Shenyang Court Denies Fair Defense for Ms. Liu Yukun

(Minghui.org) Ms. Liu Yukun, 63, was arrested on November 19, 2013 for giving out calendars containing New Year wishes and promoting blessings of following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the main tenets of Falun Gong.

Before her trial that was scheduled for June 17, the Shenyang 610 Office and Shenhe District Court used extralegal measures, including threats and deception, to prevent lawyers from defending Ms. Liu.

Her case echoes Human Rights Watch's recent observations, and its calls on June 29 for the Chinese regime to “drop charges for peaceful activities” and “ensure access to lawyers.”

“The intention appears to be to make everyone think twice before they act, as there is no telling what people will be detained for next.” says Sophie Richardson, China director of the rights organization, citing the regime's shrinking tolerance for peaceful activities.

Ms. Liu's family hired a local lawyer and another from Beijing. On June 16, when the local lawyer met with Ms. Liu, he received a phone call from the Shenyang 610 Office threatening him not to defend Ms. Liu. The lawyer withdrew from the case under pressure.

At the trial, Ms. Liu's lawyer from Beijing was told to go through a security inspection, which the Chinese law waives for attorneys, before entering the courtroom. He refused, pointing out that it was illegal, as he had already been checked before entering the building. In response, the presiding judge Li Hong and the chief judge Jiao Yuling shouted insults at the lawyer.

Meanwhile, the judges informed Ms. Liu that her lawyer was unable to attend the trial. Instead, they told Ms. Liu to assign her daughter as her defender. Given no choice, Ms. Liu signed the document to do so. The judges then postponed the trial to June 23.

As the designated defender, Ms. Liu's daughter asked to meet with her mother on June 20. Judge Jiao verbally approved the request, but then required Ms. Liu's daughter to present various additional documents. When the paperwork was finally complete, Judge Jiao told Ms. Liu's daughter that her meeting request was denied by Judge Li.

Previous report:Officers Fabricate Evidence When Procuratorate Returns Ms. Liu Yukun's Case

Personnel responsible for Ms. Liu Yukun's case
Shenyang City 610 Office: [phone], [phone]Li Hong (李红), the presiding judge of the criminal court: [phone]Jiao Yuling (焦玉玲), chief judge: [phone]Lu Kui (吕奎), the chief procurator of Shenhe District: [phone]Ma Lixin (马立新), the chief of Shenyang City National Security Division: [phone] (mobile), [phone] (Office)Zhang Tingyan (张廷彦), the chief of Shenhe District National Security Division: [phone] (mobile)