After Suffering Torture, Dafa Practitioners Speak Out for Justice in a Courtroom in Jilin Province

On January 6, 2004, the Shulan City Court brought to trial four Dafa practitioners, Mr. Fu Hongwei, Ms. Song Bing, Ms. Song Yanqun, and Mr. Zhao Jiran, without due process. In convening the trial, the court violated the legal process, as it did not publicly announce the trial three days in advance, did not inform the family members of the victims and did not allow the accused to speak during the trial. Two policemen dragged practitioner Fu Hongwei into the court, whose legs were seriously injured due to torture. Because family members saw through the attempt by the court to secretly hold a trial for the four practitioners, they immediately requested permission to be spectators. In the court, Fu Hongwei shouted: "Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is the righteous law! Restore the rightful reputation of my Teacher!" It shocked the officials of the court as well as those who were there as spectators. The police hurriedly ushered the family members out of the court and prohibited them from being spectators. The trial was hastily brought to a close.

1. Court of Law -- Law Enforcers Breaking the Laws

Justice and impartiality are originally the basic intention of laws. However, in the treatment of Falun Gong, under direct command from Jiang, the various levels of procuratorial branches and people's courts never take into account any laws. In the course of the January 6 trial at the Shulan City court, the example of this course of action is evident.

At about 9 a.m. on January 6, 2004, the Shulan City court convened the trial of four Falun Dafa practitioners. Under the "Criminal Prosecution Law" there is a law that states: "The court must publicly announce three days ahead of the trial, the summary of the case, the names of the accused, the time of commencement of the trial, and the location of the trial, for the convenience of the public and family members of the accused who wish to be spectators at the trial." But in this instance, the court did not conform to the law during the trial from the beginning to the end.

On the morning of January 6, family members of a Dafa practitioner accidentally heard that there would be a trial of practitioners that day, and went to the criminal court to enquire of Liu Yong, the judge for the case, if there was indeed a trial. When the family members received an affirmative reply, they asked: "Then why was a public announcement not made, and we, the family members not informed?" Liu Yong replied: "There is an internal order which stipulates that in the case of Falun Dafa practitioners, we need not make any announcement and the family members need not be notified." The family members enquired further: "Is that not violating the law?" Judge Liu Yong replied: " It is a violation of the law, but we will not make any public announcement. It is an order from above." [In China "above" is a common term used to denote a "superior officer"]

When the trial commenced, the officers from the Public Security Department, the Procurator, the serving officers of the court and their family members posing as family members of the Falun Gong practitioners were asked to be seated in the public gallery, in order to make the trial appear legal. Officers of the court prohibited practitioner's family members from entering the public gallery, as they did not possess identity cards. That is not a valid reason for their being denied access to the spectators' gallery. Amongst the twenty to thirty people in the public gallery, only two were family members of practitioners. The family members who heard the news and hurried to the court had to stay outside the door of the court to listen to the proceeding.

In the court, procurator Yang Guangyou brazenly and openly attempted to trap an accused into a confession. A family member at the trial questioned Yang Guangyou: "You are the procurator. How could you attempt to draw a confession from an accused?" After hearing that, Yang Guangyou could not put forward any further argument and kept silent. Judge Liu Yong interrupted the statements of practitioners several times. In fact, the practitioners were not allowed to speak. On every occasion when it was time for a practitioner to speak, the judge interrupted, especially when the practitioner tried to explain how the police of Shulan City extorted their confessions. The "evidence" obtained by the procurator was basically obtained by severely beating the practitioner to make them confess to the false charges. That is not permitted under the law: hence the judge interrupted the practitioners every time the matter of the confessions was brought up.

In the "Constitution of China" and "Criminal Prosecution Law" there are clauses that guarantee the accused the right to defend and the right to make statements. But during this trial at Shulan City, the only ones who were allowed to speak in the course of the whole trial were the judge and the procurator. On the other hand, the accused Dafa practitioners who were the aggrieved parties were hardly allowed to speak at all! In fact, the "what I say goes" policy of the trial proves that it was only for show.

