(Clearwisdom.net) Zhaoyuan City Court recently tried seven Falun Gong practitioners: Mr. Kao Fuquan, Ms. Song Guihua, Ms. Yang Lanxiang, Ms. Diao Yunying, Ms. Fang Cuirong, Ms. Yang Wenjie, and Ms. Teng Yingfen. The practitioners' families hired lawyers from Beijing to defend them, but Zhaoyuan police, court officials, Procuratorate agents and those from the 610 Office worked together to harass, intimidate, and prevent the lawyers from defending the practitioners.

When one lawyer first arrived in Zhaoyuan, 610 Office personnel went to the practitioners’ village and told the village head that the lawyer was a reporter, "digging for village gossip." The 610 Office agents told the village official to send two men to the village entrance and beat up the lawyer when he showed up. They even told the village head what the lawyer looked alike. Fortunately, things did not happen that way.

When a practitioner's family informed the Procuratorate of their decision to hire a lawyer, an official told them, "You are wasting your time hiring a lawyer, because the defendant (practitioner) did not personally hire the lawyer." When the family and the lawyer asked to visit the detained practitioner, a person in the Procuratorate told them that the practitioner had been transferred to a detention center. A guard at the detention center told them they had to get permission from the 610 Office to see the detainee. At the 610 Office they were told that the case had been submitted to the Procuratorate.

Back at the prosecuting attorney's office, they were told that the case was in the court, so they went to the court. After an hour-long negotiation they finally got permission to visit the practitioner. But the court still refused to show them the indictment. After the lawyer adamantly protested, a judge reluctantly showed him the indictment. But regarding another practitioner’s case, as of today, the lawyer has not yet obtained his client’s indictment from a responsible judge.

Zhaoyuan Court

The court informed the family on November 26, 2010, that a trial was planned for November 29. When the lawyer showed up in Zhaoyuan before the trial date, the judge told him that his request for a meeting with his client was denied, that he was forbidden to defend the practitioner in court, and that this was a decision from the higher-ups. The court even forged a note, supposedly from the practitioner: “Dear leaders, I will not need a lawyer, and I do not want my family to hire a lawyer.”

According to the family, it was not the practitioner's handwriting and could not represent the practitioner’s real intention.

A judge then told the lawyer and the family that the November 29 trial was postponed for two weeks, because the judge in another practitioner’s case was being replaced. But before two weeks had passed, the families received a short notice informing them that the trial was to take place on the afternoon of December 5. However, the trial was actually held that morning. Ms. Ms. Teng Yingfen's husband, Sun Guo, who kept in contact with the lawyer, was locked up by his employer. Later on, Mr. Sun was sent to the Zhaoyuan Brainwashing Center.

Kao Fuying, a family member of practitioner Kao Fuquan, heard when the trial was to be held and went to the courthouse, where he was promptly arrested. 610 Office agent Song Shaochang even beat the lawyer in public.

Contact information:

Zhaoyuan Procuratorate:
Wang Jialin, head: 86-535-3012501 (Office), 86-13963808126 (Cell)
Wang Shukui, deputy head: 86-535 -3012506, 86-13954520166
Wang Hongwei, deputy head: 86-535 -3012590, 86-13706458988

Zhaoyuan 610 Office:
Liu Shuju, head: 86-535-8159038, 86-535-8210838, 86-13863808689
Deputy heads:
Sun Qiquan: 86-535 -8183839, 86-535-8266826, 86-13583535289
Du Weixian: 86-535 -8193666, 86-535 8930338, 86-13863808618
Song Shaochang: 86-535 -8180768, 86-535-8230523, 86-13954531323

Zhaoyuan City Court:
Wang Lichen, chief judge: 86-535 -8248898, 86-13905452001
Hao Jingyao, associate chief judge: 86-535 -8225522, 86-13668650666