On February 7, 2002, Liu was sued in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California[5] by the San Francisco-based human rights organization, the Center for Justice and Accountability. The plaintiffs in that case alleged that, as mayor of Beijing, Liu was responsible for formulating security policy and had control over the local police. The police were in turn alleged to have tortured the plaintiffs with beatings, electric shock, and forced feedings through tubes inserted through the plaintiffs' noses.[6] The court issued a declaratory judgment that Liu was responsible for violating the defendants' rights to be free from torture and arbitrary detention.[7] However, because Liu did not defend the suit, there were no hearings, trials, or findings of fact on the issues presented.
