(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Wenzhi and his wife, Ms. Ji Shurong Hongshan, were tried by the District Court in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia on March 25, 2013. The hearing was held behind closed doors. When the lawyer defending the couple made his defense, the clerk did not even record it, and continually interrupted the lawyer. The judge remained silent.
Plainclothes police and police cars were stationed across from the courthouse. Even though it was a so-called "public hearing," only four family members were allowed into the courtroom. The practitioners' son got in for just a few minutes before being thrown out, the reason being that he was not an adult. Mr. Li's sister wanted to be present but a guard refused to allow her in. Only three family members remained inside.
The other relatives had to wait outside, along with some villagers who wanted to know the result, since they knew that the accused couple were good people.
A strange thing happened during the proceedings. Du Chongming, the clerk, constantly interrupted both the attorney and the defendants and did not write down their statements. The clerk's duty in a trial is to record all statements, and the person in this position does not have the authority to interfere with the lawyers and the parties concerned. Yet the judge did not stop him.
The Hongshan District Police Department exaggerated the number of Falun Gong documents and fliers they claimed to have confiscated at the practitioners' home. When the lawyer raised questions and asked for the items to be counted again, the difference was tenfold. The original claim was 15,000 pieces of evidence, but after the re-count it was 1500.
Falun Gong practitioners have freedom of belief and speech, and the practice of Falun Gong is not a crime, according to Chinese law. Possessing Falun Gong pamphlets, CDs, and DVDs is also not against the law. The Hongshan District Police Department forged evidence and cooked up charges to persecute the practitioners. It was they who violated the law.
Chifeng City Hongshan District Court:
Liu Yanjie, trial judge: +86-476-8223094, +86-15604766829(Cell)
Du Chongming, court clerk: +86-476-8223094, +86-13088415678(Cell)
