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EU Parliament members support the indictment of five CCP officials for genocide and torture aimed at Falun Gong practitioners in China. (NTD News)
BRUSSELS, Belgium—The recent decision of the Spanish Court to accept charges of genocide and torture against five high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials for their role in the persecution of Falun Gong has drawn attention from members of the European Parliament.
Offering Hope to the People
Prof. Leonidas Donskis, a member from the former communist country of Lithuania, said that bringing high officials of the former Soviet Union to court would have been unimaginable to people of his generation. “With the decision of the Spanish Court, the message is clear—no matter how high-ranking people may be, if they act like Nazis or Bolsheviks, they will be brought to justice sooner or later,” he said.
He noted that when the international community does not ignore crimes committed by leaders of other countries due to some economic or political potential, that is truly offering hope to the people. “More importantly, we must regard human rights as a major guidepost for our policies and make the effort to have our voices heard. No matter how influential or important a country may seem to be, we cannot turn blind eyes to human rights abuses,” he said.
Prof. Donskis currently serves as director of the Political Science and Diplomacy School at Vytautas Magnus University and a docent at Helsinki University. He was awarded the title of Ambassador for Tolerance and Diversity in Lithuania in 2004. He is also a member of the Standing Committee for the Humanities of the European Science Foundation.
Criminal Behavior Must Be Punished
Mr Bart Staes, a member of the European Parliament from Belgium, also spoke positively about the case. “If the court finds the five defendants guilty, then international law should be followed and extradition should be possible. All the rules should be strictly followed, and criminal behavior must be properly punished,” he said.
Gerard Batten, a parliamentarian from London said he hopes that the Chinese people will ultimately bring those people to justice through their own legal system. “When China becomes a democracy, the people who have been responsible [for the persecution of Falun Gong] should be brought to justice. Their crimes should be identified, and they should be made to pay some kind of penalty.”
Universal Jurisdiction
The decision by the Spanish Court was taken under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows domestic courts to hear cases of genocide and crimes against humanity regardless of where they occur.
The court issued indictments for Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party and believed to be the instigator of the persecution of Falun Gong, and Communist Party officials Bo Xilai, Luo Guo, Jia Qinglin, and Wu Guanzheng.
The court notice states that the defendants face imprisonment for up to 20 years and may be held economically liable to the victims for damages. They could also face extradition if they travel to any country that has an extradition treaty with Spain.
The notice was filed Nov. 13, and the defendants have four to six weeks to reply.
Read the article original Chinese article.
