No Verdict for Illegally Tried Tax Bureau Official in Guangshui City

(Minghui.org) A tax bureau official, was illegally tried in the Guangshui City Court on June 9. Attorney Xie Yanyi from Beijing pleaded innocent for his client.

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Chen Quanlong was arrested by Guangshui City Police Department officers on March 30, 2014, for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. He was released on bail after two months in detention.

He was charged with “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a charge that is routinely used by the Chinese Communist regime to arrest and imprison practitioners nationwide.

The judge tried to stop Xie, the defense attorney, from pleading not guilty on behalf of his client. The bailiff tried to confiscate the defense paper unsuccessfully. Xie overcame the difficulties and completed his statement.

Defense Statement

Xie said that freedom of belief is protected by the Constitution and does not violate existing law. The persecution of Falun Gong, he contended, has harmed all of society and human.

He contested the evidence and said that Mr. Chen's case was engineered and the evidence falsified by the police department. Whatever law the police used to accuse Mr. Chen, Xie said it did not apply in his client's case. He demanded that his client be released unconditionally.

Using criminal charges to suppress Falun Gong practitioners' right to freedom of belief violates existing law and undermines social justice.

In the persecution, he argued, the judiciary has illegally detained people, misused its power, and fabricated evidence. These crimes will not go unpunished.

“We should respect Falun Gong practitioners' freedom of belief,” he said. "Conciliation would be the wise choice to solve the Falun Gong issue instead of creating this humanitarian catastrophe and paying such a high political price”

Court Procedures Violated

The court deployed officers from the local 610 Office, police department, procuratorate, court and government to block all the surrounding roads. This upset the locals and generated a lot of complaints.

The trial was officially "open to the public," but only a few of Mr. Chen's relatives were allowed to attend. Most of Mr. Chen's colleagues, relatives, and friends were barred from the courtroom. The court also used "security" as an excuse to make things difficult for the defense attorney.

The trial ended at 1 p.m. No verdict was announced.

Participants in the Persecution of Mr. Cheng:

Min Guangwen, head of the Guangshui City 610 Office: [phone] (cellphone), [phone] (office), [phone] (home)

Guangshui City Procuratorate: [phone]

Wang Lun, director of the Guangshui City Court: [phone], [phone], [phone]

Yang Hongbo, chief of the Guangshui City Police Department: [phone], [phone]