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Falun Gong files
lawsuit over Beijing mayor visit
By Loa Iok-sin and Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporters
Falun Gong members protest the
arrival of Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong inside the arrivals hall at Taiwan Taoyuan
International Airport yesterday.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit
against Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong (郭金龍), who arrived in Taiwan yesterday
afternoon, saying he had committed crimes against humanity, including his
alleged involvement in the torture and abuse of Falun Gong practitioners and
Tibetans.
A group of Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan, accompanied by attorney Theresa
Chu (朱婉琪), filed a lawsuit against Guo yesterday morning with the Taiwan High
Prosecutors’ Office, asking it to launch a probe into Guo’s alleged crimes
against humanity.
Guo arrived in Taiwan hours after the lawsuit was filed to take part in Beijing
Culture Week, hosted by the Taipei City Government.
“Guo’s record of human rights violations started with the repression of Tibetans
in Tibet, who struggled for their freedom when he served as the Chinese
Communist Party [CCP] chief in the Tibetan Autonomous Region,” Chu told the
media outside the prosecutors’ office in Taipei. “Then, when Guo was party chief
in Anhui Province, he prepared reports and a strategic handbook for the
repression of Falun Gong activities in the province, leading to the illegal
arrest of at least 37 Falun Gong practitioners.”
A member of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee, Guo was involved in the
arrests of 586 Falun Gong practitioners in a six-month period, and more than 100
have been arrested in Beijing since he was sworn in as mayor of China’s capital,
Chu said.
Guo became mayor of Beijing in January 2008.
“Guo’s role in the repression of Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan activists
constitutes crimes against humanity, as well as violations of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” Chu said. “As those human rights
covenants have been adopted by the Legislative Yuan as domestic laws, the
judiciary should take action if someone accused of such crimes is in the
country, as many other countries that have prosecuted Chinese officials have
done.”
Chu also panned the government for permitting Guo to visit Taiwan.
“We’ve delivered evidence of human rights abuses for which Guo was responsible
to the National Immigration Agency, but he was still granted a permit to enter
the country,” Chu said. “Most shockingly, Guo submitted his application [for a
permit to visit Taiwan] on Feb. 4, and it was approved on Feb. 8 — even though
there was a two-day weekend at that time.”
Guo, who was invited by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), is the ninth
Chinese official to be sued for alleged crimes against humanity since 2009.
Upon arriving in Taipei yesterday, he visited former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰)
at Lien’s office before attending a dinner banquet hosted by former KMT chairman
Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) at the Grand Hotel.
The six-day trip is Guo’s first visit to Taiwan and he is expected to discuss
cross-strait issues and exchanges with various politicians during his stay.
The KMT insists Guo is in Taiwan to promote cross-strait cultural exchanges and
his itinerary will focus on activities surrounding Beijing Culture Week.
Guo will visit the National Palace Museum and Songshan Cultural and Creative
Park today, and head to Eslite Bookstore’s Xinyi flagship store before attending
a cultural night at the Taipei Arena tomorrow.
Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, co-organizer of the Beijing
Culture Week, said Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) would accompany Guo to the
exhibitions at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, and would introduce art and
design work by Taiwanese artists.
Beijing Culture Week is a large-scale cultural event co-organized by Taipei and
Beijing, launched seven years ago. Taipei and Beijing take turns hosting the
event every six months.
Guo is also looking to use his visit to meet local politicians.
Information provided by the KMT shows he will visit also Greater Taichung,
Changhua County and Nantou County and meet local KMT government leaders in those
cities.
Hau and New Taipei City (新北市) Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) will meet with Guo and
discuss the possibility of more city-to-city exchanges.
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