(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Dang was unlawfully tried by the Lianhu District Court in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province on December 1, 2016, for suing Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party.
Mr. Li Dang's case had attracted the attention of six U.S. Legislators, who wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for the release of Mr. Li and other imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners.
Two attorneys hired by Mr. Li's family pleaded not guilty for Mr. Li at the recent trial, and accused those responsible of violating the Law.
Defense attorney Zhang Zanning informed the court of a person's right to file a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, the legitimacy of Falun Gong and the benefit the practice has brought to individuals and society. He informed the judge, prosecutor and 610 Office personnel of the need to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr. Li was able to speak during the trial, and reiterated his attorney's statement. He said that it is not a crime to practice Falun Gong and it is the citizen's legal right to file criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong. He also pointed out that the 610 Office is in violation of the Law by breaking into a citizen's private residence without a search warrant.
The Judge adjourned the trial without announcing a verdict.
Mr. Li was arrested by Zhang Jiangang, head of the Lianhu District Domestic Security Division, and officers from the Domestic Security Division and Laodongnanlu Police Station on March 30, 2016.
They broke his front door and ransacked his home, confiscating Falun Gong books, a laptop, desktop computer, iPad, e-book reader and other personal belongings.
Mr. Li was taken to the police station, and transferred to the Lianhu District Detention Center on South Fenghui Road the following day.
When Mr. Li's father demanded to know what crime his son had committed, Zhang Jiangang told him that Mr. Li had filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, and that they found Falun Gong books and other related information on his computer.
Mr. Li's parents, who are over 70 years old, went to the Laodongnanlu Police Station on April 11 to ask about their son's case. They also requested that an attorney be allowed to meet with Mr. Li.
An officer with the surname Zhao said, “It's impossible for cases related to national security and Falun Gong. This needs approval from higher ups.”
Mr. Li's parents visited the domestic security division on the morning of April 14 and came across Zhang, who was in the process of submitting the case files. Zhang refused to talk to them.
Mr. Li was officially placed under arrest by the Lianhu District Procuratorate on May 5, 2016, and his case was transferred to the Procuratorate for prosecution on June 6, 2016.
The arrest has put a lot of strain on his parents, wife and daughter.