(Minghui.org) Lawyers in China who defend unlawfully detained Falun Gong practitioners are often obstructed by henchmen of the communist regime in carrying out their duties. Some of them are also threatened by various means.

The lawyer in the case below did not succumb to these threats and bravely defended his client.

Illegal Trial Targets a Kindergarten Teacher

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Si Guiyan, a kindergarten teacher, was illegally tried in the Xishi District Court in Yingkou City on July 26, 2013. Her lawyer delivered a strong defense declaring her innocence.

The lawyer also accused the public prosecutor and other involved personnel of persecuting good citizens. The trial lasted three hours.

Ms. Si was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong on September 28, 2012, in front of her students. Jiang Mingfu, head of the Xishi District Domestic Security Division, Wang Yizhen, head of the Wutaizi Police Station, and several others took her into custody before she even had a chance to put on her shoes.

The police confiscated a printer and other office supplies from the kindergarten, and forced employees to dismiss Ms. Si's class and have the parents pick up their kids. The confused parents could not understand why Ms. Si had been arrested in the class room.

On February 28, 2013, Liu Zhenlong, an officer from the Wutaizi Police Station, submitted Ms. Si’s files to the Procuratorate in order to prosecute Ms. Si.

On March 29, 2013, the Procuratorate returned the files to the Wutaizi Police Station, citing insufficient evidence. Yet, the police insisted on prosecuting Ms. Si Guiyan and resubmitted the case.

Ms. Si's trial was held on July 26, 2013, at the Xishi District Court. At 8 a.m., officers and undercover detectives from the Yingkou Domestic Security Division and police department, as well as members of the Political and Legal Committee and the court, surrounded the courthouse, preventing access to the building.

The court allowed only 2 of Ms. Si’s family members in, but had 8 personnel from the Political and Legal Committee. All other relatives had to wait outside.

According to a reliable source, Dong Jianguo, the Communist Party secretary of the Yingkou City Political and Legal Committee, was behind allocation of only 2 seats to Ms. Si's family in the courtroom. He had also hired a rogue man to harass the defense lawyer. The lawyer was not allowed to carry his phone or even a pen into the courtroom.

A woman was seen videotaping the waiting relatives outside the courthouse during the trial. When a relative confronted her, she refused to admit her action.

Parties involved in the persecution:

Dong Jianguo (董建国), Party secretary of the Yingkou City Political and Legal Committee: +86-417-2631666, +86-417-2669006