Ms. Yang Xueyan is a Falun Gong practitioner from Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China. She teaches children painting at her private art studio. On May 13th, 2011, Ms. Yang was arrested by the police from Zhonghan Police Station, Laoshan District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province because of her personal collection of Falun Gong books and materials containing important facts about Falun Gong and about the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She was then detained in Dashan Detention Centre in Qingdao City.
She was tried at Laoshan District Court on September 9th. After having witnessed the sham trial against his daughter, Mr. Yang shouted angrily as he exited the courthouse, “The Communist Party is worse than the mafia!” She was tried again on September 19th at No. 1 Court of Dashan Detention Centre in Qingdao City.
Ms. Yang Xueyan, 40, lives in Jialinggou Small District in northern Qingdao City, Shandong. She is the co-owner of an art studio. One day the police pretended to be reading the water meter and broke into her home. They ransacked her home and arrested Ms. Yang. The police confiscated her collection of Falun Gong books and booklets containing important facts about Falun Gong and some empty DVD cases. They also took her notebooks for her artwork. Ms. Yang currently remains incarcerated in Dashan Detention Centre in Qingdao City.
Her family hired an attorney to represent her in court, but the attorney has met a number of obstacles from the local prosecutor’s office and the local court in Laoshan District. For instance, they denied the attorney’s request to check Ms. Yang's case file and his right to meet with her.
When Ms. Yang’s case file was transferred to Laoshan District Court, Judge Gao Ping (female) notified Ms. Yang’s attorney to come to the courthouse for the case file. But when the attorney arrived, the judge told him, “We have received a few phone calls. You cannot read her case file.”
When the attorney arrived at Dashan Detention Centre to meet with Ms. Yang, the security guard told him, “You must have a letter from the Bureau of Justice to meet with your client.”
The local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and the local Political and Legal Committee are believed to be the culprits behind the interference. Ms. Yang’s father decided to defend her even though he has only an elementary school education.
One day before the trial date, Mr. Yang, his family and the attorney arrived at Laoshan District Court, asking that the attorney be allowed to defend her. But the security guard told them that all the judges were in the courtroom and stopped them from entering the court. Next, they went to the Appeals Office at Laoshan District Court, and were told that no one was in the office. Finally they convinced someone at the Appeals Office to call Judge Gao Ping, who told them over the phone, “The order came from above [not to allow any attorney to represent her]. Feel free to go to the Bureau of Justice if you want.” The attorney warned the judge, “It is you who are obstructing justice by denying my right as an attorney to represent my client. I am filing a complaint against you.” Gao Ping hung up on him.
On September 9th, Mr. Yang called head judge Li at Laoshan District Court and asked for his permission to have Ms. Yang’s family attend the trial. Li replied, “How did you obtain my phone number? You may apply for a permit to sit in the courtroom in the afternoon when the trial takes place.”
At 2:00 p.m., the trial against Ms. Yang began. There were about 20 bailiffs and police officers that stopped the attorney from representing Ms. Yang and prevented Ms. Yang’s family from entering the courtroom. Ms. Yang’s parents, husband, younger sister, brother-in-law, friends and relatives had come to the court to support her.
During the trial, the judge repeatedly interrupted Mr. Yang’s defence statement. Before Mr. Yang spoke, the prosecutor raised his hand to object. Ms. Yang’s younger sister demanded, “My father has not even spoken. What are you objecting to?” A bailiff approached her and threatened to throw her out if she spoke again. She announced, “As a journalist, I am ashamed for what is taking place in this courtroom. I will definitely fulfil my duty as a journalist.” Mr. Yang reprimanded the judge for ignoring the Chinese Constitution, which warrants each Chinese citizen his or her freedom of personal belief and the freedom of speech. Ms. Yang stated during the trial, “Falun Gong requires its practitioners to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I have not done anything wrong. There is nothing wrong with practising Falun Gong.”
Her attorney told the bailiffs that prevented him from entering the courtroom, “Even Jiang Qing (the wife of former Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong, who was charged for counter-revolutionary acts after Mao’s death) and the Nazis were represented by attorneys in court. What right do you have to deny her this right?”
Ms. Yang’s mother was also blocked from entering the courtroom.
Gao Ping, judge at Laoshan District Court: +86-13863991820 (Mobile)
Li, head judge at Laoshan District Court: +86-532-88895193
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/9/19/246922.html
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