Three Practitioners in Jixi City Receive Heavy Sentences

Around 9:30 a.m. on November 10th, 2009, the Jiguan District Court tried Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Wang Xinchun, Ms. Zhong Li, and Mr. Liu Xuegang. The court adjourned at 4 p.m. Four lawyers defended the case. The prosecuting attorney had difficulty responding because of the complete testimony by the defence. The evidence provided by the prosecuting attorney was incomplete. Although the case involved illegal issues such as forged records by the police, inconsistent evidence, extorting a confession by torture, and improper incitement of the law, the court circumvented the law and sentenced Mr. Wang to nine years of imprisonment, and Mr. Liu and Ms. Zhong to eight years.

Before the trial, at the demands of the family and friends of the practitioners, the court reluctantly issued eight bystander passes. All other bystanders in the court were from the local "610 Office¹", the Domestic Security Division, and the Police Department.

Law-enforcement departments violated the law while supposedly enforcing the law, which tends to be a common occurrence when Falun Gong is involved. In this case, the police officers who were involved in the arrests of the practitioners did not show a detention warrant or ID, ignoring article 64 of the criminal procedure law of the People's Republic of China. According to the law, administrative detention cannot exceed 14 days, but the three practitioners were detained for more than 40 days. The facts involving the alleged criminal acts by the defendants provided by the public prosecutor could not bear cross-examination.

After the court session was open, Han Jianli, the public prosecutor read the indictment, in which Mr. Wang was charged with participating in a cult which violated the law. The defence lawyer asked the public prosecutor to provide documents that declare Falun Gong a cult. The public prosecutor could not provide the non-existent documents. The defense lawyer again questioned, "Which article of the law did Mr. Wang violate?" The public prosecutor faltered. Mr. Wang stated that he was tortured for a confession.

In the case of Mr. Liu and Ms. Zhong, the defense lawyer questioned how police officer Sun Weiguo could have interrogated two practitioners at the same time when they were in different locations. One practitioner was detained in the Xishan Police Station and the other at the Jixi Detention Centre. The public prosecutor could not answer. Mr. Liu stated how he was tortured for a confession. Ms. Zhong was handcuffed behind her back, and then got diarrhoea. Sun Weiguo, who was handling her case, forced her to sign a confession by telling her that she would be prohibited from using the toilet if she did not sign. Ms. Zhong finally signed the document against her will. Both defendants stated that their diseases and bad habits disappeared after they began practising Falun Gong. The defence attorney's made it clear that Falun Gong teaches people to be compassionate, that Chinese law stipulates the people have the freedom of belief, and that the practitioners were innocent, requesting their release.

The judge ignored the facts of the case which proved that the three practitioners were innocent, and sentenced Mr. Wang to nine years of imprisonment, and Mr. Liu and Ms. Zhong to eight years. The defendants appealed their case to a higher court.

Jiguan District Court:
Wang Zhaoquan, president: 86-467-2641601
Ma Liping, director of criminal tribunal: 86-467-2727999, 86-13836559790 (mobile)
Tang Jingjie, judge who is in charge of this case: 86-467-2641636, 86-13945819677 (mobile)

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/12/31/215393.html