(Minghui.org) Xu Bingli, deputy director of the Zhongshan Court in Dalian, Liaoning Province, and the person in charge of a pending case involving 11 Falun Gong practitioners, didn't show up as scheduled on “Meet the Director” day on January 22, 2014. Instead, Xu Rong, a female employee, met with visitors. She physically assaulted practitioners' relatives who followed required procedures to inquire about the practitioners' case.
Outraged, the relatives insisted that they would report Xu Rong's behavior to the police if the court didn't deal with her. They also requested the security camera recordings as part of the evidence. The court agreed to investigate, and the relatives are now awaiting the outcome.
On the day in question, Xu responded angrily “You are Falun Gong” and started cursing at one relative when he tried to stop her from yelling at another visitor. When the relative, who doesn't practice Falun Gong, started to argue with her, Xu got up in his face so closely that her nose almost touched his. He had to back up.
Having seen all this, a female relative tried to resolve the issue, but Xu tried to scratch her face. As she tried to get out of Xu's way, Xu kicked her twice and her cell phone fell out of her pocket. Xu then told the police to arrest the visiting relatives.
Satellite Dish Installation Case
The 11 Falun Gong practitioners, arrested as a part of the mass arrests regarding the “satellite dish installation case,” have been detained in Dalian City Detention Center for over a year.
The lawyers representing the practitioners discovered several illegal acts committed by the police during the investigation and handling of the case. They included but are not limited to: forced confession by torture, the ransacking of homes, taking away personal belongings, and the fabrication of evidence.
The case was rejected by the procuratorate. This meant that the practitioners should have been released within 15 days. However, the Zhongshan Police Department repackaged the case under a new case number and resubmitted it to the procuratorate for a third time, until the arrests were approved.
There have been five trials since. Each time, the police department has done many illegal things, especially when they faked a trial on April 12, 2013, just to lure more practitioners, relatives, and lawyers to the courthouse in order to arrest and beat them. The relatives and lawyers have appealed the issue many times, but nothing has been resolved.
On June 21, 2013, Zhongshan Court officials borrowed the Xigang Courthouse to try the 13 practitioners who remained imprisoned after the mass arrests. Nine attorneys pleaded not guilty on their behalf, and two practitioners were released.
Attorneys and practitioners delivered powerful statements, which pointed out the illegalities of the actions of the police and the prosecutor. The judge called for recesses frequently. Attorneys protested the lengthy and frequent delays. The judge adjourned the proceedings at 8:30 p.m. and announced that the trial would resume at a later date.
Zhongshan Court officials borrowed the Xigang Courthouse again and had a trial there on August 2, 2013. Attorney Chen Hai was taken out of the courtroom and beaten by police officers. The other attorneys protested and left the courtroom together.
At around 9 a.m. on November 29, the remaining 11 practitioners were put on trial. It only lasted 25 minutes. No lawyers were involved, and no family members were present. Only the judges and the prosecutors spoke. The judges and prosecutors threatened the Falun Gong practitioners again and again to dismiss their lawyers and warned them that, if they didn't, the court would take away their right to legal representation and make them defend themselves.
The 11 practitioners included Mr. Che Zhongshan, Mr. Zhu Chengqian, Mr. Wang Shouchen, Ms. Pan Xiuqing, and Mr. Qu Bin. Mr. Qu was in a wheelchair.
Mass Arrests
Officials of the Dalian City 610 Office, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the Police Department, the Domestic Security Division, and the National Security Division collaborated with the local police departments, police stations, and neighborhood associations to conduct a large-scale arrest of practitioners on July 6, 2012.
They focused on practitioners who had installed satellite receivers for people to watch New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), an independent Chinese-language TV network that doesn't carry the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda.
Close to 100 practitioners were arrested, detained, and tortured, and their homes were ransacked. Among them, 69-year-old Ms. Zhang Guilian was tortured in the Dalian Detention Center and died on August 5, 2012, as a result.
Mr. Qu Bin and Mr. Zhang Guoli were tortured until they were in critical condition. Ms. Hou Chunli's legs were broken and her kidneys injured in the detention center. Mr. Che Zhongshan was handcuffed and shackled to the ground for two months and sometimes tied to the tiger bench overnight in the detention center. He had to be taken to the hospital for emergency treatment three times.
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