LOS ANGELES — A lawsuit alleging San Jose-based technology giant Cisco Systems Inc. and two former executives aided the Chinese government in tracking and torturing adherents of the Falun Gong religious movement may proceed to trial, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Falun Gong members alleged in 2011 that Cisco provided China with the technology behind its "Golden Shield" surveillance platform knowing it would be used by the Chinese government to oppress religious adherents. They alleged it has since enabled China to track members to an astonishing degree and facilitated their brutal detention and torture by the Chinese government, which has labeled Falun Gong a dangerous cult and banned it.
A lower district court dismissed those claims against Cisco, former Cisco Chief Executive John Chambers and former Cisco China Vice President Fredy Cheung in 2014.
