(Minghui.org) After illegally sentencing Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Mo Zhikui and four other practitioners in July 2013, the Yilan County Court in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province tried four more practitioners on August 21, including Ms. Fei Shuqin, Ms. Lu Fengyun, Ms. Chen Yan, and Ms. Jiang Lianying.
Ms. Fei fainted in court and was taken to an emergency room. She was later brought back to court to continue the trial in the afternoon. Most of the four practitioners being tried were in their sixties and seventies.
The Yilan Court put Ms. Fei Shuqin, Ms. Lu Fengyun, and Ms. Chen Yan in one trial and Ms. Jiang Lianying in a separate trial. The two trials started at 1:30 p.m. and finished at 7:00 p.m. Police took all four practitioners to Harbin Number Two (Yaziquan) Detention Center immediately afterwards.
Police from Yilan County, Fangzheng County, and Tonghe County, all in Harbin, arrested nearly 50 Falun Gong practitioners in four days, beginning on March 29, 2013. Among them, fourteen practitioners are still detained or imprisoned.
Practitioners Mr. Mo Zhikui, Mr. Zhang Jinku, Mr. Xu Feng, Mr. Sun Wenfu, and Mr. Li Dapeng were sentenced to from three to twelve years and taken to Jiamusi City Prison on August 21, 2013.
Ms. Fei Shuqin, Ms. Lu Fengyun, Ms. Chen Yan, and Ms. Jiang Lianying were tried on August 21.
Another five practitioners, Mr. Liu Fengcheng, Mr. Zuo Zhenqi, Ms. Zhang Huijuan, Ms. Meng Fanying, and Mr. Duan Shuyan are to be tried later.
The following is an account of the August trial of Ms. Fei Shuqin and three other practitioners.
Police Cars Parked Outside the Court
Before the trial started, many cars with Harbin license plates from the police department, Procuratorate, and court, as well as an ambulance, were parked behind the Yilan Court. A white minivan with a blue-and-white police car light, with lettering “Heilongjiang Fire Department” on the right side, “Heilongjiang Legal Training Center” on the left, and a white “119” (emergency number to call to report fire) at the rear, was parked outside the court entrance. Its doors and windows were all open. Four people in light yellow firefighter's uniforms were sitting in the car. This car was parked there from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., but the occupants never came out.
Obvious and possible police cars parked in front of the court
Police in plain clothes walking around the security entrance
Sun Baiqing, vice president of the Yilan Court, leaning against the entrance
Policeman Feng Jianqing, with his hands on his waist, standing at the right side of the door
Zheng Jun, a police officer from the Yilan Domestic Security Team, also parked his car, which does not have a license plate, outside the court. Police from the domestic security team were taking pictures of and videotaping people secretly. A car for Yilan “110” service (emergency number to call police) was also parked outside. A Toyota Prado (an SUV brand sold in China) was driving around the court repeatedly. Eight police cars and several cars without police markings were parked in front of the court.
Ms. Jiang Lianying's Daughter Concerned for Her Aging Mother
The four practitioners' families hired three attorneys from Beijing to defend them.
Ms. Jiang Lianying's daughter forgot to bring her ID card, and the guards at the security check refused to let her in. Her home was 20 miles away from the court and it was impossible for her to go back home, get the ID card and return on time. No matter how she begged the guards, they wouldn't let her in. She was just standing outside the court crying. Some kind people saw her crying and asked why. She said, “My mother is 69 years old. Her mother is 103 years old. My father is in bad health. Both of them need my mother to take care of them.”
The court arranged for the presidents of local residence committees to sit in on the hearing. Staff from Heilongjiang Provincial Police Department, Procuratorate, Court, Bureau of Judiciary, Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Political and Legal Affairs Committee, 610 Office, and Legal Training Center, as well as the corresponding organizations of the Yilan County also sat at the hearing seats. Yilan 610 Office head Xu Haibo, police department Deputy Director Li Baihe, and court Vice President Sun Baiqing were in charge of the trial. They directed Yilan Domestic Security Team Director Zhang Yingduo and his subordinate, Zheng Jun, to lead many plainclothes police officers to watch and videotape the people secretly.
