Illegal Detention of Hong Kong Falun Gong Practitioners Gains Attention

(Clearwisdom.net) Radio Free Asia reported on February 8, 2007 that Hong Kong Falun Gong Practitioner Zeng Aihua (Tsang Ai-wah) would be tried in court next Monday after having been detained in Shanghai for nine months. Her lawyer has been under pressure from the authorities since accepting her case.

According to Falun Gong’s Minghui/Clearwisdom website, Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioner Zeng Aihua will be tried next Monday at Shanghai Pudong New District Court after being detained in Shanghai for nine months. Radio Free Asia reporter called trial Judge Shi Yaohui, who was in charge of the Zeng Aihua’s case on Monday, but no one answered the call. Prosecutor Li Jianjun, who prosecuted Zeng Aihua, said that he would not accept the interview.

It is said that 58 year-old Zeng Aihua immigrated and resided in Hong Kong in 2005, and she was illegally arrested from her home in May, 2006. Shanghai’s Pudong New District Police Department carried out the arrest. The police ransacked her home, and took away hundreds of VCDs of NTDTV programs and the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, dozens of Falun Gong books, a computer, a cell phone and address book and other items. One month later, Zeng Aihua was formally arrested, and the police transferred her case to the Procuratorate in August. In November, the case was filed at the court which charged Zeng Aihua with "using [slanderous words omitted] to sabotage the implementation of law."

According to Zeng Aihua’s daughter Chen Muhan in Australia, who said on Thursday, that Zeng Aihua’s lawyer Wen Haibo has been under pressure from the related authorities in Shanghai and the law firm he belongs to since he took over the case. Chen Muhan said that lawyer Wen Haibo once told her that his law firm had been under pressure to a certain degree. His director had a conversation with him, and they settled that lawyer Wen would go to Shanghai to visit Zeng Aihua once at the end of December. However, several days prior to his travel, his law office director had another conversation with him, and after that, lawyer Wen said he was unable to go to Shanghai. Lawyer Wen himself has also received pressure from the authorities not to defend Zeng Aihua. Lawyer Wen however resisted the pressure. Since he started taking over the case, the Shanghai Justice Bureau has sent people to investigate him in Beijing.

It is said that lawyer Wen Haibo set off to Shanghai Thursday, and will defend Zeng Aihua on Monday, but he was unable to look into the file of the case, and did not know if he would be able to meet with his client Zeng Aihua without incident. The reporter made numerous calls to contact lawyer Wen Haibo, but the phone was not answered.

Since Zeng Aihua was arrested, her daughter Chen Muhan has been actively working to rescue her, including seeking help from several dozen Mps, and going to Hong Kong to appeal. Due to threats from the mainland authorities, Chen Muhan is also unable to go to Shanghai to observe her mother's trial.

In addition, another Hong Kong resident, Lin Lixia (Lam Lai-ha), was once again detained by the police in Shenzhen on January 18. She was arrested by the police last September, and was released one month later. But the police had confiscated her Return Home Permit and forbade her from leaving the town where she lived, until she was arrested again in January. Her husband who is in Hong Kong, Ye Jinhai, called on people from all walks of life to show concern and help rescue Lin Lixia.

It is said that six more Hong Kong residents’ relatives in the mainland have been suffering persecution for believing in Falun Gong. Hong Kong resident Xiao Wenhong’s mother Yue Changzhi was sentenced to three years in prison, Liang Yan’s older sister Liang Hua was sentenced to twelve years in prison and Liang Zhen’s older brother Liang Jinghui was sentenced to one and a half years in prison.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/2/9/148595.html

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