Lawyers for Qitaihe City Practitioners Defend Their Innocence During Trial

Bi Shuqing, director of the Qitaihe City Police Department 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), led a dozen police officers to arrest practitioners Li Xinchun, Guo Qizhong, Jiang Botao, Guan Shuxue, Li Fengbo, and Liu Fangrong on the afternoon of September 22nd, 2009. Among them, Li Fengbo suffered late stage lung cancer as a result of the persecution and was released. On April 1st-2nd, 2010, the Qitaihe City Xinxing District Court tried the above-mentioned practitioners. Two attorneys defended practitioners Li Xinchun and Jiang Botao.

When Qitaihe City authorities learned that the practitioners' families had hired attorneys to defend them in court, they immediately reported it to the Beijing Law Enforcement Bureau, which in turn pressured the law firms, attempting to force them not to defend the practitioners' innocence, but instead to plead only for reduced punishment. The authorities also harassed the attorneys with threatening telephone calls.

In the beginning, three families planned to hire attorneys, but after being pressured by the Xinxing District Court, practitioner Liu Fangrong's family withdrew their plan to hire one.

The two attorneys pointed out that the logic of the case completely lacked objectivity, in that the authorities determined the crime committed by practitioners first and tried to collect evidence later. The attorneys also argued that the only evidence presented in the indictment was the so-called confessions. When the attorneys demanded that the prosecutor present evidence and witnesses, the prosecutor could produce neither.

The attorneys also pointed out, "Persecuting Falun Gong practitioners is unlawful based on current Chinese law. The law is supposed to regulate people's actions but not people's minds and beliefs."

Practitioner Li Fengbo, who suffered late stage lung cancer, also received a subpoena to appear in court. Her elder brother had to carry her because she was extremely frail. She could not utter a single word in her defence due to her health condition.

Practitioners Liu Fangrong, Guo Qizhong and Guan Shuxue (female) defended themselves in court.

The trial lasted from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. The court was adjourned but produced no verdict.

At the time of this writing, the five practitioners were still being held at Qitaihe City Detention Centre.

Perpetrators:

(area code: 86-464)
Criminal Court:

Zheng Shuwei, presiding judge: 13946506176
Tian Shuhai, one of main leaders: 13704577388
Han Jiali, court director: 8263407, 13946517878
Mu Zhaoren, in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners: 2996451, 13946519087
E Jinya, public prosecutor: 8340705 (Office), 13804871982

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/4/11/221337.html