Shanghai Computer Engineer Mr. Hou Junjie Tried, His Younger Brother Arrested for Hiring a Lawyer

Name: Hou Junjie
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Address: Luojia New Village, Xujing Town, Shanghai
Occupation: Engineer
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 25th, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Qingpu District Detention Centre
City: Shanghai
Persecution Suffered: Home ransacked, detention

Qingpu Court officials tried computer engineer Mr. Hou Junjie on August 20th, 2012. Mr. Hou's younger brother Mr. Hou Mengqiang was arrested for hiring a lawyer for his brother. Shanghai police made the arrest on August 23rd in Zhengzhou City. The court officials intended to hold a second court session, and told Mr. Hou Junjie's lawyer not to defend Mr. Hou in court.

Mr. Hou Junjie had been working in Shanghai until he was arrested by officers from the Xujing Police Station in Qingpu District on April 25th, 2012. The Shanghai judicial system intended to sentence him to imprisonment. Mr. Hou's younger brother Mr. Hou Mengqiang in Zhengzhou hired a lawyer to enter a not-guilty plea for his older brother.

Mr. Hou Mengqiang has been harassed twice by officers from the Zhengzhou Domestic Security Division since he hired the lawyer. The first time was around June 28th, when he was summoned and interrogated. At that time his computer was confiscated. The second harassment took place on August 22nd. Officers from the Zhengzhou Domestic Security Division went to his company to look for him, but could not find him.

When Mr. Hou Mengqiang was walking on the street with his colleague around 11:00 p.m. on August 23rd, four plainclothes police officers who claimed they came from Shanghai arrested him.

Shortly after, Mr. Hou Junjie's lawyer Xiong Daiying received a notice from the Qingpu Court, saying that a second court session against Mr. Hou would begin at 9:15 a.m. on August 31st. However, the court officials told the lawyer not to appear in court, but that to write a statement of legal opinion and mail it to Shanghai would be sufficient. According to an upright lawyer in Beijing who analysed this notice, the Qingpu Court intentionally excluded the lawyer, which means that a verdict will be directly pronounced during the court session.

Mr. Hou Mengqiang has been transferred to Shanghai. His employer went to Shanghai on August 27th to handle the matter.

Related article:
“Shanghai Computer Engineer Mr. Hou Yunjie Arrested”
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/6/1/133735.html