(Minghui.org) Two lawyers provided a powerful defense for Ms. Liang Yunying, a 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Nanyang City, Henan Province on August 26, 2016.
This was Ms. Liang’s second court appearance following an initial secret trial on June 1.
Ms. Liang, a retiree of Nanyang Oil Field, has been repeatedly detained and tortured for her belief in Falun Dafa. This included brainwashing and detention centers, forced labor camps, and prison.
She was telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong on February 18, 2016, when police arrested her after an informant reported her. She was secretly tried on June 1 at the Nanyang Detention Center. Neither she nor her family and lawyers were informed about the trial beforehand. The trial adjourned with no announced verdict.
On her second trial on August 26, a public prosecutor charged that Ms. Liang was telling people about Falun Dafa, and also claimed that Dafa books and flyers were found in her house. He further pointed out that Ms. Liang had already served time in jail and labor camps, and insisted that she be heavily punished.
Ms. Liang’s lawyers, Mr. Guo from Jiangxi Province and Mr. Li from Henan Province, delivered a very strong defense for their client by disputing the charges one by one.
They challenged that the police gathered “evidence” using illegal means, and asserted that only a justice department, not the police itself, has authority to validate such evidence.
Furthermore, the police raided Ms. Liang’s house when she was not present and failed to provide a search warrant. Her lawyers also stated that documents containing evidence against Ms. Liang were not notarized or signed, and were therefore invalid.
The lawyers also argued that Jiang Zemin’s persecution against Falun Gong had no legal foundation, and that Ms. Liang had a right to own Falun Dafa materials and to tell others about her belief and the human rights abuses perpetrated by the communist regime.
Lawyer Guo specifically advised the judges not to criminalize Ms. Liang, and that if they did, it could cause them to join the ranks of Guo Boxiong, Zhou Yongkang, and Bo Xilai (corrupt senior communist officials currently in jail). He also warned the judges not to become scapegoats for Jiang Zemin.
During the lawyer’s speech, members of the jury nodded in agreement. The public prosecutor remained silent, and told the judges afterward that he had no rebuttal for the defense. The prosecutor also took a photo of the defense documents provided by the lawyers.
At the end of the hearing, Mr. Guo shook hands with the judges and reiterated his advice for the court to do the right thing. He then left his defense documents for the judges to review.
Unlike the previous trial, the court did not require attendees to show their ID. This time, Ms. Liang's family members felt quite positive about the defense. They thought it was a good basic education for everyone.
The court did not announce a verdict, but promised to reach a conclusion after a meeting to discuss the case.
Related articles:Ms. Liang Yunying Repeatedly Arrested and Tortured Over the Last Nine YearsSenior Practitioner Ms. Liang Yunying Tortured 38 Times on Tiger BenchNFC #11. [Nanyang City, Henan Province] Ms. Liang Yunying Arrested
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