For 15 years, Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wherever CCP leaders visit abroad, Falun Gong practitioners in the area hold peaceful protests calling for an end to the persecution and punishment for the culprits. Local Chinese embassies often obstruct this peaceful activity.
This situation has once again taken place in Argentina, and a Chinese embassy official has been arrested for violence.
On July 18, Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a four-day visit. Outside of the Sheraton Hotel where Xi Jinping stayed, Argentinian Falun Gong practitioners displayed banners on the sidewalk. Their banners read statements such as: "Welcome Xi Jinping," "Falun Dafa Is Good," "Immediately Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong," "Bring Culprits of the Persecution to Justice," to name a few.
At 11:00 AM that day, Falun Gong practitioners were faced with intimidation and violence from several people with close ties to the Chinese Embassy in Argentina. Included are leaders of the Chinese Supermarket Association and Fujian Association, as well as thugs said to be hired by the Chinese embassy. They tried to take away the banners and display boards. A deputy military attache from the Chinese Embassy also arrived at the scene.
Ms. Fu, Argentina Falun Dafa Association representative: "Whenever an important [Chinese] person comes to Argentina, the Chinese embassy always fears they will see the Falun Dafa banners and signs. Basically every Chinese embassy around the world particularly fears this. They snatch at us like gangsters. Even the Argentina police were intimidated. They reported to their leaders saying things like, 'It's too dangerous to those who are unarmed. They are too crazy and violent. Those [Falun Dafa] practitioners are very good.'"
Ms. Fu says that after the Argentina police witnessed the violence of the CCP thugs, they deployed a large number of police and demanded that the thugs not get near the Falun Gong practitioners.
When Xi Jinping's motorcade began to approach, the deputy military attache gestured orders to a group of thugs to get by the police and destroy the Falun Gong banners at once. Argentina police separated the CCP thugs using batons. When Xi Jinping's motorcade arrived, Falun Gong practitioners held their banners high and shouted: "Falun Dafa is good."
On the morning of July 19, Xi Jinping visited Argentina's National Congress. Riot police accompanied Falun Gong practitioners at the site to protect them as they protested. But, the Chinese consulate's deputy military attache ordered the thugs to break through the police defense line. In the end, the deputy military attache was arrested.
Ms. Fu: "That deputy military attaché also ordered the police to not allow us to be there. The police ignored him. Those thugs jabbed the police with their flags while trying to break through to our side of the barricade. The police took them down, but then the Chinese diplomat got up again and kept madly trying to get at us. He broke through and then a plainclothes policeman and another policeman took him down and arrested him."
Ms. Fu says that when Xi Jinping walked out of the Congress, he was standing on top of the staircase. He could see the banners the Falun Gong practitioners held from afar. When his convoy left the Congress, they once again met the Falun Gong practitioners.
Ms. Fu says that CDs of the video footage of the violent CCP thugs will be widely distributed. She says a lawsuit will also be brought up against them.
Ms. Fu: "We have sent the all the video footage to the biggest news stations here, and they aired it. On Monday night, the third largest TV station will also show the footage. Our next step will be to write a protest letter to the parliament. We will make CDs from the recordings of the incident and give them to the public. Tomorrow we will also sue them in court for their violent attacks."
Ms. Fu had filed a lawsuit against Luo Gan on charges of genocide and crime of torture in December 2005 when Luo was visiting Argentina as the former secretary of the Central Politics and Law Commission. The Argentina Federal Court accepted the case, and Judge Octavio Aráoz de Lamadrid was responsible for the hearing.
In the case proceedings, the judge found that Luo Gan’s superior, former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, was the one who launched the persecution of Falun Gong.
Therefore, Jiang Zemin was also added in the case.
On Dec. 17, 2009, Judge Lamadrid ruled that Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan have committed crimes against humanity. The judge issued an international warrant for Jiang and Luo.
In the 142 page long legal document, Lamadrid describes the detailed assessment of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, as well as the role of Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan in the persecution.