(Minghui.org) The families and lawyers of three Falun Gong practitioners in Maoming City, Guangdong Province, are fighting wrongful convictions issued by the courts. The practitioners are Mr. Liang Yuansheng, Mr. Zhu Shixiong, and Ms. Cao Junyi.
Mr. Liang's Lawyer Appeals
Mr. Liang's family hired a lawyer, who visited him at the Maoming No. 1 Detention Center on August 16, 2018.
His lawyer spoke with the judge's assistant and submitted a document titled, “Additional Information Regarding Practitioner Mr. Liang Yuansheng.” It stated that the case not only violated Mr. Liang's legal rights, but also didn’t follow the required legal process. It requested that the court rescind the original sentence and release Mr. Liang immediately.
Mr. Zhu's Appeal Is Blocked
When the same lawyer requested to see Mr. Zhu, a guard told him that Mr. Zhu had been transferred to a different ward. After repeated efforts, the guard failed to locate Mr. Zhu. He gave up, telling the lawyer that it would take a few days to find where Mr. Zhu had been relocated.
The lawyer submitted an appeal to the judge's assistant. It was rejected on the grounds that insufficient copies of the appeal were submitted.
Ms. Cao's Case Handled Illegally
Ms. Cao's family hired a lawyer to represent her on July 23, 2018. When he went to the Guangdong Province Women's Prison to visit her, the prison guard wouldn’t allow him to see his client, claiming that the lawyer needed a signed designation from Ms. Cao in order for him to visit her.
The guard took the designation letter, supposedly to Ms. Cao, and returned with a signature indicating that she disapproved of the designation.
Her lawyer reviewed the details of her case on July 30 and found that the Maonan District Court had seriously violated the law by handing all of her case files to the Maoming City Middle Court and requesting a response on the first day of the trial, even though there had been no decision on the case. This was a serious violation of the independent trial system.
Ms. Cao's family traveled to the Appeals Office of the Maoming City People's Assembly to file a complaint against the Maonan District Court and the Maoming City Middle Court. The office was closed that day, so they went instead to the Maoming City Supervision Committee Office.
“This case is not our responsibility,” a staff member said after Ms. Cao's lawyer and family explained what had occurred.
“Is that your opinion, or are you following the law?” the family questioned. The staff member did not respond.
“Can I have your name?” the lawyer asked. The staff member turned to leave. “We'll file a complaint with your authorities if you don't accept the case.”
“Go right ahead,” the staff member said.
The family and the lawyer then visited the Maoming Middle Court, but the judge responsible for the case wasn't there. They spoke with the director of the court, explaining the violations. The director shrugged it off, saying that this kind of thing happens all over the nation.
