(Minghui.org) Two women from Anshan City, Liaoning Province were recently tried for “using a cult organization to sabotage law enforcement” – a pretext commonly used by the Chinese Communist regime in its prosecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr. Sun Dianjun, defense lawyer for Ms. Yan Xiuli, 68, and Ms. Wang Shuyan, 62, argued that there has never been any law criminalizing Falun Gong in the first place; hence the persecution of this spiritual practice is illegal from the onset.
He further pointed out that the prosecution evidence against his clients – DVDs of a classic Chinese dance and music show performance – caused no harm to anyone or society at large, let alone undermine law enforcement.
Mr. Sun concluded that his clients broke no law and should be acquitted. Some spectators gave him a thumbs up at the end of the hearing. One person was heard saying, “Well said! Nothing wrong with believing in Falun Gong; those perpetrators are the guilty ones.”
Arrest and Court Hearing
Ms. Yan and Ms. Wang were arrested on June 12, 2015 for distributing DVDs of Shen Yun, a classic Chinese dance and music show that draws inspiration from Falun Gong. The two women's homes were ransacked afterwards.
After a trial commenced on November 17, Ms. Yan testified how Falun Gong turned her life around by curing her illnesses and making her a better person. She also told the court that there was nothing wrong with telling people about Falun Gong and distributing Shen Yun DVD's.
Mr. Sun emphasized that it is his clients' constitutional right to practice and spread information about their belief. The information contained in the Shen Yun DVD's merely helped people learn more about traditional Chinese culture, which was systematically destroyed by the government under the Chinese Communist Party's control.