Li Baihe, deputy director of Yilan Police Department
Zhang Yingduo, director of Yilan Domestic Security Division
Guards Interfere with Defense Attorneys
The three defense attorneys were stopped by several guards at the security checkpoint. These police officers included Gao Zhenlun, manager of Yilan Court Police, and Feng Jianqing, an officer from the Yilan Procuratorate. They said that they needed to check the attorneys' bags. They wanted to threaten and humiliate the attorneys, because the Attorney Law states that attorneys and judges are not subject to bag checks.
Feng Jianqing, in his fifties, put his hands on his waist and pointed at the attorneys, “You must accept our check. If you refuse to be checked, you should just get out!”
Gao Zhenlun said to the attorneys, “Who knows what you are carrying in your bag? What if it is a bomb? I have seen many people like you. I want to take off my uniform and beat you (referring to police not beating people at will)...”
While the police kept shouting, Sun Baiqing, vice president of the court, and Judge Zhang Anke came out of the room. Zhang asked the attorneys to take out their cell phones, cameras, and recording devices, but Feng Jianqing still shouted, “You must let us check!”
One attorney tried to compromise, “Judge Zhang said just take out the cell phones, cameras, and recording devices. You should not look into my bag or take my things out.”
Gao Zhenlun insisted on checking their bags. The attorneys were disappointed, “If it is like this, is there any way for us to defend our clients? You are violating the law. You said that you will follow the law but what you are doing is following your internal directions. Show us your internal documents.”
Gao refused to reveal their internal documents. He yelled at the attorneys, “Judge Zhang can't tell me what to do! If I wasn't wearing this uniform, I would...” He then pointed at the attorneys, “It is our rule. If you want to sue us, please go ahead! Do you want to enter the court or not? If you don't, then get out of here.” Gao also rushed out of the security door and ran to the attorneys intending to beat them. He was blocked by the people around.
“Without our presence, you can't have the trial,” said the attorneys. They then left.
When it was the time for trial, Judge Zhang Anke had no choice but to come out to look for the attorneys. He asked them to go in. During the whole incident, Sun Baiqing, the vice president of Yilan Court, was present and silently watching the police's illegal actions and bad words.
Gao Zhenlun pointed his finger at the attorneys
Man Arrested Outside the Court
While the police and attorneys were arguing, a young man was taking pictures. A police officer (whose police ID is F23906) saw this and grabbed the young man by his arm, trying to arrest him. With other people's help, the young man managed to escape. Later this officer came out many times to look for the young man. He also threatened to videotape all people present.
It took a while for the police to close the door of the court hearing room. The trial, after all the turmoil, started at 1:30 p.m.
At around 1:50 p.m., a man wearing a light blue short-sleeve shirt, was arrested by Zheng Jun and ten plainclothes police. They carried him to the car without a license plate. The man struggled, “Police are arresting people! Police are arresting people!” A police officer in plain clothes pinched his neck to stop him from speaking. Zheng Jun directed those plainclothes police to push the man into the car. One officer in plain clothes pushed him in and said, “Beat him!” Zheng Jun walked to the car, “Close the door. Lock the door and take him away.” Thus, the man was arrested in front of the public for no obvious reason.
The Domestic Security Team also stole a minivan which was parked in front of the court. The driver went to the police department to ask for the car. The police forced him to drive it to Yilan Transportation Supervision Station, where the police asked them to charge the minivan a high amount. Police also claimed that the minivan belonged to Falun Gong practitioners, and said that they would set up a case to investigate.
Court Trial Ended at 7:00 p.m.
Most of the four Falun Gong practitioners being tried were ladies in their sixties and seventies. They were detained at the Harbin Number Two Detention Center. It took them four hours to travel over 150 miles to the court. The practitioners were all exhausted after getting out of the police car—especially Ms. Fei Shuqin, who had been diagnosed with infectious hepatitis, heart disease, uterine fibroids, hypertension, and other problems. Ms. Fei fainted in the court at 2:30 p.m. She was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment. The court trial was thus interrupted.
Ms. Fei Shuqin's daughter carried her mother in the “120” ambulance to the hospital.
Later the court conducted a trial of Ms. Jiang Lianying. Prosecutor Ning Yan said, “We have found 400 VCDs of Shen Yun performances and 300 packages to promote Falun Gong.” Ms. Jiang's attorney questioned him and he was unable to respond.
After Ms. Fei Shuqin recovered at the hospital, the court asked police to bring her back for trial. The trial ended at 7:00 p.m.
After the trial, Yilan Court took the four practitioners back to Harbin Number Two Detention Center.
