In an interesting new lawsuit, a number of U.S. and Chinese citizens who are practitioners of Falun Gong have filed a class action in federal court in California against Cisco Systems, Inc. and its executives for their alleged role in providing technology to the Chinese government that permitted it to track and persecute Falun Gong members. The action was filed on behalf of:
All person who were identified as Falun Gong practitioners through the use of the Golden Shield by Chinese authorities and were thereafter subjected to detention and/or physical abuse and/or torture for their Falun Gong related activity, and suffered injury as a result.
The 52-page complaint (
full text) in
Doe v. Cisco Systems, Inc., (ND CA, filed 5/19/2011), asserts 15 causes of action including violations of the
Alien Tort Statute and the
Torture Victims' Protection Act. It alleges that:
Cisco Systems, Inc.... knowingly, purposefully and intentionally designed, supplied, and helped to maintain a censorship and surveillance network known as the Golden Shield in collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese Public Security officers, knowing and intending that it would be utilized by members of the Communist Party of China ("CCP") and Chinese Public Security officers to eavesdrop, tap and intercept communications, identify, and track Plaintiffs as Falun Gong members for the specific purpose of subjecting them to gross human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, extrajudicial killing, and crimes against humanity, all in violation of international, U.S., and California law.
Reuters, reporting on the lawsuit, says that Cisco denies the allegations and contends that the company does not customize its products in any way that would facilitate censorship or repression.
