Free Mr. Li Tianjing, an Innocent Man

Name: Li Tianjing
Gender: Male
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 18th, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shou County Detention Centre
City: Liuan
Province: Anhui
Persecution Suffered: Forced injections of drugs; handcuffing/foot shackles; force-feedings

Two lawyers defended Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Tianjing during a court trial on the morning of January 15th, 2010. The hearing was held in the auditorium of Shouxihu Farm in Shou County. The lawyers from Beijing and Henan demanded the immediate release of Li because belief in Falun Gong is not a crime.

Ten members of Li's family listened to the debate along with more than 100 government employees, including police, prosecutors, and the courthouse staff. The audience was very quiet while the lawyers offered a powerful defence. In contrast, the prosecutors and judges were reading from a script in low voices. On several occasions, head judge Xu Jiacai cut short the lawyers in mid-sentence when they defended Mr. Li's spiritual belief. At the end when Mr. Li was about to speak, no sooner did judge Xu allow Li Tianjing to defend himself, he again stopped Mr. Li, telling him to hand in his defence in writing. The hearing ended abruptly.

A large crowd of spectators waited outside the courthouse. The county government sent several hundred police officers, along with more than thirty police cars and fire trucks, to the courthouse. At 11:40 a.m., right after the hearing, people rushed to the exit to ask about the verdict. They had seen the true face of the communist regime.

On July 18th, 2009, Mr. Li Tianjing was arrested in Hefei City by Liuan City police. To protest the detention, he went on a hunger strike. After an extended time, he became very weak. The police chained his hands and feet while he was held in a small room at the Shou County Chinese Medicine Hospital, and they tortured him by force-feeding him and injecting drugs into him. As a result, Mr. Li could not walk for days. On September 30th, 2009 he was transferred to Shou County Detention Centre.

Mr. Li's elderly parents and other family members tried to reason with the authorities to secure his release, but the police refused to allow them to see him.

During the court debate, the lawyers refuted the prosecutor's points as "non-factual, unsubstantiated, inappropriate use of the law," and they suggested that the charges be dismissed. Specifically, the defence lawyers stated that:

(1) No witnesses in court. None of the six witnesses showed up in court, making the charges meaningless.

(2) The interaction and exchanges between Falun Gong practitioners, including conversations and writing, are legal and reasonable. Therefore, Li Tianjing's behaviour is perfectly lawful.

According to the law, whether or not Mr. Li made any Falun Gong materials or helped others to make materials, there was no crime involved.

(3) Based on the Constitution, Mr. Li's belief in Falun Gong and his efforts to promote Falun Gong are not criminal conduct.

Falun Gong practitioners believe the practice is righteous, and they have the right to promote it. Their activities are a natural extension of religious freedom, and it is a citizen's constitutional right. No government agencies, social communities, or individuals have the right to intervene.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/1/27/217037.html