Obstruction of Justice at the Trial of Practitioner Mr. Zhang Ximing

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Ximing was arrested while putting up posters exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in Guijiangli Residential Neighbourhood, Hexi District, Tianjin on March 30th, 2010. His family hired two attorneys to defend him. The trial was held on June 10th at the Hexi District Court.

An hour before the trial, both uniformed and plainclothes police were all over the nearby shops, residential neighbourhoods, and streets and in the park across the street.

Mr. Zhang's family asked to attend the trial, but they were blocked by the police. Eventually, two of them were allowed to enter the courtroom.

Though the courtroom was small, there was room for a dozen observers. However, besides Mr. Zhang's wife and father, all the other people sitting there were staff from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and the National Security Team.

Wei Changming, the female public prosecutor representing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) repeatedly slandered Falun Gong and framed Mr. Zhang Ximing.

Wei asked Mr. Zhang Ximing if he knew what the punishment would be for posting banners saying "Falun Gong Is Good," "The World Needs Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance". Wei told judge Yan Qing that Mr. Zhang had previously been put in forced labour camp for three years, and therefore should be sent to a brainwashing session. (Mr. Zhang was incarcerated in Qingbowa Forced Labour Camp in Tianjin for three years.)

Mr. Zhang's defence attorney immediately pointed out, "During the three years that my client, Mr. Zhang Ximing, was in the forced labour camp, all he received was persecution including physical punishment, intensive labour, and torture." Wei threatened the attorney, "Be careful of your language. Otherwise, you are going to bear the legal consequences for your words."

The other defence attorney said, "During the past ten years that Falun Gong has been suppressed, have people thought it over? Why do these Falun Gong practitioners firmly hold on to their beliefs, even when they are punished in forced labour camps or prisons? There's something..." Judge Yan Qing used his gavel to interrupt the defence without cause.

The attorney then said, "In all the items in the current Constitution, there is nothing that says that Falun Gong is a cult. Nor is there any such restriction that people cannot practise Falun Gong. Furthermore, ..." Yan Qing hammered his gavel again to interrupt.

The attorney then continued, "Freedom of belief is a basic right to which every citizen is entitled. A belief is a human thought and a thought does not constitute a crime. For example, ..." His defence was again interrupted by Yan Qing.

The attorney continued his defence, "The posters that Mr. Zhang Ximing posted didn't hurt anyone or damage any property, so it doesn't constitute a crime. Secondly, ..." He was interrupted again by Yan Qing hammering his gavel.

During the entire defence, both the judge Yan Qing and the prosecutor Wei Changming interrupted many times for no reason, making it impossible for the attorneys to perform a normal defence.

At the end, Judge Yan announced that the court was adjourned and that the sentence would be pronounced on another day.

The plainclothes police videotaped Mr. Zhang's family when they were in the court, and followed the family after they left the court.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/6/17/225548.html