The court in Xichang City, Sichuan Province held a trial of Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Lu Yuancui and Ms. Xia Huiqiong on April 28th, 2010. The trial ended in a hurry after a strong defence from a human rights attorney.
Policemen and Plain-Clothes Police Everywhere Around the Court
The trial started at 9:00 a.m. on April 28th. The Deputy Head of the Xichang City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and other police were present at the courthouse.
According to court officials, the trial was open to the public, but when the trial started, many people were not allowed in the court. One elderly lady who came from the countryside was stopped outside of the door because she did not have any identification. A practitioner's family member was not admitted to the trial either. Despite these limitations, nearly 100 people were sitting in the courtroom and over 300 people were waiting to audit the trial. It was noted that several days before the trial some officials from various county's 610 offices had threatened local practitioners not to attend.
Before the trial started, the police wanted to do a security check on the defence attorney. The attorney refused, citing the law. Even the chief of the court did not dare to search him. The policemen had no choice but to let him enter.
Just before the trial began, court head Liu Yong and deputy head Shi Shuyun asked to make a copy of the attorney's licence, emphasising that it was a special requirement from Liangshan Zhou. The attorney had no choice but to adhere to their request.
The judge never sent out a notice of trial, which is required by law.
Attorney Defends Convincingly
The trial started at 9:00 a.m. Ms. Lu Yuancui exposed the fact that policemen from Xichang City had directed people from the Tohuang Detention Centre to withhold the clothes, a quilt and money that her family had sent to her. She and Ms. Xia Huiqiong, two women in their fifties, had to sleep on the concrete floor for more than 20 days. They even had to borrow toilet paper from others.
During the evidence stage of the trial, Jiang Hua and Jin Kebin from the City Procuratorate showed six CDs as "evidence" in order to frame Lu Yuancui and Xia Huiqiong. A policeman even took away the case files that the attorney was reading.
The attorney pointed out that there was no witness and no signature on the confession, and according to the law, the witness testimony is void.
The two practitioners defended themselves. They said the content of the CDs were to promote traditional Chinese culture and ask people to be compassionate. They were exposing the facts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecuting the Chinese people, therefore it should not be used as criminal evidence. Lu Yuancui said: "Practising Falun Gong is for being a good person and following the principles of truth, compassion and forbearance." Lu Yuancui's defender was her husband, but the judge denied him his rights to speak.
The attorney defended these Falun Gong practitioners based on freedom of belief, which is protected by the Chinese Constitution. He said, "Thoughts do not constitute crimes" and "There is no current Chinese law that bans Falun Gong." During the trial, the prosecutors never told the Judge and attorneys which laws Xia Huiqiong and Lu Yuancui had broken.
Presiding judge Shi Shuyun, judge Yang Bo and prosecutor Jiang Hua tried to interrupt the defence attorney's testimony. But the attorney insisted on finishing the defence testimony.
The 610 Office deputy head Chen Qi was manipulating the court throughout the whole trial.
Finally, the defence attorney and the two Falun Gong practitioners asked for their immediate release. The presiding judge said they were waiting for the decision from the collegiate bench (committee of judges) and the court was adjourned.
People directly involved in the persecution:
Xining Police Station: Xu Junfeng
National Security Team of Xichang City: Tai Gangyi, Chen Quansheng, Chen Lian
Xichang City Procuratorate: Jiang Hua, Jin Kebin
Xichang City Court: Presiding Judge Shi Shuyun
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/5/6/222934.html
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