(Minghui.org) The Kuandian Court in Dandong City tried Mr. Cui Zhencheng and his wife Ms. Li Shuxiang on August 19, 2014. Agents from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, government, armed police, the 610 Office, and legal organizations in Kuandian County were deployed for the trial. They directed the judge to question the lawyer, and the family was threatened for hiring a lawyer from Beijing.

Mr. Cui and his wife were illegally arrested by officers from the Juandian Domestic Security Division and the Jiuliancheng Police Station on April 2, 2014. Mr. Cui was held in the Dandong Detention Center and Ms. Li in the Kuandian Detention Center. Three months later, in early July, the warrants were issued for their arrests.

On the day of the trial, vehicles were not allowed to come any closer than 500 meters from the front of the courthouse. A police bus was parked in front of the courthouse, with the engine running while five to six officers got on and off the bus often.

Inside the courthouse, four armed police sat in the last row, and six in the front row. Six plainclothes officers from the Domestic Security Divisions had been previously arranged to attend the trial.

The lawyer had a strong defense for the couple. Public prosecutor Li Haibin repeatedly interrupted him.

The lawyer then concluded, “Falun Gong practitioners are innocent. They have not violated any law. It is completely legal to practice Falun Gong in China.” Domestic Security Division agents publicly texted and passed slips to the presiding judge to direct the judge to stop the lawyer. An agent pointed at the lawyer and shouted abuse at him.

Li Haibin publicly threatened the family during recess that hiring a lawyer from Beijing would cause a more severe sentence for the couple. It is known that the most capable lawyers are in Beijing.

The trial continued for two and a half hours. No verdict was reached.

Parties involved in the persecution:Wu Na (吴娜), judge at Kuandian Court: +86-415-2277867, +86-415-5137062Li Haibin (李海滨), public prosecutor at Kuandian Procuratorate: +86-415-6276179, +86-415-6276130Chang Youbin (常有斌), president of Kuandian CourtWang (王), officer from Kuandian Police Department (in charge of Mr. Cui and Ms. Li's case): +86-13591513779(Cell)Song Chunyan (宋春燕), Party secretary of Dongyanghe, Changdian Town, Kuandain County (she reported Mr. Cui and Ms. Li to the police): +86-13591525729(Cell)Chu Lanfang (初兰芳), director of Changdian Women's Association in Kuandian County (she reported Mr. Cui and Ms. Li to the police): +86-15841557720(Cell)Wang Jing (王晶), deputy director of the Dandong Detention Center: +86-13050397788(Cell)