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The Bar Association of Shanghai Violates the Law by Forbidding Attorneys to Defend Falun Gong Practitioners
By a Dafa practitioner from China
(Clearwisdom.net) Several years ago the Shanghai Bar Association gave
oral notification to all of its attorneys, forbidding them from defending Falun
Gong practitioners in court. The penalty for defending Falun Gong practitioners
is an immediate cancellation of their attorney's license. Because I had to hire an attorney for a Falun Gong practitioner, I went to a
famous law office for consultation. When I asked which chapter of the law had
been violated if a Falun Gong practitioner distributed truth-clarification
materials, one attorney claimed that it was article 300 of the criminal code,
though he couldn't elaborate on what it was. I also asked, "Which legal
document of our country defines Falun Gong as a cult? Could you please show it
to me?" The attorney replied, "There is no such legal document."
I then said, "Falun Gong is good. Falun Gong advocates Truthfulness,
Compassion and Forbearance. How can it be considered a cult?" Another
attorney who had a doctorate degree answered, "According to the law, what
you say is right. However, the authorities' power is above the law in China.
Therefore, it is hard to say." I asked again, "In your words, you are
not able to legally defend Falun Gong practitioners." They responded,
"No one, neither the attorney's office nor an attorney would dare to defend
a Falun Gong practitioner, because attorneys have to earn money to support their
families." |