(Minghui.org) On the morning of September 4, 2012, several police cars and plainclothes officers surrounded the Jianshan District Court in Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province. They were from the 610 Office and police stations in the Jianshan District. While one officer used a video camera to record people near the courthouse, several plainclothes officers secretly photographed those who came to attend the trial of Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Xu Qilan.
Many of Ms. Xu's relatives and friends, as well as over twenty others, were refused entry and turned away when they tried to attend the trial. They had to wait outside. Ms. Xu's relatives and friends wished to see her and hoped that she would be acquitted unconditionally. The lawyer who defended Ms. Xu entered a not-guilty plea and requested that she be released immediately. After the trial, Ms. Xu was escorted directly to a police car, and none of her relatives or friends were able to see her.
Ms. Xu is from the Jianshan District in Shuangyashan City. She is a 47-year-old mother of three. When she was only 32, her husband, who worked in a mine, died on the job. At the time, her youngest daughter was only five, and she had to raise three children by herself. Under great pressure and stress, she frequently felt as if on the brink of collapse. She was very fortunate to obtain Falun Dafa at the darkest time of her life. She not only became healthy, but also stronger. All three of her daughters are now college students.
On May 10, 2012, while she was distributing Shen Yun DVDs, she was illegally arrested by
officers from Lixin Police Station, and her house was searched. She has been detained in Shuanyashan City Detention Center ever since.
During the legal proceedings, everything the officers did was against the law. Before the trial, they even tried to prevent her lawyer from defending her.
The family hired two lawyers to defend her. On September 3, lawyer Li Subin was told by Gao Zhixin, the Jianshan District criminal court judge, that one lawyer was enough, and since he was too busy he didn't need to come. The lawyer replied, “I'm not busy. Furthermore, as a responsible lawyer, I must do my best for Ms. Xu.” He asked to defend Ms. Xu the next day, but Gao Zhixin claimed that he had to get approval from his superior. Later that afternoon three agents from the National Security Division went to the hotel and tried to find which room the lawyer was staying in. They even demanded to enter his room. When the lawyer returned, the hotel owner advised him to be careful.
The next day, due to the lawyer and Ms. Xu's relatives and friends' demands, two lawyers defended Ms. Xu.
In order to prevent people from attending the trial, the time of the trial was switched from 8:30 to 8:00 a.m.
The court personnel searched Ms. Xu's three daughters thoroughly and carefully, including their bags. They also told them to turn off their cell phones. They searched the lawyers' computer cases. When the lawyer tried to read the defense statement on his computer, Gao Zhixin said, “Don't you have a copy on hand? Why do you need a computer?” And he took the computer away. During the trial, Gao Zhixin's and the other cell phones kept ringing. Gao Zixin even answered his phone in court.
Two days before the trial, Ms. Xu's daughters, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law were told that the court had to have copies of their IDs. Her sister-in-law and brother-in-law even had to get a certificate from their community center to prove that they were relatives. In the big courtroom, besides her five relatives, there was only one lady in the audience seats. However, outside of the court were dozens of Ms. Xu's relatives who were not allowed to attend the trial, as well as more than twenty others, including an elderly man in his seventies.
The lawyer asked Ms. Xu, “When the police searched your home, did they show you a search warrant?” She answered no. But public procurator Cui Jing claimed that they had a search warrant, and showed it to the lawyer. In fact, Xu Qilan was arrested at 11:00 p.m. on May 10, while the time stated on the warrant was 9:00 a.m. It was obvious that the warrant was issued afterward, and contained the incorrect time. During the break, Ms. Xu's daughter heard the recorder say, “Just now the lawyer said that the time on the search warrant was wrong and had me write it down. But I didn't.” Then Gao Zhixin said, “No need to write it down.”
When Ms. Xu's lawyer read the defense statement, he reminded the judge and everyone present, “China's constitution allows freedom of religion and belief.” Gao Zhixin yelled, “Stop! That's irrelevant to the case. Simplify your words.”
The lawyer also pointed out that no laws state that practicing Falun Gong is illegal, and that distributing Falun Gong materials therefore does not violate any law, so Xu Qilan should be immediately acquitted. Gao Zhixin then interrupted rudely him by saying, “Do not say anything not relevant.”
