Accountant and Doctor Arrested, Their Lawyers Prevented from Getting Involved

Zeng Yuxian, a former accountant, and Cui Weikai, a former emergency centre doctor, were arrested by police officers from the Cangxi 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and State Security Department. Both of them are from Cangxi County, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. Their families have hired lawyers, but the communist regime has harassed and subjected them to intimidation, trying to force them to drop the case.

Details of the Arrests

Mr. Zeng Yuxian is 48 years old. He was formerly an accountant at the Cangxi County Commercial Bureau. On March 26th, 2010, he was arrested by police officers from the Fanxi 610 Office and the State Security Department. His house was raided, and his computer, printer, and DVD writer were taken away. Mr. Zeng has been held in custody at Cangxi County Detention Centre since his arrest.

Mr. Zeng was fired from his job for practising Falun Gong. He was also detained in a forced labour camp many times and subjected to brutal abuse. Prison guards poured hot water on him, resulting in his head being scalded. Wire clamps were used to clamp his teeth. He was deprived of sleep for several nights and not allowed to go to the toilet, so he had to relieve himself in his trousers. They also put shackles on his legs and used handcuffs to restrict his movement.

Mr. Cui Weikai is 68 years old. He was the doctor-in-charge at the Cangxi County Emergency Centre. On March 26th, agents of the 610 Office and State Security Department arrested him for handing out brochures that explain the facts about Falun Gong. He was severely beaten by the police and subsequently sent to a hospital for treatment, while in handcuffs and with shackles on his legs. The police officers also extorted money from his family.

Mr. Cui has been persecuted by the communist regime since the year 2000. He was also fired from his job. His phone was tapped and he was constantly followed and monitored. His house was also raided, and in total he was arrested and detained five times.

The Communist Regime Makes Things Difficult for Mr. Zeng's Lawyer

On the afternoon of July 16th, Zeng Yuxian's parents went to the Cangxi County Court to deliver procedural documents on behalf of Mr Zeng's appointed attorney. When they requested access to legal documents on the case, they were told that at present, there are internal regulations for such cases, that proxies appointed by lawyers need to have their credentials assessed, and that they would be notified after investigations had been conducted on this case.

When the lawyer went to visit Mr. Zeng at the detention centre, he was told by police officers that they needed to seek permission from their superiors. After consulting their superiors, the police officers told Mr. Zeng's lawyer that he was not allowed to visit his client. The lawyer said that according to the law, so long as procedures had been followed, he should be allowed to visit his client. When a police officer said that he was acting on instructions from above, the lawyer replied that it is the legal duty of every civil officer not to act on instructions given by their superiors if it is obviously illegal. The police officer had nothing to say in return.

There is no legal basis for officials from the court to refuse to give a lawyer access to legal documents or for officials of a detention centre to prohibit a lawyer from visiting his client.

After Mr Zeng's lawyer returned to Beijing, he called Cangxi County Court during office hours to inquire about the case. However, no one answered the phone. Later on, his office received a call from someone claiming to be from Yishun District in Beijing. Under the pretext of wanting to resolve financial disputes, the person tried to get information about Mr. Zeng's lawyer. His staff suspected something was wrong and subsequently dialled the caller's number, only to discover that it was the phone number of the Guangxi City 610 Office.

According to an insider, the authorities in Cangxi County did a thorough investigation on Mr. Zeng's acting lawyer. Officials from the County's Procuratorate and 610 Office jointly issued a government document, making allegations against his lawyer such as "being interviewed by overseas media repeatedly" and "failing his legal assessment in 2009."

A few hours after Mr. Zeng's lawyer submitted documents to the court, Zeng Yuxian's parents were harassed and threatened by local authorities, who tried to force them to dismiss the lawyer.

Communist Regime Threatens Family Members

Mr. Cui Weikai's acting lawyer also suffered the same treatment.

Mr. Cui's daughter engaged Beijing lawyer Jiang Yibin to defend her father. On the afternoon of August 5th, attorney Jiang went to the court to submit documents. He requested to meet with his client, but was rejected. The court officials told him that there were regulations from above requiring the reassessment of the lawyer's qualifications for such cases.

Immediately after that, the Fanxi 610 Office, National State Security Department, the Court, and the heads of Mr. Cui's daughter's workplace threatened his daughter. They forbade her from hiring a lawyer. Mr. Cui's daughter was so frightened that she was afraid to take calls from the lawyer. She even changed her phone number. Finally, she succumbed to pressure from regime officials and terminated the contract with the lawyer.

Insiders have revealed that officials from the Cangxi Courts attempted to arrange a defence lawyer for Cui Weikai, who would advise a guilty plea.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/8/13/228293.html