Mr. Dong Shaotai, Almost Seventy, Sentenced to Seven-Year Prison Term

At 10:00 a.m. on April 13th, 2010, Mr. Dong Shaotai, a 68-year-old practitioner who had been detained for more than six months, was tried in the Shuangliu County Court in Sichuan Province. Two human rights lawyers from Beijing overcame many difficulties to valiantly defend their client.

In the end, the court followed the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and sentenced Mr. Dong, who had been persecuted almost to death, to seven years in prison. In reality the outcome of the trial had been decided long before the trial began.

That day, uniformed and plainclothes police and their vehicles could be seen up and down Shuncheng Street, where the court was located. The atmosphere was very tense. The Shuangliu County Court staff refused entry to all visitors. Anyone who arrived for business was told to come back the next day. Only on rare occasions do officials come out and talk to visitors. The staff at the court building entrance, including security guards and judicial police officers, said, "The police have imposed restrictions on who can enter the building because a special case is in progress."

The Supreme Court of China clearly stated that lawyers and prosecutors are exempt from inspections when they appear in court. However, staff at the Shuangliu Court insisted on searching Dong Shaotai's lawyers before allowing them to enter the courthouse. The lawyers argued strongly, but were ignored by the officials. With the excuse of doing a security inspection, two judicial police officers searched the lawyers' briefcases again and again. The lawyers were forced to pass through the security door three times. The officers even ordered the lawyers to take off their shoes for inspection, claiming that they were emitting some noises.

Meanwhile, a person was freely videotaping the lawyers and events in the court. As the court had imposed entrance restrictions, only Mr. Dong Shaotai's wife and daughter were allowed to enter the court with the lawyers. When they finally made it into the courtroom, the seats designated for observers were fully occupied by officials. Two officials gave up their seats for Ms. Dong's wife and daughter.

Mr. Dong Shaotai, retired from the Pipeline Coatings Company under Sichuan Petroleum and Natural Gas Ltd., Inc. Last September he was arrested and held in the Shuangliu County Detention Centre, where he showed symptoms of a heart attack and high blood pressure after he had been tortured.

About 15 days prior to the date of the court session, Mr. Dong's health started to deteriorate. His blood pressure skyrocketed to 200 mm Hg. He had difficulty breathing and symptoms of a heart attack. He couldn't walk without the assistance of others. His life was in danger. An ambulance and doctors were waiting outside while the court was in session because of his ill health. The police officers in Shuangliu County Detention Centre had been keeping him alive with daily injections of medication. Despite Mr. Dong's health problems, the officials refused to release him.

The lawyers asked the court to make medical treatment a priority over the trial. During the trial, the lawyers mentioned Mr. Dong Shaotai's health problems and asked the court to consider sending Mr. Dong for medical treatment and continuing the trial later.

Lawyer's Righteous Defence

The prosecutor quoted the statements made by several so-called witnesses, which Mr. Dong Shaotai refuted. One defence lawyer immediately asked for the witnesses to appear in court, but the judge refused the request.

The lawyer said that the evidence presented by the prosecutor was neither legal nor relevant. For instance, in the Letter of Prosecution, it mentioned the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). However, what kind of agency is the 610 Office? It is not a legally recognised entity, so there is no legal basis for their testimony.

In the meantime, the lawyers pointed out that the prosecutor listed many pieces of evidence such as Falun Gong DVDs, pamphlets, and other materials, but none of these proved that any crime had occurred. They were irrelevant to the charges. For instance, a Falun Gong DVD, presented as a main piece of "evidence," contained a show of music and dancing. Which law had been broken there?

The lawyers asked permission to play the Falun Gong DVD in the court to show the content, but the judge refused the request.

The Chief Judge attempted to limit the amount of time the defence lawyers were allowed to speak by constantly hammering with his gavel. The two lawyers were interrupted several times and also tried to continue their statements several times. Eventually, they managed to finish their statements of defence, which was that it is absolutely inappropriate to charge Mr. Dong Shaotai based on Clause 300 of the Criminal Law because Mr. Dong hasn't contravened any laws.

The lawyers also pointed out that the prosecutor's charges against Mr. Dong Shaotai violate the Constitution of China. The charges profane universal values such as freedom of belief. Moreover, the evidence was false and illogical.

More information about Mr. Dong Shaotai's persecution experience can be found at

http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2009/10/19/111709.html

Shuangliu County Court: 011-86-28-85823692
Address: 29, Shuncheng Street, Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province
Postal Code: 610200
Liu Qihong, Chief Judge, 011-86-28-85826953

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/4/25/222192.html