(Minghui.org) On May 29, 2012, Songshan District Court in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia put Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Bai Jida on trial. Mr. Bai Jida pled not guilty and his attorney defended him, stating with the voice of justice, “Practicing Falun Gong is not a crime!” He called for the immediate release of Mr. Bai, and requested a criminal investigation of the judicial officers who deprived Mr. Bai of his right of belief in accordance with the provisions of Criminal Code section 251, “Crime of depriving citizen's freedom of religious belief.”

Falun Gong practitioner Bai Jida

Mongolian practitioner Mr. Bai Jida from the Songshan District of Chifeng City, aged 32, works for the government of Chifeng City. His mother, Hu Suhua, was persecuted to death by police on March 4, 2010 because she practiced Falun Gong. Mr. Bai Jida was arrested by police on January 27, 2012, because he clarified the truth about Falun Gong online. The arrest was ratified on March 28, 2012.

On May 29, Mr. Bai Jida told the court officers that practicing Falun Gong is not a crime, and that the criminal acts were in fact committed by the police. His attorney reasoned that he is innocent and pointed out:

Freedom of belief and freedom of speech have become the consensus of any civilized human society, and are included in the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant. China had acceded the two conventions several years ago.

The 36th section of the Chinese Constitution stipulates that, “Citizens of the People's Republic of China have the freedom of religious belief.” Practicing Falun Gong is a concrete manifestation of the constitutional freedom of religious belief. Mr. Bai Jida's rights are enshrined in the constitution. No person or government authorities have the right to interfere in Mr. Bai Jida's freedom of belief.

Falun Gong promotional materials are not cult promotional materials, and spreading Falun Gong promotional materials is not "using a cult organization.” There is no correlation between the two. The indictment of Mr. Bai Jida for using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement can not be established. Mr. Bai Jida's behavior does not violate any criminal law, and the case should be acquitted.

Criminal Code section 251 also reads, “If a representative of the state violates a citizen's freedom of religious belief, this crime may be punishable by up to two years of imprisonment.” Therefore the judiciary which has defamed Mr. Bai Jida with "using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement” committed a crime according to Criminal Code section 251 and should be held criminally responsible.

Mr. Bai's attorney affirmed in court: "Practicing Falun Gong is not a crime!" People of conscience will realize that practicing Falun Gong is not a crime and that the Communist Party started the persecution for no justifiable reason. One day Falun Gong practitioners' grievances will be redressed.

Reportedly, the court prosecutor was rendered speechless by Mr. Bai's attorney. The judges quickly dismissed the trial after one hour.

Staff who participated in the trial at Songshan Court:
Judges: Guo Wenxiu, Liu Tingge
Prosecutors: Sui Weihua, Feng Guijuan
(The chief judge's name to be verified. It may be Li Yueming)

Download staff phone numbers (50KB)