An Attorney Becomes the Lobbyist, A Trial Becomes a Game

(Clearwisdom.net) I am a Falun Gong practitioner. In order to tell the real story of Falun Gong to the government, I tried to appeal twice, and was intercepted and detained on both occasions by local police. There was no evidence provided in my trial, and the sentence was just like a game. Only two questions were asked in the Intermediate Court trial, "Are you still going to practice Falun Gong?" I answered, "Yes." The second question was, "Was the Self-immolation done by Falun Gong practitioners?" I answered, "No." I was secretly and illegally sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison just because of my uncompleted journey to appeal and clarify the truth about Falun Gong.

On July 19, 1999, I heard that a Falun Gong Assistant in the provincial capital had been arrested. I went to the capital to explain the facts of the persecution and hoped to get this fellow practitioner released. The answer I received was, "He was transferred to Beijing, and we can't help." I was on my way to Beijing the following day. Both the highway and the railway were under a curfew. I was turned back halfway and illegally detained for seven days and also fined 500 Yuan. Later on, the persecution and slander toward Falun Gong escalated. I felt terrible and was contemplating the idea of appealing again.

In November 2000, I had a discussion with a few Falun Gong practitioners. We all felt that we should tell the truth to the government, which is a citizen's constitutional right. After the discussion I went directly to Beijing. As soon as I left, the officials from my township government went to my home, arrested my parents and left my 4-year-old daughter and teenage sister at home. My father was handcuffed for several hours. He fell to the ground when the handcuff was unlocked. When asked my whereabouts, my mother answered, "I don't know." She was knocked to the ground immediately. My mother told them they were just like bandits. They replied, "You ought to be treated like that." Again, I was stymied and turned back by township officials at the gate of Beijing's Appeals Office.

Their unlawful conduct was not penalized, however. I was interrogated because of my legal appeal. I resisted their unlawful action and the interrogation ended after a fruitless attempt. Later I was thrown into a detention center and unconstitutionally detained for eight months. In a farce they called a public trial, the authorities charged with the crime of "public assembly." They hired a lawyer for me for show. This lawyer told me, "If you agree not to practice anymore, I will defend you." My lawyer in fact was their lobbyist. I understood that the lawyer would not be able to defend me under such massive pressure from the government and I didn't use the lawyer's services for that reason. In the trial's closing statement, I defended myself, "Discussions among Falun Gong practitioners are a basic citizens' right. To report the real situation of Falun Gong to the government is not only the responsibility of all citizens, but also my personal obligation. I could improve on what I did, but what I have done did not break any law." The trial could not continue, and ended without any resolution.

The second court session was not made public and was held secretly in a small room in the detention center, making it a secret trial. There were two questions asked during the entire session, two pieces of evidence were shown, and I was sentenced to three years and 6 months in prison. The evidence in the sentencing document was to prove that I went to Beijing.

There is no law on the books stating that going to Beijing is against the law. The trial was just like a children's game. I appealed to the higher court. The Intermediate Court representatives came and asked two questions, "Are you still going to practice Falun Gong?" I answered, "Yes." The second question was, "Was the Self-immolation done by Falun Gong practitioners?" I answered "No." The trial ended there and the sentence was upheld. The basic premise of the court was that I would be sent to jail if I practiced Falun Gong and I would be sent to jail if the authorities wanted me to be sent there. The law in China has been degraded into one of the Jiang regime's tool for persecuting Falun Gong and is used as a club to beat down innocent people. Who is really responsible for interfering with the law?

After having been held in a detention center for one year and four months, I was transferred to the Tangshan Jidong Prison. Three years of prison life that I experienced severely traumatized my mental health. Even before I had the opportunity to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong and let the government know the facts, I was thrown into prison for three years."

December 18, 2003

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