Falun Gong leader reportedly told he cannot plead innocent

WIRE:01/24/2000 12:53:00 ET

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- A leader of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group went on trial Monday after the court prevented him from denying charges of cult activity, a human rights group said.

Li Jianhui's trial in Futian District Court in the southern city of Shenzhen ended after 2 hours, but no verdict was announced, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China said.

Court officials confirmed the trial began, but would not give details.

According to the Information Center, Li is the first Falun Gong practitioner prosecuted in Guangdong, the southern province that borders Hong Kong, since China's communist leaders launched a crackdown on the multimillion-member group in July.

Li, head of a Falun Gong training center, was arrested in September and charged with "using a cult to undermine the law," the Information Center said.

Court authorities dismissed his first defense lawyer, who wanted to enter an innocent plea, the center said. It said that because Falun Gong has been officially labeled a cult, a new court-appointed defense lawyer was told he could only argue for leniency.

The Information Center says about 5,000 Falun Gong members have been sent to labor camps without being tried and about 300 others face trial. In December, four members were sentenced to up to 18 years in prison.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20000124_867.html

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