(Minghui.org) After being illegally detained for four months, Mr. Sun Zhongren, 65, a disabled Falun Gong practitioner in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, was tried by the Dandong City Zhenxing District Court on March 28, 2014. Mr. Sun's attorney had been denied access to his paperwork by the district Procuratorate.
Family Arrested Without Due Process
As Mr. Sun's wife, Fan Yuqin, was preparing to go out on the afternoon of November 25, 2013, three plainclothes officers – Hu Depeng, Jia Hongye, and Wang Huibi, from the Xianwei Police Station – forced their way into the family's home on Taoyuan Street in the Zhenxing District. Mr. Sun and his wife, and their non-practitioner son Jiao, were arrested. The police presented neither a warrant or identification. Their home was then ransacked.
Fan Yuqin was released later due to very high blood pressure, and Jiao was released two days later. Mr. Sun has remained in custody and was issued an official arrest warrant in early December. His family then hired an attorney to defend him.
Closely Guarded Trial
Mr. Sun was tried by the Zhenxing District Court on March 28, 2014. Several plainclothes police officers and police vehicles were positioned around the courthouse during the trial. The police denied the public and Sun's relatives access to the courtroom. After powerful protests from the family, the police eventually allowed two of Mr. Sun's relatives to enter. According to the police, they were following orders from higher up.
The trial had already begun by the time Sun Zhongren's family was able to enter the courtroom. Many of the seats were occupied by people who appeared to be government employees.
Powerful Defense Results in Verdict Postponement
Mr. Sun and his attorney entered a not-guilty plea.
According to the prosecutor, Mr. Sun had distributed Falun Gong fliers to a meat vendor at the market. He was charged with “promoting a cult.”
Mr. Sun testified that he hadn't distributed fliers, nor had he promoted a cult. He told the court that he practiced Falun Gong for its great health benefits and its upright principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The prosecutor accused Sun Zhongren of using a cult to sabotage law enforcement. Mr. Sun's attorney argued that there was no evidence his client's having participating in any cult, and that the evidence presented could only prove that Mr. Sun had spread facts about Falun Gong. He further argued that the materials that Mr. Sun had distributed were not the propaganda materials of a cult, and that there was no connection between distributing Falun Gong materials and promoting a cult. He therefore concluded that there was no evidence that his client had committed any crime.
The attorney added, “Sun Zhongren's behavior wasn't, in any way, harmful to society. Believing and practicing Falun Gong falls under the category of personal belief. When intimidation and violence are used to try to control personal belief, it always backfires. Years of experience have taught us that more control only increases social conflicts. Sun Zhongren practices Falun Gong to improve his health and heart. He follows Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good citizen, and he has no intention of sabotaging law enforcement in any way.”
The lawyer concluded, “In addition, distributing Falun Gong materials is an act related to freedom of speech, which is protected by the Constitution. Under China's Constitution and laws, and considering the nature of Sun's behavior, Sun Zhongren is innocent and should be released immediately.”
The judge, Tao Zhanhua, was preparing to read the script given him by the Dandong Domestic Security Division, when the attorney's powerful argument gave him no choice but to announce a recess until the trial could be concluded at a later date.
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