Practitioner Mr. Tao Yuan's Lawyers Injured and Threatened

Of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Tao Yuan's two lawyers, one has been injured and the other threatened by personnel trying to intimidate them from seeking justice for their client. Lawyer Cheng Hai said in a media interview, "That day at 9:00 a.m., seven to eight persons came. They closed the door and did not allow us through. They beat and kicked me. The middle finger on my right hand was bleeding, and my left rib was in pain. My right wrist and thumb joint is now extremely painful." The hospital diagnosed that Cheng Hai is suffering from soft tissue damage.

Zhou Peng, another lawyer from Chengdu, finished handling Mr. Tao's case in Guangyuan and returned to Chengdu on the night of April 14th. He was pressured by both the law office he worked for and Sichuan University, demanding that he cease his involvement in the case. Zhou had to abandon his original plan, which was to work together with lawyer Cheng Hai to supply legal aid to Ms. Zhang Shengrong, Mr Tao's mother, concerning her being monitored and tailed by the Jingyang Street Office.

Mr. Tao Yuan, a Chengdu Falun Gong practitioner, graduated from the Beijing Normal University Ming History Department. He has been detained and sent to forced labour many times since the persecution began in 1999. Over the last ten years he has been free for less than one year. In January 2007 Tao Yuan was arrested by police from the Jinyang Police Station, and sentenced by the Wuhou Court. He was sent to the Guangyuan Prison and is still being persecuted there. Mr. Tao's mother, Ms. Zhang Shengrong, has also been detained repeatedly since 1999. She has been monitored and followed by the Jinyang Street Office since 2005.

In March 2009, the Guangyuan Prison notified Ms. Zhang that her son Tao Yuan had a cervical dislocation and needed to undergo an operation. Ms. Zhang found lawyers to seek justice for her son. On April 12th she went home to pick up some ID cards when staff from the Jinyang Street Office and police officers who were monitoring her broke into her home. They harassed and threatened the lawyers, and kept Zhang Shengrong at home by force. The second day when the two lawyers went to see Ms. Zhang Shengrong, they were prevented by the staff of street office who were posted outside her house. Cheng Hai, the lawyer from Beijing, was injured.

Gong Daoquan, director of the Jinyang Street Office: 86-13981970353 (Mobile)
Zhang Zhenghua from the Armed Section of Jinyang Street Office: 86-13908171720 (Mobile), 86-28-87444539
Deng Xingqiang, deputy head of Jinyang Police Station

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/4/18/199187.html