Mr. Zuo Fusheng Placed on Trial, Fuzhou Court Officials Violate the Law

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zuo Fusheng, employed by the Fuzhou Railway Hualin Construction Company, was arrested by Fuzhou Public Security Bureau officials on January 19th, 2011. His home was ransacked, and he has thus far been held in the Fuzhou First Detention Centre for over a year. Mr. Zuo's family made repeated requests for his release, then hired a lawyer. Cangshan Court judge Cai Wen prevented the lawyer from visiting his client, Mr. Zuo, and conducted the case following orders from the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). Court officials lied to Mr. Zuo, claiming that the lawyer had not come to see him. The 610 Office then pressured the lawyer and refused to allow him to defend Mr. Zuo at his trial.

On the morning of February 24th, several plainclothes police were positioned in front of the Fuzhou Cangshan courthouse prior to the trial. Three dozen cars filled with people were parked on both sides of the street outside the courthouse. The vehicle occupants included armed police, firefighters, Air Force hospital staff, community security, and neighbourhood committee staff. Some of them monitored the passersby outside the courthouse, while others pulled people from the gathering crowd who were suspected of being Falun Gong practitioners. They initiated a conversation with the onlookers by encouraging them to learn Buddhism, but, in fact, they were restricting the freedom of their suspects. Some officers took pictures and videos from all directions for an hour. The passing pedestrians realized that something unusual was happening and asked the officers to explain.

All levels of law enforcement in Fuzhou actually violated the law during this event, including making arrests, the ransacking of homes, and placing people in detention. Officials didn't inform the victims' families, including about this trial. They didn't inform Mr. Zuo's mother in writing or by telephone or provide a notice of her son's arrest. They also detained Mr. Zuo's sister, Zuo Xiuyun, for over two months after she appealed for her brother's release. She is currently being held in detention without an official explanation. The courts don't allow practitioners to observe proceedings and even order their employers to take them hostage or have them arrested.

A practitioner accompanied Mr. Zuo's 80-year-old mother to the trial, since she needed help to walk, but she wasn't allowed to enter. The practitioner was not even allowed to wait outside the courthouse for the elderly woman. The court also notified her employer's security department to take her home and monitor her, and she was detained until noon. This practitioner also helped Mr. Zuo's mother to handle the procedures required for her to attend the trial.

Court officials arranged the seating for the trial, especially around Mr. Zuo's mother, who was placed in the last row, at the corner. Three policewomen were assigned to monitor her and didn't allow her to talk. Since she was so far back, she couldn't clearly hear the defense lawyer's arguments.

At the end of the trial, Mr. Zuo's mother asked to see her son. Mr. Zuo came up to her and said, “Mom, I'm fine. I exercise every day.” She was very happy to finally see her son after one year. However, when Mr. Zuo asked about his sister's arrest, he was immediately taken away, leaving his mother in deep sorrow.

Mr. Zuo Fusheng and his sister, Ms. Zuo Xiuyun, are both practitioners and were good employees at their respective workplaces prior to the persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Zuo was the youngest section-level officer promoted by the Fuzhou Railway Hualin Construction Company. Ms. Zuo Xiuyun was an outstanding kindergarten teacher. The persecution of Falun Gong put great pressure on them, and they both ended up divorced. Ms. Zuo Xiuyun lost her job and was then given a three-year prison sentence in 2000, and an additional six years in 2004. She was brutally persecuted in the Fujian Province Women's Prison and was released in June of 2010.

After Mr. Zuo's arrest, his sister went to the authorities to explain the facts about Falun Gong and requested his unconditional release. However, Chan Yongkang from the 610 Office shouted at her and threatened her. On December 16th, 2011, Ms. Zuo was arrested and held in the Fuzhou First Detention Centre Room 119.

Related articles:

“Fuzhou City Judicial, Prosecutorial, and Public Security Departments Violate the Rights of Falun Gong Practitioners and Their Lawyers”
http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/3/25/124028.html

“Mr. Zuo Fusheng Illegally Prosecuted In Fuzhou City, Prohibited from Defending Himself”
http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/10/11/128690.html

“Fujian Public Security Departments Hinder Attorney Trying to Represent Mr. Zuo Fusheng”
http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/11/24/129675.html

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2012/3/1/253673.html