Name: Li Yuzhen
Gender: Male
Age: 68
Address: Qingdao City, Shandong Province
Occupation: Former employee of Qingdao Carbon Black Co.
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 23rd, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jiaozhou Detention Centre
City: Jiaozhou City
Province: Shandong
Persecution Suffered: detention
Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Yuzhen was arrested in March 2011, then the local public security office, procuratorial office, and the courts conspired to send Mr. Li to prison. Mr. Li’s family hired a lawyer to defend him, but the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) created obstacles in every possible way for the family and the lawyer. The head of the 610 Office even threatened, “Li will get a heavy sentence if the family hires a lawyer to defend him.”
Mr. Li Yuzhen was taken to Jiaozhou Detention Centre on March 23rd, 2011 for practising Falun Gong. While in the detention centre, he was subjected to inhuman treatment. One month later, his family received an “Arrest Warrant” from the Jiaozhou Police Department. Mr. Li was going to be sentenced to prison.
With much effort, Mr. Li’s children were able hire a lawyer from Beijing to defend their father. The lawyer dares to uphold justice for the truth. When the Jiaozhou 610 Office found out about it, they tried everything to create obstacles, obstruct and threaten Li’s family and the lawyer.
At first, the head of Jiaozhou 610 Office, Xue Yubin called Mr. Li’s oldest daughter-in-law and said, “We heard you hired a lawyer from Beijing to defend your father. Isn’t that going head to head with the communist party? You should get rid of the lawyer. Otherwise, your father will get a heavy sentence. Just wait and see.”
Mr. Li Yuzhen’s second son Li Ming hired the lawyer in Beijing using his name. When the lawyer accepted the case and went to see Mr. Li at the Jiaozhou Detention Centre, he was not allowed to see Mr. Li. The police claimed that there must be a local lawyer accompanied by two military police for the lawyer from Beijing to see Li. The Lawyer said, “Whose law is this? Is this intentionally making it hard?”
The lawyer from Beijing could do nothing but visit many law firms in Jiaozhou trying to find a local lawyer to accompany him, but no one dared to do so. Some told him, “We cannot help you in this matter.” Some said, “We need to make a living too. The moment we get involved, we lose our ability to make a living.”
Some said in private, “There was a notice from above (Judicial Bureau), no local lawyer is allowed to participate in Falun Gong cases. Whoever gets involved will lose his or her license.” The lawyer from Beijing spent the whole day visiting the Jiaozhou Court, Procuratorate, law firms and various related government agencies, but he was only met with indifferent responses and obstacles.
Currently the family does not know when Li’s case will go to trial. They do not want to give up the right of having a lawyer to defend their father.
Jiaozhou 610 Office: 86-532-8228807
Director Xue Yubin 86-532-82288570(office) 87220886(home) 15318860699(mobile)
Deputy Director Jian Yunfen, 86-532-82288073(office) 13780699969(mobile)
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/6/6/241846.html
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