(Minghui.org) Several years ago, the vice president of an certain enterprise invited me to a courthouse to witness the resolution of a lawsuit his company was involved in. He said with enthusiasm, “We will show you how things are handled in the courts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
It was an economic issue. The vice president's enterprise was the defendant and the plaintiff was another enterprise from another province. As as I entered the courtroom, I spotted about six very anxious individuals, the plaintiffs, whereas the defendants appeared very calm—what a difference.
The judge arrived, roughly outlined the case, and started to ask questions. He asked the plaintiffs many questions, but often interrupted their statements, making the plaintiffs worried and upset.
But when the judge turned to ask the defendants questions, I was surprised to see his expression change. He was friendly and spoke more softly. It was as if someone had changed the channel on a TV. I quickly lost interest in the argument, but was fascinated by the judge's change in expression and tone of voice.
Because no witness appeared, no judgment was made. When the trial ended, the plaintiffs begged the judge to reduce their sentence, and the person who had invited me to view the proceedings persuaded me to leave as soon as possible.
Paying for "Justice"
After we left the courtroom, I turned to him and asked, “How much did you spend to buy this judge?” He smiled and replied, “He and I went to the University for Political Science together.” He again quipped, “But he didn't know how to act--he was too obvious.” I asked again, “Why didn't the witness appear in court?”
His answer surprised me even more, “It was the judge's idea; he wanted me to get the witness out of town, and let him come back after the case is over. That way the case would be completely in my favor.”
Valuable Insight
This episode really gave me insight into the “people's court” and its “fair trials.” Although I had heard in the past how corrupt the judicial system is, I had not really believed it until I personally witnessed it. The CCP advertises that its trials are "fair, just, and open," but it was obvious they are nothing of the kind.
Judges were and still are performers that follow a script, and the verdict is a foregone conclusion. The Chinese people are really naive if they think justice will ever be served in a Chinese court of law.
Years later, I asked myself why I had seen that judge, who had played such an obvious role. Maybe the vice president that invited me had hoped that I could see just how crooked the Chinese communist legal system is. Maybe that vice president, who benefited from the CCP system, also hated the hypocrisy of the CCP.
After that episode, I never attended another trial, because the whole idea was so sordid. Until one day I heard that Falun Gong practitioners were going to be tried in open court. I tried to attend as an observer. I wanted to see what gimmicks the CCP would come up with in trying this "political" case.
A Falun Gong Trial
Along with many Falun Gong practitioners, I arrived early at the courthouse entrance. We were not allowed to enter, and even members of the immediate family were stopped outside the front gate. Heavily armed police officers surrounded the courthouse, and plainclothes officers were busy taking pictures and arresting people. They were acting as though they were dealing with violent criminals, which caused people to laugh and jeer as they passed the courthouse.
Was this bluff really necessary? It is important to know that the people involved were Dafa practitioners, who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
CCP Courtroom Tactics
For example, when a defense lawyer accused authorities of torturing practitioners and falsifying evidence, the judge ordered the bailiffs to remove the lawyer from the courtroom. When practitioners complained about the torture they had been subjected to, the judge interrupted and would not let them finish their statements. When a defense lawyer pointed out that the constitution guarantees freedom of belief and that the practitioners did not break any laws, the judge got so furious that he started roaring and hitting his desk with his gavel, saying, “Don't talk to me about the law. We only talk about politics. If you don't stop talking, I'll have you arrested, too.” It isn't unusual for lawyers to be arrested in Chinese courts of law.
The judges stated that they didn't talk about the law, which means that they disregard the judicial system and are no more than puppets of the CCP. The fact is, they're really controlled by the 610 Office, which blatantly abuses the law, makes random arrests, makes people disappear, extracts confessions by torture, falsifies evidence, and employs brutal methods of torture. The judges are very careful to conceal these crimes committed by the CCP.
During the past few days, the death sentence of a hawker from Shenyang City sparked public waves of anger. Twenty-five lawyers issued a joint statement to the highest court, protesting that the evidence presented was obtained illegally and could not be used to justify the death penalty and immediate execution. This one-sided lawsuit, just like most trials, was yet another farce played out to deceive the general public.
Having witnessed and heard about many trials, people are now coming to realize that these "legal proceedings" are nothing more than public spectacles put on to deceive them. The CCP uses the “people's court” to bully people in the name of the law. Originally sacred laws are being twisted to condone murder and all kinds of criminal acts. How can people still believe in such a regime?
