(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Liu Jing and Li were arrested on April 20, 2013. Their arrests were considered to be related to the open trial of practitioner Ms. Chai Xiufang in the Weibin District Court of Baoji City on April 3.
Previous arrests
Ms. Chai Xiufang, 51, is retired from Yandi Park in the city of Baoji. Practicing Falun Gong helped her regain her health. She had to leave home and move from place to place in 2006 to avoid being persecuted by the local 610 Office and police. She later was arrested when she traveled to the city of Xi'an and was detained in the Xi'an Detention Center for 43 days. She was again seized from her home by the Weibin District 610 Office and police in April 2008 and was detained for 30 days.
November 2012
Around 9 a.m. on November 22, 2012, Ms. Chai went downstairs from her apartment in the Jinwei Railway Employees Neighborhood. When she was about to leave on her bike, six officers who had been waiting jumped out and arrested her. Two of the officers were Zhang Hongqin from the Shibahe Police Station in the Weibin District and Xin Xiaorong from the Jinling Police Station. Ms. Chai was taken first to the Shibahe Police Station and then to the Lingyun Hotel that very night. The hotel was one of the hidden brainwashing centers that try to "transform" Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Chai was subjected to the Tiger Bench and other forms of torture.
The public discouraged from attending her trial
Prior to the trial, the 610 Office in Baoji circulated a memo to public and government sectors, ordering them to “control their employees tightly” to prevent them from attending the trial. Court officials made arrangements so that other trials occupied the bigger courtrooms on the day of Ms. Chai's trial. A small room that could only accommodate 20 people was purposely assigned for this trial, and the seats were occupied by individuals irrelevant to Ms. Chai's trial. Furthermore, a good number of police officers from local branches were called in to monitor the courthouse. All these tactics were used to try to prevent concerned people from attending the trial and showing their moral support.
Before the start of the trial at 9 a.m. on April 3, 2013, many people arrived at the courthouse hoping to be able to attend, but most of them were not allowed to go in, including Ms. Chai's son. Those allowed in had to have their ID information taken down by the security personnel.
Plainclothes police officers were everywhere inside and outside the courthouse, watching, stalking, and videotaping the practitioners who were present. Some practitioners were let in after showing their IDs, and others stayed outside, also showing their support.
Her innocence defended
Before the judges, procuratorate officials, 610 Office agents, community workers, and her family members, Ms. Chai first pled innocent on her own behalf, followed by her lawyer. The lawyer started by claiming, “My client, Ms. Chai Xiufang, is innocent. Falun Gong is not a cult. We must clarify this issue and overturn this misconception!” The lawyer's strong voice and stern admonishment shook the court. Not only were those in the room listening with great attention, several young police officers who had been standing outside were astonished by the lawyer's statement and ran in to hear more.
Reviewing legal documents from international laws China has signed to statues that protect freedom of belief and speech, and referring to the country's constitution, laws, and regulations, the lawyer pointed out that there was nothing in any of those documents to indicate that Falun Gong was a cult, that Falun Gong was not included in the seven cults identified in a file issued by the police on April 9, 2005, or in the seven cults identified by the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party and the General Office of the State Council.
“On what basis have you, the judicial and law enforcement sectors, imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners or sent them to forced labor camps since 1999?” the lawyer continued. “You have based this on what Jing Zemin said to a Le Figaro reporter, 'Falun Gong is a cult,' on October 25, 1999. The Peoples Daily published an article the next day to follow up with the defamation. Either Jiang Zemin's words or Peoples Daily's article are law, otherwise it's against the Constitution. Because of Jiang Zemin's abuse of power, Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted, arrested, imprisoned, and sent to forced labor camps over the last decade. Jiang Zemin's words were not law and carried no legal power. I demand that my client, Ms. Chai Xiufang, be released, unconditionally. If you choose to continue these wrongful doings, you must face the consequences.”
The entire courtroom was silent. All were listening and thinking. The court was adjourned.
Relevant personnel:
Huang Luping, director of Weibin District Court
Jiang Wei, deputy director of Weibin District Court
Zhu Cunju, deputy director of Weibin District Court