2. Dafa Practitioners -- Heroic Undertaking in Fa-rectification

Although there was a serious violation of the law at the Shulan City court in vainly attempting to make various accusations against Dafa practitioners, the realistic and concrete actions of the practitioners exposed the persecution by the evil perpetrators, thus verifying the purity of Dafa.

Dafa practitioner Song Bing pointed out in court that her confession was extorted by torture and that whatever the Public Security Department claimed as evidence were without exception obtained that way. In particular, when the procurator Yang Guangyou asked her why she did not admit to what she said, Song Bing replied: "Was that not because you assaulted me in that instance?"

After Dafa practitioner Zhao Jiran was taken into court, she exposed that during the period of her illegal detention, she suffered persecution, pointing out a person present in court as a police officer from the National Security Department, National Defense Brigade, Shulan City, by the surname of Li who had severely abused her bodily which injured her both physically and mentally. She appealed to the court for justice. Police officer Li fled the courtroom fearing that the world would know of his repulsive actions.

Two policemen dragged Dafa practitioner Fu Hongwei into court, because he could not use his legs as they were severely injured from beatings. The officers who dragged him into court savagely cast him to the floor. Under the extreme devastation of his body, Fu Hongwei still persisted in his belief. Before the judge could be properly seated, he shouted: "Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is the righteous law! Restore the rightful reputation of my Teacher!" We are not against the nation, and do not oppose the Party or the government. We only believe in Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) and being good people, what wrong have we done?" The voice of righteousness sustained for more than twenty minutes in the courtroom. The police and the judge were in a quandary. The members of the family and public standing at the door of the courtroom listening to the proceedings were quickly pushed aside by the police. A member of the family bitterly implored the police: "I am just looking at my son, will you please be considerate of the feelings of the parents?" Before the words were all said, four policemen pushed, pulled and shoved the person out of the courthouse. Judge Liu Yong unexpectedly said to the procurator: "Just say a few words and that will do." The entire trial of Zhao Jiran and Fu Hongwei was but a farce. It had no outcome. The session was hastily brought to a close.

The appeal and righteousness of the Dafa practitioners in the court exposed the persecution and verified the purity of Dafa. They have instead sent judge Liu Yong and the procurator to trial in the court of morality and justice.

Postscript: Police -- Extorting Confessions by Torture

Fu Hongwei, Song Bing, Song Yanqun and Zhao Jiran are four Dafa practitioners who were severely tortured during the period they were in detention.

According to those in the know, the Public Security Department of Shulan City employed two hatchet men from Jilin City to extort confessions by torturing the four Dafa practitioners. They hung the practitioners up and severely beat-up and abused them in many ways. Their methods were extremely cruel and ruthless. Dafa practitioner Fu Hongwei was shocked with an electric baton till his face became distorted and his nose and mouth continuously bled. He was unable to walk when he had to appear in court and was dragged there by two policemen. The two sisters, Song Yanqun and Song Bing were severely tortured by being held on the tiger bench [an instrument of torture, one is forced to sit on a small iron bench with knees are tightly tied on the bench and hands tied on the back. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the lower legs to make it even harder to bear the pain], being hung up, and Carrying a Sword in the Back [The practitioner's hands are tied behind his back with one hand over the shoulder and the other hand against the lower back. The police then apply a great deal of force to pull the two hands toward one another and handcuff the two hands together.]. They were also each forced to the ground and force-fed two bottles of extremely pungent pepper and mustard solution (using mineral water bottles). Their noses and mouths were filled with the solution until they nearly suffocated. Song Bing had a badly swollen nose that was bleeding profusely. Her sister Song Yanqun's mouth was seriously damaged. On the day of the trial both of them were so weak they could hardly speak.

The conduct of Falun Gong practitioners in China conforms to the requirements of the Constitution (including belief, assembly, expressions of opinions, freedom of publications and so on). However, those who actually violate the laws, those who extort confessions by torture, those who excessively punish and severely infringe upon the personal rights of the citizens are treated with a blind eye, shielded and tolerated, and sometimes even encouraged. But these Falun Gong practitioners who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance and who "will not fight back when being punched or insulted" are truly suffering from the persecution as innocent and compassionate persons, with their belief and human rights being violated.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/1/10/64532.html