(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhou Min and Ms. Zhang Liping were tried at the Xintai City Court in Shandong Province on January 22, 2015. The defense lawyers made pleas for the acquittal of their clients, who had committed no crime but were being persecuted by the authorities for their belief in Falun Gong.
Instead of being held in a regular courtroom, the trial was held in “Court Nine,” which was set up in a detention center.
The room was filled with people affiliated with the Chinese Communist Pary (CCP) including police, members of the 610 Office, and personnel working in the legal system. Only two of Ms. Zhou Min's family members, and one of Ms. Zhang Liping's relatives, were allowed to attend.
Several plainclothes officers stood around the detention center gate, to most likely arrest any Falun Gong practitioners who came near the area.
The trial started at 9:45 a.m. Both of the defense lawyers entered not guilty pleas on behalf of their clients. They asked that the handcuffs on their clients be removed, according to law.
Ms. Zhang's lawyer argued that because there was no evidence to uphold the charges against his client, they were entirely groundless.
He pointed out that the “criminal evidence” provided by the prosecutor was fabricated and, therefore, illegal. Even the record taken by Feng Dayong was made up. He said that his client's file was filled with different types of false evidence, and even the time of the incidents were incorrect.
He added that the notice of detention did not even have an official seal, which indicated that the case officer did not take the case seriously. The so-called evidence provided, such as a few paper bags and a satellite dish, had nothing to do with the case and did not carry any weight.
He concluded by reiterating that the charges against his client were completely groundless.
Ms. Zhou's lawyer defended his client's innocence by referring to China's Constitution and law.
He stated, “Article 35 and Article 36 in the Constitution clearly stipulates that citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech and of religious belief.”
He also pointed out that the existing “evidence” was fabricated by the police and the prosecutor, and could not be used as grounds for the false charges. He concluded that the court should acquit his client according to the law.
The chief judge had nothing to say throughout the trial, while the practitioners' defense lawyers argued for their clients and rebutted the groundless accusations made by the prosecutors. The prosecutors had nothing further to add.
At 1:10 p.m., the chief judge adjourned the trial without any verdict.
Ms. Zhou Min is 59 years old. Before she was fired for practicing Falun Gong, she worked in a copper wire factory in Taian City. She used to suffer from various illnesses including a brain tumor, fibroids, and severe back problems. All these disappeared after she started practicing Falun Gong in September 1999.
However, since July 1999, when the CCP launched the large-scale persecution of Falun Gong, Ms. Zhou has been subjected to severe persecution. She was sentenced to forced labor three times and subjected to all kinds of torture, including electric shocks, handcuffed from behind and hung up, force-fed with concentrated salt water, and being tied to the death bed torture. Her leg was broken as a result of the mistreatment. Further, she was fired by her employer after her first detainment, and her family was broken apart.
Ms. Zhang Liping, also 59, is a retired worker from Taian Brewery. Like Ms. Zhou, she also had all kinds of diseases before she began practicing Falun Gong. Her diseases included heart rhythm disorder, inflammation of the heart muscle, shoulder periarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gonarthritis. Because of the illnesses, she had difficulty bending her legs and could not squat down.
Ms. Zhang started practicing Falun Gong in the second half of 1997. All of her diseases disappeared soon after she began
After the persecution started in July 1999, she was subjected to long-term surveillance, house searches, and house arrest. She was illegally detained four times and was twice sentenced to forced labor (for a total of four-and-a-half years). She suffered brutal tortures during incarceration, which included violent beatings, electric shocking, forced labor, being made to stand still for long hours, deprivation of sleep, solitary confinement, and other forms of torture. Ms. Zhang became emaciated as a result of long-term abuse.
She was illegally arrested again on the evening of June 14, 2014. She was detained at the Qingyunshan Police Station, during which time she was beaten and openly humiliated.
Feng Dayong, the head of the domestic security division, punched and kicked her violently and shocked her with electric batons. He threatened her and yelled, “I've sent more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners to forced labor camps!”
Ms. Zhou Min and Ms. Zhang Liping have been detained for over seven months now, and were unlawfully tried by Xintai City Court on January 22, 2015.
Incomplete list of individuals involved in persecuting Ms. Zhou and Ms. Zhang:Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Xintai CityHan Xuefeng (韩雪峰), head: +86-13805481830 (Cell), +86-538-7264687 (Office)Xue Baoliang (薛宝良), deputy head: +86-13505481578(Cell), +86-538-7212743 (Office), +85-538-7230218 (Home)Zhang Yuan'an (张元安), deputy head: +86-13805387558 (Cell) , +86-538-7212745 (Office), +86-538-7279698 (Home)Zhang Index (张新德), deputy head, head of 610 Office: +86-13583876288 (Cell) , +86-538-7237654 (Office) , +86-538-7078288 (Home)Xintai Police DepartmentWu Zhengzhou (吴振吉), headChu Xue (褚学), political head: +86-13505388188 (Cell) , +86-538-7103002Ma Yan (马彦), female), head of 610 Office: +86-13605381212 (Cell) , +86-538-7103060 (Office), +86-538-7103259 (Home)Domestic Security Division: +86-538-7103060Feng Dayong (冯大勇), division head: +86-13853813269(Cell), +86-0538-7103065 (Office)Qingyun Police Station: +86-538-7103180Liu Hui (刘辉), police headCao Xinfeng (曹新凤), deputy headXintai City Detention Center: +86-538-7251919, +86-538-7183003Li Ping (李平), head: +86-13954891969 (Cell), +86-538-71830019 (Office)Xintai City ProcuratorateBu Jingbo (卜静波), procurator-general : +86-13665485776 (Cell), +86-538-3011901 (Office)Liu Xiaoyan (刘晓艳), Cao Yan (曹燕): prosecutors for this caseXintai City CourtLu Hua (吕华), chief judge: +86-18853858967 (Cell) , +86-538-7258800 (Office), +86-538-7258801 (Home)Bai Yanping (白彦平), chief judge for this case