Mr. Zhang Fuchun Subjected to Trial, Lawyer Defends His Innocence

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Fuchun was placed on trial on July 13th, 2012 by the Xinbin County Court and the Xinbin County Procuratorate in Fushun City, Liaoning Province. During the trial, Mr. Zhang talked about how he benefited physically and mentally from practising Falun Gong, and pointed out that practising Falun Gong is not illegal in China and therefore he had committed no crime. The lawyer hired by his family also defended his innocence.

The lawyer pointed out in his defence: “No existing laws or administrative regulations in China state that Falun Gong is a cult. It is absolutely legal to practise Falun Gong in China, while persecuting Falun Gong practitioners is unlawful based on current Chinese law. Therefore, accusing Falun Gong practitioners with the charge of 'using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement' has no legal basis. Practitioners should be found not guilty, and should be freed immediately.”

In the face of the upright lawyer’s defence argument, the prosecutor had no rebuttal, and the judge was speechless. The lawyer again urged the judge, “Mr. Zhang has not violated any criminal statutes. He should be acquitted and released immediately.”

Mr. Zhang, in his 50s, lives in Yushu Township, Xinbin County, Fushun City. Before he began practising Falun Gong, he couldn’t work a regular job because of strained lumbar muscles. His wife, Ms. Guo Qingfeng, suffered from depression, and often had headache and heart pain despite taking numerous medications. After the couple began practising Falun Gong, all of their illnesses disappeared. Mr. Zhang could do heavy work without becoming tired.

However, since Jiang Zemin, [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] launched the persecution of Falun Gong, Mr. Zhang, his wife and their son have been subjected to severe persecution. In March 2008, officials from the Yushu Township Police Station, including then-chief Gao Zhenyuan, officer Dong Xianwei and Cao Wei, broke into Mr. Zhang’s home, harassed his family and attempted to arrest him. In order to avoid further persecution, Mr. Zhang had to leave his home.

In 2011, the Communist regime authorities put Mr. Zhang’s name on the wanted list and continued attempting to arrest him.

In July 2011, Yushu Township Police Station head Fan Baoyu led a number of police to Mr. Zhang’s home and demanded that his parents reveal his whereabouts. His parents said, “We would like to know where he is since we miss him so much. But we don’t know.” Then the police threatened his parents, badly frightening them. They were traumatized. The police subsequently harassed Mr. Zhang’s other relatives and insisted that they reveal his whereabouts.

Around 7:00 a.m. on September 3rd, 2011, as Mr. Zhang and his wife were on their way to work, eight police officers from the Xinbin Town Police Station suddenly surrounded the couple. They beat Mr. Zhang to the ground causing his nose to bleed, and took him into custody. His wife tried to stop them, but was also taken into custody. Mr. Zhang was incarcerated in the Xinbin County Detention Centre. Due to the brutal tortures he suffered there, his health deteriorated markedly.

The Xinbin County Court originally scheduled a trial for Mr. Zhang on April 13th, 2012. His family hired a lawyer from Beijing to defend him. However, the court notified his family on April 12 that the trial was postponed because of insufficient evidence. It was learned that the Xinbin County Court called the lawyer’s office in Beijing three times, attempting to intimidate him so that he would not defend Mr. Zhang.

The day of Mr. Zhang's trial, local Falun Gong practitioners put up a banner that read, “Falun Gong is good,” where it could be seen by the people of Xinbin County and officials from the Xinbin County Court.

Persons involved in the persecution of Mr. Zhang Fuchun:
Gao Zhenyuan, police official: +86-13904932435
The Xinbin County Detention Centre: +86-413-5026516, +86-413-5026405
Zhao Lianke, head of the Xinbin County Domestic Security Division: +86-13941383411, +86-413-58025586
Head of the Xinbin County Procuratorate: +86-413-55080251
Zhao Lianshun, Party secretary of the Xinbin County Political and Judiciary Committee: +86-24-55080010, +86-24-55033226, +86-13842380007