(Clearwisdom.net) Not long ago, I received a letter from the local court advising me that I had been selected for jury duty.
The case I was involved in was about a bank robbery. We jurors were asked many questions in front of the prosecutor, the defendant and the defense counsel. Afterwards, 12 jurors and a reserve juror were selected under the nomination of the judge, with the consent of both the prosecutor and the defense counsel. The judge emphasized that the selection of jurors was the cornerstone for a fair and impartial trial. I was selected as one of the 12 jurors and was directed where to sit. Family members and friends of the defendant, or anyone who was interested in the case, could come into the courtroom and listen.
The trial soon started to proceed. The defendant had three defense attorneys. According to US law, the accused is innocent until proven guilty. Witnesses from both parties gave evidence; then the prosecutor and the defense counsel made their summary speeches. The final judgment was made by the 12 jurors. However, whether the verdict was "guilty" or "not guilty," the decision had to be unanimous.
The jury was led to a separate room to examine the evidence and affidavits. After a heated discussion, in the end we 12 jurors came to a unanimous verdict. The verdict was announced in front of the court, and the judge moved forward with the next step in the proceedings. Our duty and mission as a jury was thus completed.
My experience as a juror allowed me to personally experience the legal procedures in the US. As a Chinese person, it was easy for me to see that the US court pays great attention to legal procedures and evidence, and highly regards legal justice to protect the innocent.
Having had this experience, when I look at the suppression of Falun Gong in China, I find it not only illegal, but also rather preposterous.
Authorities in China have prevented lawyers from defending Falun Gong practitioners, and have thus deprived Falun Gong cases of fair legal proceedings.
Through Falun Gong practitioners' efforts over a long time, many people have now learned the facts about Falun Gong and some lawyers have broken through the suppression and dared to defend Falun Gong practitioners.
For example, on May 12, 2008, Beijing lawyers Li Heping and Guo Shaofei defended Falun Gong practitioner Liu Xitong in Qingdao, Shandong Province. They pointed out that Falun Gong practitioners did not violate any specific law or administration regulations, and even less did they obstruct any law enforcement. They also pointed out the unlawful nature of the persecution of Falun Gong.
On October 31, 2008, lawyer Li Heping defended practitioner Wang Sanying at the Xinhua District Court in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. He pointed out that even according to the current law in China, it is legal to practice Falun Gong. In other words, the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong over the years has been illegal; the police are violating the law in the name of enforcing the law when arresting Falun Gong practitioners; it is illegal for the courts to subject Falun Gong practitioners who have been unlawfully arrested to a trial and such trials have led to many wrongful convictions.
Why is it like this? The reason is that in China there is no independent judiciary, and the existing judiciary serves the political interests of the Communist regime. It functions as a tool for the regime to attack dissidents and the people, and to persecute Falun Gong. The regime claims that it deals with Falun Gong according to the law, while in fact it plays games and disrespects the law. The CCP is truly committing crimes and obstructing law enforcement. The victims are not only Falun Gong practitioners, but all the people in China.
