(Minghui.org) “Legal professionals should uphold the law and, first and foremost, tell the truth. If there is no desire to even discover the truth, there is no respect for human life.” The attorney of Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Xiaoli, commented so during the trial on March 13, 2014.
The attorney was referring to the fact that no witnesses were present during the trial. All transcripts of witness testimonies, documentary evidence, and physical evidence were photocopies, not originals. The prosecutor was also changed between this and the previous trial without proper paperwork.
Ms. Zhang also pled innocence on her own behalf: “It's ridiculous to accuse me of subverting state power and undermining law enforcement because of my belief. I am innocent.”
The complaint consisted of murky details, logical fallacies, and subjective judgments, according to the attorney. He quoted one such statement, that the DVDs put forth as “evidence” contained contents that “slandered the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and called for the replacement of Party leaders.”
“There is no law that prohibits this, so is this a politically motivated accusation? Is this trial going to be decided by law or by politics?” argued the defense attorney during the trial at the Ganjingzi District Court in Dalian, Liaoning Province.
The prosecutor interrupted the lawyer's statements several times and demanded a seven-year sentence even before the hearing was over.
Related article: Ms. Zhang Xiaoli Again Put On Trial—Lawyers Question Competence of Judges
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Category: Lawyers and Lawsuits
