(Minghui.org) Fourteen Bozhou City, Anhui Province residents were tried on March 30, about one and a half years after their arrest for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party.
The local procuratorate dismissed their case several times, citing insufficient evidence. The local 610 Office – an extra legal agency created with the sole purpose of crushing Falun Gong – nonetheless instructed the police to fabricate more “evidence” against the practitioners and eventually got Jiaocheng District Court to move forward with the case.
Before the trial, the 610 Office people, the police and court officials threatened the practitioners and their family members to plead guilty; or else the practitioners would be given much longer prison sentences.
The trial lasted five days, during which time both the practitioners and their lawyers were intimidated by the authorities. Many of the 14 defendants testified to the torture they suffered while in detention, but they were afraid to confirm their statements on the third day of the trial.
It became clear to the lawyers that their clients must have been threatened to recant their testimonial statements. When the lawyers protested the illegality of the trial, they were threatened with removal from the courtroom.
All 14 practitioners remain at Bozhou City Detention Center following the trial.
Practitioners Testify to Torture During Detention
On the first day of the trial, the practitioners testified to the torture and injuries they suffered at the hands of the police and detention center guards.
Ms. Zhu Fengmin lost her eyesight as a result of the torture during detention. Ms. Li Dongmei had her arm injured, complained about headaches, and also appeared confused. Ms. Bai Jie was very ill and had difficulty speaking.
Ms. Zhu and Mr. Wang Shoulue were taken to a room in the basement of Jiaocheng District Police Station several days before the trial. They were held here for over 20 hours, during which time their heads were covered with paper bags and they were given some mind-altering drugs.
Mr. Wang's blood pressure shot up to 220 on the day of the trial, and the judge relented when Mr. Wang's lawyer requested he be excused from the courtroom.
A fifth practitioner was once held still by four guards and fed mustard oil through the nose, followed by chili water. Another practitioner was made to stand for two months without sleeping. When he was finally allowed to sleep, he couldn't fall asleep, as he shivered all night, lying on the cement floor with no blanket.
Lawyers Threatened
The above practitioners however refused to confirm their torture experience during cross-examination on the third day of the trial. The lawyers suspected their clients must have been pressured to change their testimony.
The lawyers reiterated their clients' constitutional right to practice Falun Gong and protested against the intimidation of their clients. The judge and the prosecutor repeatedly interrupted the defense arguments during the five-day trial.
Unable to refute the lawyers' arguments about the illegality of the persecution, the judge accused them of spreading Falun Gong and threatened to throw them out of the courtroom and sentence them to prison as well.
As the trial was adjourned without a verdict, the 14 practitioners were sent back to detention. It is not clear what is in store for Ms. Bai Jie, Mr. Zhu Shaojun, Ms. Li Dongmei, Mr. Wang Shoulue, Ms Tang Jialing, Mr. Fu Mingyi, Mr. Cui Yong, Mr. Li Haifeng, Ms. Jia Hongjuan, Ms. Zhu Fengmin, Ms. Zhao Xumei, Ms. Wang Junzhi, Ms. Wang Ling and Ms Jiang Yuehua.
Related article in Chinese:http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2015/4/2/安徽省亳州市十四位法轮功学员被非法开庭-306983.html
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