In February 2002, CJA filed a civil suit against Liu Qi, former mayor of Beijing, for the torture and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Beijing police. Liu Qi was served with the summons and complaint at San Francisco International Airport. When he failed to answer or appear, CJA filed a motion for default judgment. After considering statements of interest filed by the U.S. and Chinese governments, Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California entered a default judgment against Liu Qi for overseeing the torture, arbitrary detention and sexual assault of the plaintiffs. In addition, CJA’s case against Liu Qi established an important precedent regarding the standard for adjudicating arbitrary detention and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
