Name: Liu Zhichen (刘志臣)
Gender: Male
Age: 59
Address: Fengman Village, Wangqi Town, Fengman District, Jilin City
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 4, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jilin City No. 3 Detention Center (吉林市第三看守所)
City: Jilin
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacked, extortion, forced labor, illegal trial
(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Liu Zhichen, a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested by Wangqi Police Station Director Dong Hongbo and others at around 3 p.m. on March 4, 2011. On July 22, the Fengman District Court of Jilin City, Jilin Province, held a trial for Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu’s health was very poor at the time. Chen Zuoxue from the Procuratorate attempted to sentence Mr. Liu to seven years, but the trial ended hastily and no announcement of the sentence was made. Mr. Liu's family went to both the court and the Procuratorate to clarify the facts and asked for Mr. Liu's release, but they were told to leave.
Mr. Liu was known as a good person by his fellow villagers, his workplace management, and co-workers. When Mr. Liu's son and daughter tried to rescue their father, all the villagers jointly wrote a letter asking for Mr. Liu’s release. The two companies that Mr. Liu was contracted to (Zhongtian Communications Co., Ltd in Tonghua City, and Jilin Local Network Maintenance) both confirmed that Mr. Liu was an excellent worker. Mr. Liu's current workplace is waiting for his return and said, “We will only use Liu Zhichen and no one else.”
Fengman District Court Puts Mr. Liu Zhichen on Trial
On July 22, Mr. Liu was ordered to stand trial before the Fengman District Court. Many police officers guarded the courtroom and its surrounds. According to the law, 15 family members and relatives of an accused can be present in the courtroom, but on this occasion, only three were initially given permission to observe. It was only after the family protested vehemently that seven of them were allowed to enter the courtroom.
Witnesses were questioned and testimonies were presented during the trial. All three witnesses—Xu Haifeng (a villager), and Zhang Zekui (an Internet café owner who has a good relationship with the Wangqi Police Station and has helped police to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. When Mr. Liu was arrested, he also went to ransack Mr. Liu's home), and Xiao Haijin (Fengmantun Village Head)—showed up. One of them, Xiao Haijin, said in his testimony, “Liu Zhichen is a good person but he just wouldn't listen to good advice and insists on practicing Falun Gong. He was a Communist Party member and was expelled from it because he practices Falun Gong.”
Mr. Liu's health had deteriorated since his arrest on March 4, and he was so weak that he could barely stand up. Judge Zhao Liang (female) then allowed him to sit down. During the trial, Judge Zhao would not allow Mr. Liu to speak and arbitrarily imposed all the charges. In the end, Judge Zhao asked the prosecutor, Chen Zuoxue, how many years Mr. Liu should be sentenced to according to the law. Chen said seven years. The trial ended hastily without an announcement of the term of Mr. Liu’s sentence being made.
Mr. Liu's Family Goes to the Court and the Procuratorate to Clarify the Facts but Are Forced to Leave
On July 28, 2011, despite the heat, Mr. Liu's almost-60-year-old wife and three other relatives went to see Chen Zuoxue in the Procuratorate. They told Chen that Mr. Liu was known to all as a good person and asked Chen which law Mr. Liu had broken and why he was being sentenced. Chen threw five or six opened letters on the table and said, “Look, all of these are from Falun Gong. Your daughter also came and told me that I must leave myself a way out.” Then he told them to leave. He forced two of the four people to the hallway and closed the door.
The other two relatives asked why he would sentence Mr. Liu to seven years. Chen said that Mr. Liu owned some DVDs and all had certain “content.” When asked what content, Chen said, “There were Guangzhou Lectures, 'Traveling Heaven and Earth Through Wind and Rain,' and Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” The relatives asked Chen whether he had watched the DVDs. Chen said yes. The relatives then said, “All of those DVDs tell people to be good. Isn't the Nine Commentaries the modern history of China? How did possessing these DVDs break the law? You cannot sentence someone just based on how many DVDs he has.” Chen said, “I do things according to the law.” The relatives asked him what if the laws themselves were illegal. Chen said if that were the case, then it had nothing to do with him. Before the relatives left, they said to Chen, “If you won't read Falun Gong's letters, then we would like to read them.” But Chen ignored their request.
Mr. Liu's wife and relatives then proceeded to go to the court. After they talked with the reception staff, they were allowed to call Judge Zhao Liang. Judge Zhao said on the phone that Mr. Liu's case was not completely closed. The relatives told Judge Zhao that Mr. Liu was known to all the villagers as a good person, that he had not broken any laws, and that he should be released. Judge Zhao said, “Don't talk to me about this.” She then hung up and would not pick up the phone again. Mr. Liu's wife and relatives left the court disappointed and grieving.
Relevant addresses and phone numbers:
Fengman District Procuratorate: Jilin City Nanshan Street #99, Zip code: 132013
Yu Guojun, Jiang Hongtao, Liu Shoujie, and He Chi: Procuratorate attorneys General
Chen Zuoxue, Filing person for Mr. Liu's case in Fengman Procuratorate: 86-15044688825 (Cell)
Zhao Liang, judge presiding over Mr. Liu's case in Fengman District Court: 86-432-62406418
Dong Hongbo, Wangqi Town Police Station director: 86-13844658315 (Cell)
Related article:
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/7/15/126730.html
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/6/30/126354.html
