(Minghui.org) Officers from the Gaoguan Police Station arrested Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhao Fugui (赵福贵) and his wife in Pianling Town on July 16, 2014. Mr. Zhao was tried on December 10. During the trial, his lawyer disproved every charge the prosecutor listed. Unable to provide supporting evidence or a legal basis for the charges, the prosecutor was rendered red-faced on many occasions.
On the day of the arrest, the police threatened Mr. Zhao's wife at the police station. Knowing that she didn't have a legal background, they tricked her into signing documents that she thought would allow her to testify in support of her husband. She didn't realize that her signature made her a witness for the prosecution and not for the defense at Mr. Zhao's trial.
During the trial, Mr. Zhao's lawyer, Wang Quanzhang, asked the prosecutor to provide evidence proving that Mr. Zhao was involved in a cult practice. The prosecutor simply said that Mr. Zhao's belongings from a search showed that he practiced Falun Gong. Attorney Wang then asked the prosecutor to cite any law that named Falun Gong a cult. The prosecutor couldn't, and the judge ordered a recess.
Before the judge resumed the trial, he gave orders that attorney Wang undergo a security check, a highly irregular procedure obviously meant to intimidate him. The lawyer at first firmly refused but later agreed, because he didn't want to potentially leave Mr. Zhao without counsel.
Wang discredited more of the prosecutor's charges against Mr. Zhao and demanded to see the relevant evidence and laws. The prosecutor was unable to comply. Wang said, “There is no law that says Falun Gong is a cult. In fact, practicing Falun Gong is a constitutional right.”
On the day of the trial, the court officers searched Mr. Zhao's family members and wouldn't let them carry cell phones, computers, or bags into the courtroom. The officers themselves were free to make calls. They also used their cell phones to take videos of the family members. When they were challenged about taking videos, the agents replied, “So what if we're doing that? Call the police if you want.”
All content published on this website is copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
