(Clearwisdom.net) I was shocked to learn from the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net) on August 29, 2009, that Jiang Hong, daughter of Jiang Xiqing from Chongqing, had been arrested. By re-examining the Jiang Xiqing case, I have some thoughts to share, and I hope that we attach importance to the whole situation and take the initiative to cooperate regarding several persecution cases that involve the whole country. Please point out anything that is inappropriate, and please add anything if I haven't been enlightened to something.
Brief Introduction to the Case: Jiang Xiqing Died as a Result of Persecution--His Attorneys Were Detained and Beaten
Agents from the local domestic security division arrested Mr. Jiang Xiqing at his home in the Jiangjin District of Chongqing on May 13, 2008, the day after the Sichuan Earthquake. That same day his wife, Ms. Luo Zehui, also went missing in Youxi. Her family searched for her multiple times and learned that the Jiangjin District Procuratorate had approved her arrest. Ms. Luo was handed an eight-year sentence, and Mr. Jiang was given one year of forced labor. As of this writing, Mr. Jiang's family has received no formal verdict, nor have they seen Ms. Luo.
On January 28, 2009, Xishan Forced Labor Camp guards brutally beat 66-year-old Jiang Xiqing. The beating was so severe that he lost consciousness, and the guards announced that he had died of a "heart attack." Mr. Jiang's children felt that their father still showed signs of life after having been frozen for seven hours, and they asked for immediate emergency treatment. However, to cover up their crimes, the police ignored the family's pleas, pushed them out of the freezer room, and forcibly cremated Mr. Jiang, who may have still been alive.
Attorney Zhang Kai from Beijing's Jiayi Law Firm, and attorney Li Chunfu from Beijing's Gaobo-longhua Law Firm were retained by Jiang Xiqing's son, Jiang Hongbin, to provide legal services concerning the death of his father. On the afternoon of May 13, 2009, while the two attorneys were collecting information on the case at their client's home, more than twenty police officers showed up, arrested them, and took them into custody. The arrests were made by agents from the Jiangjin District Political and Judiciary Committee in Chongqing, the 610 Office, and Jiangjin Police Department, along with officers from Youxi Police Station. They suspended the lawyers off their feet and beat them. The interrogation and torture lasted for over five hours.
A Brief Introduction to the Case of Attorney Wang Yonghang, Who is Still Being Held
At 5:00 p.m. on July 4, 2009, a group of unidentified people broke into the home of Mr. Wang Yonghang. His wife, who was about to go shopping, was present, and they pinned her down on the floor. Mr. Wang's nearly-80-year-old mother also had her head held to the floor and was forbidden from moving. Both women were unable to see the faces of the twenty perpetrators. After ransacking the house, they took Attorney Wang Yonghang and his wife to the same detention center.
Wang Yonghang's wife was released on July 5. Her elderly mother-in-law was so frightened that she lost control of her bowels. Due to the family's adamant demands, a notice of administrative detention regarding Mr. Wang was finally given to the family. On July 6, his wife went to Secretary Shi of Jinxia Community to inquire about Mr. Wang's situation and seek help. Secretary Shi sent for police officer Li Youzeng of Jinxia Community, who beat and verbally abused her. Moreover, they once again detained her, taking her to Jinxiu Police Station.
After repeated inquiries, the wife was told that Mr. Wang had been detained in Dalian City Yaojia Detention Center. The wife and his mother went to Yaojia Detention Center to visit him on July 6. The guards at the detention center admitted that he was there, but they refused to let the family see him or make a phone call to him. Since 2008, Mr. Wang Yonghang has been defending Falun Gong practitioners in court. He also wrote to the Supreme Procuratorate and the Supreme Court to call on judicial authorities to further see clearly the serious mistakes they had made in the cases of Falun Gong practitioners. The authorities revoked his license to practice law, and he was subjected to persecution, including being followed and monitored by the police.
These two cases are serious examples of lawyers who defended practitioners in court and were suppressed and persecuted. They also illustrate how the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) suppression of lawyers who attempt to defend Falun Gong practitioners has escalated.
In the past several years, a number of lawyers have learned the facts about Falun Gong and stood up to defend practitioners' innocence. It was very hard in the past for us to clarify the facts to people in the judicial system, and lawyers can publicly do so on a large scale. Most importantly, they speak about the persecution from a legal perspective in ordinary society, which is easier for people to understand and accept. Moreover, their remarks carry judicial authority, so they are able to awaken people in the judicial system who blindly follow the orders of their superiors.
The CCP's public and brazen suppression of lawyers, as described in these two cases, aims to prevent lawyers from getting involved. The CCP's goal is to keep people from hearing the truth and deprive them of justice.
We encourage everyone to provide protection and timely help for these lawyers from different angles.
