The court, along with local CCP officials, claimed non-local lawyers were not allowed to get involved in any Falun Gong case. When the lawyer demanded to see the document, the judge said, "The Chinese Communist Party's policies may not all be written on paper."
On March 27, 2009, the Nong'an County Court in Jilin Province held an "open hearing" of seven Falun Gong practitioners, including Mr. Li Fengming and Mr. Han Xixiang, without notifying any family members. After that day, other local practitioners and their families hired fourteen human rights lawyers to defend them at the second trial. The Changchun City Intermediate Court continues to obstruct the involvement of the lawyers in this case.
After overcoming various obstacles, the fourteen lawyers delivered the lawyers' letter to the intermediate court. However, the court never responded regarding the date of the second trial. The date of the second trial is still in limbo.
On June 9, 2009, the family of arrested and detained practitioner Mr. Tang Moqiu hired a Beijing human rights lawyer to defend him in the first trial.
When the lawyer arrived in the courtroom, the court stated that the superior level have a notice barring out-of-state lawyers from getting involved in any Falun Gong case and that only lawyers assigned by the local court were allowed.
On the afternoon of June 10, 2009, the person in charge of this case, Guo Qingxi, deputy director of the criminal division of Nong'an County Court, asked the local CCP Political and Judiciary Committee and the head of the 610 Office to show up at the court in order to pressure the lawyer. They claimed, "The superior level has a document saying that non-local lawyers cannot be involved."
When the lawyer demanded to see the document, Guo Qingxi relied, "The CCP's policies may not all be written on paper."
The lawyer requested a written statement for proof, but they claimed that it was a "political issue."
The lawyer clearly pointed out, "What you are doing is against the law. Instead of enforcing the law, you are breaking the law. You are denying a citizen's most basic rights."
With nothing to reply to the lawyer's justifiable arguments, they got up in a hurry and left.
Before this article was submitted, it was reported that the Changchun City Intermediate Court and Beijing City Judicial Bureau have been putting pressure on human rights lawyers in an effort to forbid the lawyers to defend for the Falun Gong practitioners.