(Minghui.org) Four human rights lawyers recently filed a complaint against the Jiaozhou City Court for legal procedure violations, one day after its botched trial of their clients.
Ms. Song Guixiang and her daughter Ms. Li Xue were arrested in September this year, after filing lawsuits against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin, for launching the persecution of Falun Gong that resulted in their repeated arrests and incarcerations in the past.
The trial of the two women was halted after their lawyers persistently protested the court's illegal demand that they go through a security check. By law, defense lawyers are exempt from the routine security checks required of the general public. The Chinese courts, however, have frequently used security checks as an excuse to stop lawyers from representing Falun Gong practitioners.
The judge announced that a new trial date would be set for the future, but he also issued a “no visitation” order to the detention center where the mother and daughter were being held. The lawyers filed a complaint the next day, accusing the court of blocking them from attending the trial and instigating the detention center to deny meetings with their clients.
Lawyers Reject Illegal Security Check Demand
The trial on December 1, 2015 was set to take place in a makeshift room in the No. 3 Detention Center in Qingdao, where Ms. Song and Ms. Li were being held.
After the lawyers and the women's family members arrived at the detention center, they were ordered to go through a security check. The lawyers were blocked outside when they refused to comply with the illegal demand. They pointed out the illegality of the order, but were shoved by the bailiffs.
As the lawyers kept protesting the unlawful demand, one court official emerged to whisper new orders to the bailiffs, who then escorted the lawyers into the makeshift courtroom.
In less than one minute, however, the lawyers were yanked outside by the arm and neck. This “in-and-out” drama unfolded without any explanation from the court bailiffs or officials.
Undaunted, the lawyers continued their protest of the court's legal procedure violations. Several hours later, the judge announced that the trial was canceled and would be rescheduled for a different date.
The lawyers requested to meet with their clients afterwards, but were denied by the detention center, citing an order from the court. The lawyers filed a complaint with the Jiaozhou Procuratorate about the court's obstruction of their defense, and the detention center's denial of visitation on the following day.
Both Mother and Daughter in Critical Condition
Ms. Song, a retired teacher in her seventies, and her daughter Ms. Li were arrested on September 16, 2015, by officers from Fuan Police Station. They have been detained at No. 3 Detention Center in Qingdao.
When their family visited them on October 9, they noticed that Ms. Song was in critical condition as a result of torture. She had become paralyzed from the waist down, and was incontinent. She had chest pain and high blood pressure. Her daughter Ms. Li had been in a coma after over 20 days of hunger strike, abstaining from both food and water.
Lawsuits against Jiang Results in Latest Arrest
Ms. Song and Ms. Li have been repeatedly persecuted for not giving up Falun Gong over the past 16 years. Ms. Song has been arrested more than 20 times, and has been tortured while in detention. Ms. Li was sentenced to seven years in prison. Her older sister, Ms. Li Mei, is also a Falun Gong practitioner, and she too has been arrested several times.
In addition to the physical detention and torture, their wages were withheld and their home ransacked several times. The financial losses add up to more than one hundred thousand yuan.
In order to seek justice for themselves, Ms. Song and her two daughters filed a criminal complaint on May 28, 2015 against Jiang Zemin, for initiating the persecution. The local police, however, arrested the mother and the younger daughter within less than four months of their lawsuits being filed against Jiang.
Related report:
Retired Teacher and Daughters File Lawsuits Against Former Dictator Jiang Zemin
Perpetrators' contact information:
Chen Baodong ( 陈宝东), head of Jiaozhou 610 Office: +86-13806392997Fu Zengguang (付增光), presiding judge at Jiaozhou Court: +86-13869809977Zhang Jina (张纪娜), prosecutor at Jiaozhou Procuratorate: +86-18653212677, +86- 13589293007Zhuang Lijie (庄丽洁), head of No. 3 Detention Center in Qingdao: +86-532-66578929
(More perpetrators' contact information available in the original Chinese article.)
