(Minghui.org) After a defense attorney demanded that court officials stop physically mistreating his client, four bailiffs dragged him out of the room, pressed him down on the floor, and put him in a chokehold until he lost consciousness.
When he came to, one bailiff shouted, “What we did to you is called law enforcement!”
The attorney, Mr. Dong, was not the only one removed during the fourth hearing of the joint trial of three Falun Gong practitioners for their belief. Ms. Wang, another defense lawyer, was also kicked out after protesting the assault on Mr. Dong. A third lawyer, Mr. Zhu Wanqing, terminated his representation of his client in protest after the judge refused to dismiss evidence obtained through torture.
The other three defense attorneys joined Mr. Dong and Ms. Wang to file a complaint with the Procuratorate. However, they were redirected to the 610 Office, an extralegal agency created by the communist regime for the sole purpose of suppressing Falun Gong practitioners in China. To carry out that task, the 610 Office has the power to override police and judicial organs.
Defendant Physically Restrained
This scene took place at the Shenhe Court in Liaoning Province on April 22, 2015. The three Falun Gong practitioners being tried were Ms. Li Dongxu, Ms. Gao Jingqun, and Mr. Yu Ming.
As the six defense lawyers took their seats in the courtroom, they noted that their clients did not appear together in front of the judge as they had in the last three hearings. The three practitioners were called into the courtroom one by one to listen to charges against them. By law, however, all defendants in the same joint trial should be present at the same time.
Ms. Li, a financial analyst for China National Petroleum Corporation, questioned the judge why the three defendants were being tried separately this time. The judge ignored her. When Ms. Li repeated her question in a hoarse voice and and tried to stand up, four male bailiffs rushed up and continually pressed her down on the floor, making her cry out from pain.
Shocked by the scene, the six defense lawyers moved for a recess.
Abused During Police Interrogation
Ms. Li's lawyer, Dong Qianyong, stood up and said to the judge, “When my client was under interrogation, officers removed all of her clothes, slapped her face, and threatened to shock her private parts with electric batons.”
“And now, officers are mistreating my client like this, even in front of prosecutors and lawyers,” Mr. Dong added. “How can this be acceptable?!”
The presiding judge Jiao Yuling only banged his gavel and ordered, “Lawyer Dong, sit down!”
Mr. Dong continued, “My client is emotionally unstable. The hearing should not proceed like this...”
“Out!” Jiao interrupted him. Four bailiffs rushed towards Mr. Dong and dragged him out of the courtroom.
When lawyer Wang Yu alleged that such actions were illegal, Judge Jiao ordered bailiffs to remove her from the courtroom, too.
Third Defendant Beaten, Tortured
Practitioner Yu Ming, a clothing factory owner, talked about the physical and mental torture he had experienced during detention, where officers brutally beat him and pricked his fingernails with safety pins.
When defense lawyers demanded to exclude the evidence illegally obtained through torture, Judge Liu Yong ignored the request.
History of Violence
Shenhe Court's physical abuse of defendants were highlighted in earlier reports. For the three practitioners' third hearing on January 20, 2015, Yu and Li's mothers attended the trial; one was knocked unconscious by bailiffs, and the other was dragged out by her hair.
