it may seem to be a solid metal board...however, after the first piece is plied off, the rest fall like dominoes.”
Grassroots Campaigns Have Indeed Brought Changes
Jiang utilized the entire state apparatus and all forms of media to instigate public resentment against Falun Gong and carry out the persecution. The strong tide of lawsuits against Jiang are now forming a counter-persecution situation in China.
Regarding this situation, Sheng Xue said, “It's great! The CCP's system has been heavy-handed. Many people would say, 'The CCP could do anything.' Based on their past experience, most Chinese people fear the CCP. Even if a person hasn't been persecuted, he'd still be scared of challenging the CCP, because of what he has heard and witnessed...Now a group of people step out to sue Jiang. It's a brave undertaking! The laws are the best weapon.”
According to Sheng, the tide of lawsuits allow people to feel hope and courage. Sheng noted how national outrage over Sun Zhigang's death in police custody had brought about a swift closure to the forced labor “re-education” system. Grassroots campaigns have indeed brought changes, she concluded.
Persecution of Falun Gong “A Crime Against Humanity”Han Guangsheng, former Director of the Shenyang Judicial Bureau now living in Canada, says he fully supports Falun Gong practitioners' legal actions against Jiang, because the persecution of Falun Gong “tramples on human rights” and “a crime against humanity.”
Han Guangsheng, former Director of the Shenyang Judicial Bureau
Han says the lawsuits against Jiang are “unprecedented” in China. He called the CCP a brutal dictatorship that has power as its ultimate goal and ruthlessly suppresses anyone it deems a challenge to its rule. The persecution of Falun Gong is against the Chinese Constitution, says Han.
“The 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and persecution of Falun Gong will be redressed and rectified once the CCP collapses,” Han added.
Separating Oneself from the CCP is the “Only Way Out”
Jiang established the “610 Office” nationwide in 1999 to carry out his persecution campaign.
According to Han, so many Falun Gong practitioners had been arrested that all the detention centers were full. The vice secretary of Shenyang's Political and Legal Affairs Committee asked Han to open forced labor camps to imprison Falun Gong practitioners. Han refused, saying Falun Gong practitioners hadn't violated any laws, and therefore didn't belong to any category of criminals accepted by forced labor camps. Despite this, the Ministry of Justice ordered all forced labor camps to imprison Falun Gong practitioners.
It became the starting point of Han's separation from the CCP. “If I refused to follow this order, I would've been removed from my position, expelled from the Party, or even arrested,” he recalled.
Han eventually fled China and applied for asylum in Canada, because he “didn't want to assist the CCP in committing crimes against humanity, or be arrested.” He said, “Leaving China was the only way out.”
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