(Minghui.org) The Wanghua District Court of Fushun, Liaoning Province, held a trial on July 9, 2013 for Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Deyan, Sun Haifeng, Mu Guodong, Wang Yumei, and Wang Guihua. Ms. Zhang's family hired an attorney to defend her. During the trial, the presiding judge told the attorney, “Don't discuss law with me.” The attorney responded in surprise, “What shall I talk about if not the law? Should I tell jokes?”

Many judges throughout China have made similar wild statements during the past fourteen years of persecution. The following list of quotes illustrates the depth of this problem.

• Zengcheng City Court of Guangzhou Province held a trial on May 11, 2007, for Falun Gong practitioner Mo Xiaomei. The judge repeatedly stopped Ms. Mo's attorney from talking. The judge said, “Don't talk about the law here!” • Gu Yingqing, president of the Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou, once said, “Why do you talk about law with me? I'm talking about politics.” “Don't expect law to be higher than politics.” However, he was unable to explain what he meant by “politics.”

• Liu, assistant secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of Xichang, Sichuan Province, once said, “Don't talk about the law with me. We don't follow the law.” • Employees of the Qian'an City Court of Hebei Province openly announced that cases involving Falun Gong wouldn't follow lawful procedures. • The Intermediate Court of Changchun, Jilin Province, announced verdicts without conducting trials. It claimed that Falun Gong cases weren't required to follow legal procedures. • A judge in Yiyang, Hunan Province, who presided over practitioner Zhang Chunqiu's case, once said, “The Party's power overrides the law in order to suppress Falun Gong. We are simply following a formality. There is no other way. It isn't our fault.” • A 610 Office official in Nong'an, Jilin Province, told a practitioner's attorney, “We rule here. We don't follow laws. We follow politics. You can go to appeal wherever you want to.” • Xie Shinong of the Fuqing Street 610 Office in Chengdu, Sichuan Province said, “We definitely don't follow any law.” • Police officers of the Domestic Security Division in Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, arrested a practitioner and said, “We certainly don't follow legal procedures.” • Gu, director of the Domestic Security Division in Baoshan District of Shanghai, said openly, “What is the law? What I say is the law.”

The Chinese Communist Party's judges and legal professionals have publicly announced their authority to disregard the law. On the other hand, they conduct “trials,” announce verdicts, and cite “according to provisions of Criminal Law” in the judgments. They pretend to strictly follow the law when handling Falun Gong cases, but in fact do nothing of the sort.

The CCP has trained judges, prosecutors, and police as tools to help carry out its persecution. Laws are utilized as weapons and for coverups.

Nevertheless, through the tireless efforts of Falun Gong practitioners around the world, more and more people have come to recognize the following:

• Those who are persecuted for their spiritual beliefs are innocent of any crimes. The Chinese constitution does not outlaw Falun Gong. Falun Gong teaches Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The CCP teaches the opposite. • Falun Gong practitioners have not violated any laws. They are persecuted simply because of their faith.

• Falun Gong practitioners have never “sabotaged legal enforcement,” as they are accused of in Chinese courts. Prosecutors and judges have not been able to identify legal enforcement regulations that were “sabotaged.” This is simply a ruse used to make the sentences dished out to Falun Gong seem reasonable. • The persecution of Falun Gong, including illegal arrests, imprisonment, torture, and other means, is the true crime. • The persecution violates both Chinese and international law. The perpetrators should be held accountable for their crimes of torture, genocide, murder, and live organ harvesting in courtrooms around the world.

“Rule of law” is an ideal that the Party preaches China now lives by, but the evidence seems to indicate otherwise. In such a society, how can anyone escape wondering, “If this can happen to Falun Gong today, what could happen to me tomorrow?”