The Unjust Trial of Mr. Wang Yulin

Mr. Wang Yulin is a Falun Gong practitioner living in Houbatian Village, Jiandian, Jinniu Town, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. His home was raided by police in March. His personal belongings were confiscated, and he himself was framed and arrested. On October 12th, the court of Binchuan County started the trial for Wang Yulin. His family hired a lawyer from Guangdong and Beijing to defend his innocence.

Wang Yulin's family and friends, about 40 people, all waited outside of the court at around 8:00 a.m. on October 12th. The trial started at 8:30 a.m. The prosecutors concocted charges saying that Wang Yulin “Utilised a cult to block the implementation of the law” (Article 300 of criminal law). The so called “evidence” were the Shen Yun [a world-class traditional Chinese cultural show] and Prophecy & Life discs. The prosecutors claimed that when the local government officials went to Wang Yulin's home to “help” him, they found these discs and disc burning equipment, and reported him to the police. However, the officials did not show up to testify. In fact, the room where the discs were placed could be opened only Mr. Wang and his wife. Others had no way to enter that room, so the testimony was a pure lie.

Targeting the prosecutors' arguments, the lawyer pointed out, “1. The so called evidence can not be taken as the evidence unless the prosecutors showed the material objects, played the discs, and then people could see which law was violated; 2. In all the existing laws, none define Falun Gong being a cult, so Article 300 of criminal law cannot be applied; 3. Before the trial, police, procurators, and court personnel stopped the lawyers from seeing their client. Those people threatened Wang Yulin and forced him to plead guilty; 4. The police raiding Wang Yulin's home were not wearing police uniforms, which violated the law; 5. The entire process of home-raiding, arrest, and detention was completely illegal.”

The prosecutors purposely misled Wang Yulin into pleading guilty. However, the sentence should be based on the facts. No matter what Wang Yulin's attitude was, it could not be taken as the basis for the judgment. In the lawyers' closing statement, they asked the court to release Wang Yulin immediately. Wang's family and friends at the public gallery all applauded.

There were three judges and one clerk in this trial. One judge's name was Shi Pinli. The so called “prosecutors” were two people from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). During the trial, there was a plainclothes police officer holding a camera to record the entire process. He also wanted to film all of Wang's family and friends in the public gallery. Such behaviour was stopped by Wang's friends. The trial lasted for about three hours and ended after 11:00 a.m. When Wang's family and friends stepped out of the court, there were still some police in plainclothes trying to take pictures of them.

Background and Persecution History of Wang Yulin

Wang Yulin, lives in Houbatian Village, Jindian, Jinniu Town, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. His father had a stroke, but after practicing Falun Gong, he rapidly recovered. He was completely healed after about two weeks. He could then easily carry a 50 kg. (110 lb.) bag of fertiliser. This news quickly spread, and in a short time the number of Falun Gong practitioners rapidly increased. On Seniors' Day of 1998, Wang's father was invited to demonstrate the exercises on the stage. However, in July 1999, Jiang Zemin started the persecution of Falun Gong. Before the Chinese New Year's day of 2001, Xiang Yongxiang, the chief of political security department at the Binchuan Police Station, led the police to search Wang Yulin's home and kept Wang Yulin at the detention centre for 15 days. Just after Wang Yulin was released from the detention centre, he was again to sent to a brainwashing centre and kept there for one month.

At Wang Yulin's home on March 20th, 2012, at around 10:00 a.m., only his mother Zhang Juying was there when two police cars suddenly arrived. Six or seven police officers broke into Wang's house. The elderly woman nervously called Wang Yulin's younger brother and his wife who were working at the farm. The police threatened the old lady not to tell them that the police were at their home.

After Wang Leiwen arrived at home, he saw the police and tried to stop them. The police then showed him the search warrant and requested that he sign it. The officers participating in this home-raid included Yang Yu, the National Security Team captain from Binchuan County Police Station, and Xiang Yongxiang, the chief of Political Security Department at Binchuan Police Station. After confiscating things from Wang Leiwen's house, these officers moved on to search Wang Yulin's home. After taking away many things, they provided no list or note regarding this search. Moreover, they took away Wang Yulin and his wife, He Jiafeng. They then returned to Wang Leiwen's home and also took his mother to the National Security Team at the police station. They also requested that Wang Leiwen follow the police car to the police station.

The police separated Wang's family for interrogation. When Wang Leiwen, his sister in law, and his mother returned home from the police station, it was already after 10:00 p.m. However, Wang Yulin was not allowed to go back home. When Wang Leiwen left the police station, he was threatened by National Security Team captain Yang Yu that he must not contact Falun Gong practitioners, and not tell others about the home raid and arrest of his brother. Xiang Yuxiang also threatened to sentence Wang Yulin to prison if he didn't follow their instructions. Wang Leiwen went to the National Security Team the next morning to inquire as to where Wang Yulin was being held. Yang Yu replied that Wang Yulin had already been sent to the detention centre in Binchuan County.

After much effort, Wang Yulin's family finally hired lawyers in May who dared to accept the case to rescue Wang Yulin. On May 3rd, the lawyers went to the National Security Team to see Wang Yulin. The police there lied to the lawyers, saying that Wang Yulin would be released after a few days, so there would be no need to see him. They also tricked the lawyer into writing an application for release on bail. So the lawyer did not see Wang Yulin. However, Wang Yulin never returned home. On June 16th, three police officers went to Wang's home and told Wang's wife, He Jiafeng, “Wang will not be released. We just don't want to keep our word!”

The lawyers again went to the Binchuan Procuratorate on June 25th, to see Wang Yulin. However, the staff at the Procuratorate told them that the case had been returned to the police station due to lack of evidence. So the lawyers hurried to the police station. However, the police still used various means to keep the lawyers from seeing Wang Yulin.