The Shameful Mistreatment of Lawyers by the CCP

(Minghui.org) In a normal society court officials would not dare to treat lawyers in an openly abusive or unlawful manner. In China, however, the way the CCP officials in power treat lawyers is almost beyond imagination.

Minghui has published a number of articles that touch on this issue. Some examples follow.

Lawyers are verbally abused

Businessman Mr. Zheng Xiangxing from Tanghai County, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was illegally arrested on February 25, 2012. His family engaged Beijing attorney Dong Qianyong as his legal representative.

Lawyer Dong and Mr. Zheng's wife went to the office of Liu Jiaman, deputy head of the local police department, on March 17.

When Liu heard that they had come to see him with regard to Zheng Xiangxing, he let loose a torrent of abuse and shouted, “What kind of lawyer are you? You dare to come here? Get out of here!”

The lawyer told Liu he was only carrying out his duty as a lawyer and made it clear that arresting and detaining Falun Gong practitioners was against the law. In response, Liu Jiaman threatened him: “You must also be a Falun Gong practitioner. I'll arrest you as well!”

The lawyer said, “What's wrong with practicing Falun Gong?” Liu then turned to Zheng Xiangxing's wife and threatened her, “I might send you to the labor camp in a couple of months, too!”

Lawyers are routinely deceived

Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Han Xiufang and Ms. Liu Chunlan from Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province are both in their 60s. The local authorities decided to put them on trial. Their family members engaged Beijing attorneys Li and Chen to be their legal representatives.

On April 7 this year, the lawyers received an “Appearance Notice” from Aimin District Court by express mail service, notifying them that the case would be tried at 9:00 a.m. on April 11 in a detention center in the Mudanjiang Police Department.

One of the lawyers then got a phone call from a judge "Zhang Ying," who said the trial had been canceled because one of the defendants was very sick. He then quickly hung up the phone.

The lawyer was suspicious that the court might be trying to set him up and make it seem as if he “refused to appear in court,” so he went to Aimin District Court on the afternoon of April 9.

At around 9:00 a.m. on April 10, the lawyer went to the courthouse and called judges Zhang Ying and Wang Nan to confirm that the trial the next day had indeed been canceled.

He also again requested a copy of the proceedings and copies of the case files and to submit more documents for the case.

The judges hung up on him and refused to accept any additional documents. The lawyer then called Lu Juncheng, a responsible person of the court, trying to find a solution to his problems, but Lu hung up on him, too.

Still suspicious, the lawyer then went to the detention center and waited. Seeing there was no “trial” sign, he left Mudanjiang that afternoon. As soon as he left, Aimin District Court secretly tried the two old ladies.

Lawyers are routinely threatened

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Gong Shunhui from Baimazhen Township of Miyi County was secretly put on trial by Miyi County Court in Sichuan Province on November 18, 2009, and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Mr. Gong appealed to the Panzhihua City Intermediate Court and engaged two lawyers to defend him. Miyi County Court and the Intermediate Court in Panzhihua City held a joint trial on the morning of January 12, 2010.

In the courtroom, the judge refused to allow the lawyers to defend their client, saying that the court had not approved their appointment to the case.

According to the law, clients have the right to decide which lawyers they hire and the court has no right to examine or give instructions on this decision.

When the lawyers presented the judge with the legal regulations, the judge reluctantly allowed one lawyer to defend his client.

When the lawyer defended Mr. Gong by saying, “It's not a crime to have a belief and things must be done in accordance with the Constitution,” the judge retorted, “You are not Chinese. You are a Falun Gong practitioner sent here by the US.” He also threatened to investigate the lawyer.

Undeterred, the lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for Mr. Gong despite the judge's intimidation. The judge interrupted his defense and continued to threaten him: "If you continue, the police and Domestic Security officers will be waiting for you outside."

Dragging lawyers out of court

Zhenxing District Court in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, tried Mr. Chen Xinye and Mr. Han Chunlong at 9:30 a.m. on April 12, 2013. On advice from his lawyers, Mr. Han Chunlong told the court about the mistreatment he suffered while in custody in Zhanqian Police Station, including being slapped on the face, punched, kicked, and sprayed with chili pepper in his face.

Presiding judge Tao Zhanhua stopped him and ordered the bailiffs to remove the two defense lawyers. Five or six officers then pushed and dragged the two lawyers out of the courtroom.

Lawyers are routinely beaten up

Zhongshan District Court in Dalian, Liaoning Province, scheduled a trial at 9:30 a.m. on April 12, 2013, for 13 Falun Gong practitioners arrested on July 6 of last year. However, on the evening of April 11, just hours before the trial, the court suddenly canceled the proceedings.

The court notified the lawyers of the cancellation by phone. When the lawyers went to the court to seek written notification of the cancellation, they were beaten up and suffered injuries.

Lawyer Wang Quanzhang was also beaten up, and news of his illegal detention for defending Falun Gong practitioners was widely circulated on the Internet between April 3 and April 6.

This was not the first time he was beaten. The last time he was put in a detention center. He was also verbally abused and beaten by judge Wang Chuanfa in Heilongjiang Province when he entered a "not-guilty" plea for Falun Gong practitioners. He was once driven out of the courtroom by judge Xu Huifang in Shanghai, and Tangshan City police cars also tried to make a simultaneous frontal and rear attack on him.

It is shameful that, under the rule of the CCP, lawyers in China are routinely mistreated. The law is only a tool in the hands of the CCP to persecute its chosen victims.