Name: Wang Liyan (王丽艳)
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 24, 2009
Most recent place of detention: Liuhe Detention Center (柳河看守所 )
City: Ji'an
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Beatings, torture, physical restraint, interrogation, detention
Key Persecutors: Ji'an City Procuratorate Zhang Fusheng, Zhang Jiye (female), Judge of the Ji'an City Court Zhang Jianhua
Defense Attorney: Peng Yongfeng (彭永峰)
(Clearwisdom.net) On the morning of November 28, 2009, Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Wang Liyan from Tonghua City was brought to trial at the Ji'an City Court. Lawyer Peng Yongfeng defended Ms. Wang's innocence. During the process, he was interrupted numerous times by the prosecutors, as well as the judge, who was yelling from the bench.
From the outset, a police line was set up in the courtyard. Military police officers required everyone to submit photocopies of their IDs. At the door of the courtroom, everyone was searched for metal objects and the original IDs were checked for a match to gain entry.
At the court, when the prosecutors charged Ms. Wang with "making use of a cult to undermine the implementation of law," Mr. Peng challenged the charge's legal basis and asked the prosecutors to produce the relevant law that was implemented. The judge intervened and said, "You don't necessarily have to see it." After that, the prosecutors presented some evidence from a witness that was not present in the courtroom. When Mr. Peng asked whether the witness would appear for cross-examination, the prosecutors remained silent. When he called into question the substance of the documentary evidence presented, the prosecutors were unable to produce originals. Mr. Peng then pointed out that the evidence was not admissible, nor credible.
In a prior trial held on November 25 for Ms. Wang and two other practitioners, the judge and prosecutors could not continue the trial after their lawyers' defense, even though Ms. Wang's lawyer was shouted down by the judge and prosecutors repeatedly. Meanwhile, every time the prosecutors put forward evidence, the judge asked if Ms. Wang had any objections, but over-ruled every objection. Notably, cross-examination of her accusers was not possible since none of the witnesses for whom statements were entered were present. As for the confession, Ms. Wang said that it was coerced under torture. She also disclosed how she had been forced to leave her fingerprint on a blank piece of paper.
The defense lawyer pointed out that the pattern and practice of procuring statements in such a manner bespeaks of prosecutorial misconduct, and again he was interrupted by the judge. In the closing argument, the court's attention was called to the lack of any lawful evidence produced by the prosecutors against Ms. Wang. The defense lawyer asked that such evidence be produced if it existed, whereupon the judge again interrupted him. Finally, even before the defense lawyer had finished his final statement, the judge closed the proceedings and quickly drove everyone out of the courtroom.
