(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Xu Xianda and Ms. Huang Xiaoxia were illegally tried in the Gongnong District Court in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, on November 27, 2014.
Zhang Dali, Ai Hongwu, and Zhang Zilong, all from the 610 Office, arrived in the courtroom at 9:00 a.m. Zhang recorded video of everyone in attendance.
The 610 Office is an agency dedicated to coordinating the arrest, imprisonment, and brainwashing of Falun Gong practitioners. It was created after the Communist regime launched its nationwide persecution of Falun Gong in 1999 and has the power to commandeer police departments and courts in carrying out its activities.
The judge interrupted Mr. Xu when he testified how he had benefited from practicing Falun Gong.
Wang Yajun, Mr. Xu's attorney, said, “Our Constitution guarantees us the right of religious freedom. It is therefore legal to upload, download, and promote information about the practice on the Internet.”
The Chinese Communist Party vilifies Falun Gong as a “cult” to justify its violent suppression of the spiritual practice. Addressing this accusation, the attorney stated, “Falun Gong has never been on the list of cults put out by the Ministry of Public Security.”
The judge interrupted Wang and ordered him out of the courtroom. Wang shouted, “It it legal to practice Falun Gong.”
The judge asked Ms. Huang if she had posted Falun Gong materials. Her attorney responded for her, “It is a Chinese citizen's right to believe in any religion. It is imperative to state that Falun Gong has never been listed as a cult.” The judge refused to allow him to defend Ms. Huang, and he was dragged out of the courtroom by four officers.
Ms. Huang protested her attorney's removal before he could finish his defense. The judge ignored her and adjourned the hearing.
Few Family Members Allowed to Attend
Court officers were on high alert. While relatives of the accused were not allowed in, about sixty attendees were disinterested parties who had been invited to fill the seats.
One of the practitioners' family members asked, “Why do you allow unrelated people to attend the hearing, but not relatives?” Zhang Zilong (from the 610 Office) finally allowed several selected family members into the courtroom.
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