Husband Listed as Prosecution Witness at Wife's Trial Without His Knowledge or Consent

(Minghui.org) Sitting in the courtroom, looking at his wife who had just been resuscitated after passing out and suffering chest pains, Mr. Sun Guoyang was outraged. The prosecutor had just named him as one of the five witnesses who had testified against his wife, Ms. Gao Yuqin.

“That is not true! I never provided such testimony!” Mr. Sun shouted.

Neither the prosecutor nor the judge responded to his outburst.

At the time, Ms. Gao Yuqin, a Falun Gong practitioner, was being tried in Muling City Court on November 21, 2014, six months after she was illegally arrested for her belief.

Ms. Gao's two lawyers received an anonymous text message a few days before the trial, saying that Ms. Gao would be tried in Muling City Court on November 21. They called back, but there was no answer and they were unable to confirm the source of the information.

When the lawyers finally confirmed that the message was sent by Hao Guiju, the presiding judge in Ms. Gao's case, it was too late for them to prepare for the trial.

Ms. Gao's family asked Hao why she didn't answer the phone when the lawyers called. Hao said, “Why should I answer the phone? It's enough to inform them via a text message.”

Just before the trial started on November 21, Ms. Gao's daughter complained about the illegality of the procedure: “The law says that the court must send a copy of the indictment to the lawyers and the defendant at least ten days before the trial. Our lawyers received nothing. It's illegal to try someone without representation!” The judge ordered bailiffs to remove her from the courtroom.

When the prosecutor was reading the indictment, Ms. Gao started experiencing chest pains and lost consciousness. After she was resuscitated, the prosecutor continued to read the indictment, but Ms. Gao was too weak to defend herself.

The judge eventually adjourned the trial without issuing a verdict.

Ms. Gao's family reached out to the other four witnesses on the prosecutor's list after the trial. The witnesses told them that officials forced them to sign a paper without letting them know what it was about. They were told that they would be arrested if they didn't sign it.

Illegal Arrest Followed by Torture

Ms. Gao was arrested by Muling Domestic Security Division officers on May 12, 2014. Her home was ransacked.

While she was detained in Mudanjiang City No.2 Detention Center, officers Tian Liliang, Sun Yajun, Li Yanguo, and Cui Xingguo subjected her to a stretching torture. She was unable to walk afterward. Tian knocked out one of her teeth.

Torture Re-enactment: Stretching

Under orders from the Muling City 610 Office and Domestic Security Team, the Mudanjiang City No. 2 Detention Center denied the lawyers' request to meet with Ms. Gao. Her lawyers filed complaints multiple times. At one point, they were detained for seven hours by Mudanjiang City police. After almost a month of negotiating, the lawyers finally were allowed to see Ms. Gao in the detention center.

Lawyers Denied Permission to Review Her Case Document

Zhao Jinyu, head of the prosecution division of the Muling City Procuratorate, refused to meet with the lawyers and denied them access to Ms. Gao's case files, while, in secret, he was filing her case with the court.

Presiding judge Hao Guiju used all kinds of excuses to refuse the lawyers' request to read the case files. When Attorney Tang went to Muling City Court for the fifth time, he waited three days but was still not allowed to read the file. On his way back to Chongqing, the court sent him a text message to come back to read the file, knowing full well he would not be able to.

Hao Guiju once said to Ms. Gao's family: “I don't care how many times the lawyers come here. As long as I don't approve it, they can't review the case documents.”

Previous Report:Ms. Gao Yuqin Arrested; Lawyer Barred from Meeting with Her

Related Article in Chinese:http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2014/11/21/黑龙江穆棱市高玉琴面临非法庭审-300557.html

Parties Involved in the Persecution of Ms. Gao

Hao Guiju (郝桂菊), presiding judge: [phone] (Home), [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile)

Zhao Jinyu (赵金玉), section chief in the Procuratorate: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile)Sun Yajun (孙雅君), head of Domestic Security Division: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile)

Li Yanchun (李艳春), political instructor: [phone] (Office), [phone]

Cui Xinguo (崔兴国), Domestic Security Division: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile)

Tian Liliang (田立亮), Domestic Security Division: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile)Mudanjiang No.2 Detention Center: [phone]