(Minghui.org) During a trial against Mr. Ding Qian and Mr. You Haijun on April 3, 2014, the presiding judge of Zhongning County Court and the prosecutor repeatedly interrupted the attorney's defense and warned him “not to mention any sensitive terms.” Fabricated documents were presented to court as evidence against the two practitioners.
Despite the constant interruptions, Attorney Han Zhiguang delivered convincing arguments in support of his clients. He stated that practicing Falun Gong is not illegal and that 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' are universal values. When he pointed out the illegality of the persecution and demanded that his clients be acquitted, presiding judge Zhang Minpeng warned him not to mention any sensitive terms.
Mr. Ding testified on his own behalf and pointed out that the evidence presented by the prosecutor, including the interrogation transcripts provided by the head of Zhongning County Domestic Security Division Liu Yong, along with the signature, were not authentic and demanded that they be checked by a third party. Mr. You said that the transcripts of his interrogation were also not correct.
Prosecutor Tan Yanling requested that both practitioners be given four to five year prison terms. Judge Zhang adjourned the trial and stated that the decision would be announced at a later date.
More than ten police officers were stationed inside and outside the courthouse on the day of the trial, and a security checkpoint was set up at the entrance.
Fabricated transcripts and signature
Liu Yong and officer Yang Lin interrogated Mr. Ding on September 18, 2013. When Mr. Ding refused to cooperate, they fabricated their own interrogation transcripts and forged Mr. Ding's signature. These were then submitted to the Zhongning County Procuratorate as evidence against Mr. Ding.
The case was twice returned to the police by the Procuratorate, citing insufficient evidence. Deputy director Wang Jincheng and Liu Yong fabricated more “evidence” and submitted the case back to the Procuratorate for a third time.
Mr. Ding's family members have filed complaints against Liu Yong and Yang Lin for fabricating transcripts and forging signatures. They also submitted a formal request to the Procuratorate that the alleged signature of Mr. Ding be verified, and provided Mr. Ding's signature for comparison. The family also requested that officials at the police station submit footage from their surveillance camera of the September 18 th interrogation.
The results of the handwriting evaluation were released on February 10, 2014, and the signature on the transcripts was declared authentic. When Mr. Ding's attorney was finally shown the results, after going through so much trouble at the Zhongning County Procuratorate, he found out that they were not checked by an independent body, but were done internally by officials at Zhongning Police Department and Ningxia Public Security Bureau.
Mr. Ding again stated that the transcript and the signature were not authentic and requested that they be re-evaluated by an independent third party. His attorney then submitted a written request to the Zhongning County Procuratorate.
When Mr. Ding's family found out that officials from the Procuratorate failed to process Mr. Ding's request after several days, they demanded that the transcripts and signature be forwarded to an independent third party immediately. Tan Yanling, the head of the prosecution section at Zhongning County Procuratorate, and Huang Yingying ignored their request.
Mr. You's 13-year-old daughter forced to provide a statement under duress
Mr. You went on a hunger strike to protest his persecution after his arrest on September 15, 2013. Liu Yong and officers from Zhongning Police Station went to Mr. You's daughter's primary school several times in an attempt to extract “evidence” implicating Mr. You from the 13-year-old. The girl was so scared, her legs kept shaking and she couldn't say a word. It took her several days to recover from the trauma.
When the police realized that they were not getting anything from Mr. You's daughter, they turned to her homeroom teacher to get her to talk. When the girl failed to answer their questions, her teacher struck her head and face with a stick until it broke.
Since then, Mr. You's daughter has been frightened of going to school. She has stayed at home for more than three months and told her family that she would rather die than go back to school. She is also scared of going to sleep at night and cries every day.
Whatever the 13-year-old said under such pressure and threats was submitted by Liu Yong to the Procuratorate as evidence against Mr. You.
Arrest and background information
Mr. Ding and Mr. You were arrested at Mr. You's home on September 15, 2013, by Liu Yong and officers from the Zhongwei City Police Department.
Mr. Ding, 52, used to be a teacher at a middle school in Tongxia City. He has been illegally sentenced to a forced labor camp four times and tortured in a variety of ways, including being put in solitary confinement, tied to a tiger bench and being severely beaten. He has been incarcerated for more than eight years since the persecution began, and was released from the forced labor camp in the beginning of May 2013.
Mr. You, 44, is a driver at a construction company. He lives with his mother and 13-year-old daughter. As the main provider for his family, he struggles to make ends meet. His family has experienced mental and financial hardship after his arrest.
Parties involved in the persecution:
Tuo Zhaowang (拓兆旺), Zhongwei City Political and Legal Affairs Committee: +86-13409558977 (Cell) Wang Jincheng (王金成), deputy director of Zhongning County Police Department: +86-13629532999 (Cell) Liu Yong (刘勇), head of Zhongning County Domestic Security Division: +86-13629553868 (Cell) Zhang Minpeng (张民鹏), presiding judge of Zhongning County Court: +86-955-7074616 (Office), +86-18909551895 (Cell) Pan Rujun (潘如军), vice-president of the Zhongning County Court (in charge of Mr. Ding and Mr. You's case): +86-955-7074617 (Office), +86-18909558867 (Cell) Tan Yanling (谭艳玲), head of the prosecution section at Zhongning County Procuratorate: +86-18009561519
