A Xiangyang Court Claims, “The Falun Gong Practitioner Will Be Sentenced Even If His Attorney Wins the Case”

At 11 a.m. on August 12th, several elementary school students tried to sell newspapers to Mr. Zhao Guojiang in Mingfa Business Plaza at Changhong Road, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. Mr. Zhao gave one of the students a Falun Gong DVD, and the student reported Mr. Zhao to a patrolling policeman. The policeman took Mr. Zhao to the Renminlu Police Station in the Fancheng District in Xiangyang. The police found some Falun Gong DVDs in Mr. Zhao's bag and transferred him to the Fancheng Administration Detention Centre. On August 14th, when his detention term was about to end, Mr. Zhao was transferred to the Fangcheng Second Detention Centre.

Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made plans to try Mr. Zhao and persecuted him more severely. The Fancheng District Procuratorates issued a summons against Mr. Zhao.

As Mr. Zhao's family searched for an attorney, many attorneys told his family that it was not they who were not willing to accept the case. They often received oral notices from upper level authorities, telling them not to accept Falun Gong cases. There was no formal document, however.

After hiring an attorney, Mr. Zhao's family called Judge Feng from the Fancheng Court, asking why attorneys were not allowed to accept Falun Gong cases. Judge Feng denied any knowledge of this. When Mr. Zhao's family told Judge Feng that they had already hired an attorney, Judge Feng said Mr. Zhao would be sentenced even if the attorney won the case, that it was no use hiring an attorney, that it was just wasted money. He said he could meet with the attorney in three days.

Judge Feng: 86-710-3801523 (Office)

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/12/28/251148.html