(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Tong was shocked to see that her lawyers' seats were empty during her hearing on February 16 at Mingshan District Court.
“Where are my lawyers?” Ms. Li asked her presiding judge, Guo Weiwei. This would mark the second time that her legal counsel was absent; they had not shown up for her first trial either.
“I sent out a notice, but they failed to show up. So you have no legal representation today,” said Judge Guo.
Ms. Li learned later that her lawyers never received any notice of the trial proceedings from the court.
The judge insisted on continuing the trial without her representation.
“Since the lawyers aren't here, let's skip the debate between the lawyer and the prosecutor, and proceed directly to the defendant's final statement,” he said.
Pointing out the judge's blatant violation of the law, Ms. Li refused to comply with her order and refused to speak further without her lawyers present.
The prosecutor then addressed the judge, perhaps revealing that the whole situation was orchestrated. “There doesn't seem to be a need for us to continue like this. Why don't you just announce the verdict?”
Judge Guo then sentenced Ms. Li to five years in prison, without her being afforded any defense or due process.
This was not the first time that the presiding judge has blocked Ms. Li's from having legal representation.
When scheduling the first hearing, one of Ms. Li's lawyers informed the judge that the date conflicted with another trial he had to attend in another city.
According to regulations, the judge should reschedule the trial in such a situation.
The judge agreed to change the trial date. She then prepared a file and pressured the lawyer to sign it without allowing him a good look at it.
When the lawyer read the file later on, he was surprised that it was not an official document changing the trial date as the judge said. The trial still took place on the same day – January 29, 2015. Ms. Li was left without legal representation, and the hearing was deferred under Ms. Li's protest.
Arrested for Speaking Up for Persecuted Fellow Practitioners
Ms. Li, a Falun Gong practitioner from Benxi, Liaoning, was arrested on June 6, 2014 on her way to work. She was suspected of providing information regarding the arrests of 12 Falun Gong practitioners on April 25, 2013 to the Minghui website.
Among the 12 practitioners arrested, one died while in detention, and another was paralyzed as a result of extreme torture. The other ten practitioners were handed sentences ranging between two and eight years.
One of the judges handling the case admitted to the practitioners' families that everything regarding the case had been predetermined by the 610 Office and that the court proceedings were mere formalities.
During her detention at the Benxi Detention Center between June 2014 to January 2015, the police interrogated Ms. Li several times.
After the trial in February, Ms. Li appealed the sentence and filed a complaint against Judge Guo Weiwei's illegal conduct in blocking her right to legal representation on March 31, 2015.
Related reports:
Human Rights Lawyers in China Protest Injustices Against Falun Gong
Appeals Court Judge Says Falun Gong Cases Have Predetermined Outcomes, Trials Just Formalities
Twelve Practitioners from Benxi City Face Trial
Mr. Li Chunzheng Died the Day After His Release (Graphic Photo)
Perpetrators' contact information:
Guo Weiwei (郭薇薇), judge from the Mingshan District Court: +86-18641467348 (Cell), +86-24-42885387 (Office)Ji Yunqin (季蕴芹), judge from the Mingshan District Court: +86-18641467537 (Cell), +86-24-42885537
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