Law and Disorder Overview
While most readers recognize that under China’s one-party system, the judiciary functions differently than in a democratic society, few realize the extent to which China’s legal system remains subject to the whims of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). With China’s hundreds of thousands of lawyers, thousands of judges and brand new court buildings, do Falun Gong adherents who are wrongfully imprisoned have a place to appeal? Are those who are abused able to press charges against their torturers?
The answer is that, despite rhetorical references to the “rule of law,” obtaining justice through the Chinese legal system remains an impossibility for Falun Gong practitioners.
Indeed, as the articles in this section vividly illustrate, the campaign against Falun Gong is a continuing reminder of the CCP’s ability to override the constitution, to tightly control the judiciary, and to blatantly disregard commitments made under international human rights treaties:
