Ms. Zheng Mengshan Put on Trial--Lawyer Demands Her Release

(Minghui.org) Taoshan District Court in Qitaihe City tried Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zheng Mengshan on June 20, 2013. Her family hired a lawyern who filed a not-guilty plea on her behalf. Officials from the legal and police departments, as well as those from the residential committee who sat in on the trial were amazed by the lawyer's defense. Every time the prosecutor spoke about the “evidence” of the case, her lawyer immediately exposed the illegality of the charges. Those who attended the trial said that every sentence he said cut right to the crux of the matter, and that the court should release Ms. Zheng Mengshan, since the law and facts clearly showed that she was innocent.

The Taoshan District Court claimed that it was a public trial, yet only one of Ms. Zheng's relatives was allowed to attend. When her friends asked to enter the courtroom, they were told that all seats were taken, and turned away. Many people who came to attend the trial had to wait outside in the lobby.

At around 8:00 a.m. on the day of the trial, police officers began surrounding the Taoshan District Courthouse. Security was tight both inside and outside, and plainclothes officers were stationed everywhere. Over 30 unmarked vehicles were parked in front of and on either side of the building, monitoring everyone's movements. Some officers hid in the cars and took photos non-stop.

During the hearing, prosecutor Gu Shaorui accused Ms. Zheng Mengshan of violating the law. In the process of defending herself, Ms. Zheng calmly recounted the benefits she experienced physically and mentally after practicing Falun Gong. She also explained why she would not give up her belief, even under pressure.

The presiding judge interrupted her frequently, but she continued to tell people the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution. Her lawyer pleaded not-guilty on her behalf, pointing out that people are free to have a belief, and practicing Falun Gong does not violate the law. Those who were present told Ms. Zheng's family, “The lawyer you engaged is truly remarkable. What he said is so true!”

Cultivating Dafa and Gaining a New Life

Ms. Zheng Mengshan is 50 years old this year. Her husband divorced her when their child was an infant. She had to raise her daughter on her own, and her life was very difficult. She had also suffered from many illnesses. She had bone tuberculosis and underwent surgery to remove two ribs. She suffered from excessive anxiety and insomnia, and her hair had turned grey prematurely. At one point, she was bedridden for more than six months. Doctors said that her condition was so severe that she would have to spend the rest of her life in bed. There was nothing they could do for her.

Just when Ms. Zheng had lost all hope, in 1997 a friend recommended Falun Gong to her, and she began practicing. She conducted herself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and became a better person. She regained her health miraculously. Through practicing Falun Gong, Ms. Zheng, who was once plagued by illnesses and bedridden, obtained a new life.

For more than ten years, Ms. Zheng shouldered the entire financial responsibility of running her home alone. To provide for her daughter, she often did heavy, laborious work. She opened a snack shop in 2009. Although it was already quite difficult to earn money to send her child to school, she still helped those who were worse off. Whenever she knew that a family was experiencing hardship, she tried her best to help them. Her neighbor was paralyzed on one side of her body and could not take care of herself. She had no one to care for her. Ms. Zheng went to her house often to clean, wash, and cook her meals. Having suffered from ill health for a long time, her neighbor occasionally threw tantrums at Ms. Zheng, who just smiled and did not bear any grudges.

The Chinese Communist regime started to persecute Falun Gong in July 1999. Ms. Zheng wept. She began to tell those she met the extraordinary things that had happened to her after she started practicing. The supervisor at her local residential committee and police from the local station understood the truth and were reluctant to assist the CCP in persecuting good people. Everyone supported her in practicing Dafa.

Arrested for Telling People the Truth

Ms. Zheng subsequently went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was illegally arrested. She was detained twice and imprisoned for six and a half months. In 2008, Party officials attempted to send Ms. Zheng to a forced labor camp, and she was detained for over 50 days. In the end, evildoer Sun Tangbin extorted over 1000 yuan from Ms. Zheng's elder sister before releasing her.

Ms. Zheng was reported on the morning of July 16, 2012, and five or six officers from Taobei Police Station, including Han Long, arrested her. They went to her house while no one was there to ransack her things. Ms. Zheng was taken back to the Qitaihe No. 1 Detention Center.

Ms. Zheng's daughter returned home at 9:00 p.m. that day, and found the house in a mess. The computer and books her mother read every day, as well as Falun Gong brochures, were missing. Her daughter thought thugs had broken in and robbed them. She did not know where her mother was or whether she was safe, so she called the police. The police came and told the girl that her mother had been arrested by Taobei Police Station, and that they had ransacked the house. Ms. Zheng's daughter was terrified. She thought the police were supposed to protect citizens and arrest criminals, yet the scene in front of her eyes told her the police were no different than thugs.

Ms. Zheng's daughter went to demand her mother's release. The police warned her not to tell anyone what had happened. They told her that she must not let anyone know her mother had been arrested, or else they would harm her.

Lawyer Prevented from Reading Case Documents Five Times

Authorities in Qitaihe City schemed to get Ms. Zheng sent to prison. Her family engaged a lawyer to defend her. Ms. Zheng's family and her lawyer went to Taoshan District Court on the morning of March 28, 2013, to find out more about her case, and asked to read the pertinent files. Female judge Liu Xiaoyan claimed that she was in a meeting and avoided them. She told the lawyer to return in the afternoon.

The lawyer went to the court again in the afternoon. Li Mingjiu, the head of the criminal court, told him that the police department had borrowed the dossier. The lawyer pointed out that it was against the law for the police department to have access to the case files, and insisted on reading them. Li Mingjiu told him to return the next morning.

On the morning of March 29, Ms. Zheng's lawyer went to the court for the third time. Officials handling the case hid and he could not find them. The lawyer waited for a long time and did not see anyone. He then went to look for the head judge. Wen, the head judge, told him to return in the afternoon and he would have an answer. That day, guard Yuan from Qitaihe City Detention Center phoned Ms. Zheng's family and ordered them to dismiss the lawyer.

The lawyer and Ms. Zheng's family went to the court for the fourth time on the afternoon of March 29. The head judge, Wen, still refused to give the lawyer the case files.

On April 24, Li Mingjiu claimed that the case had been sent back to the Taoshan District Procuratorate.

Overcoming Obstacles, Lawyer Pleads His Client's Innocence

The lawyer and Ms. Zheng's family went to the Taoshan District Court on the morning of June 19. They asked Li Mingjiu for the case files. He claimed that the photocopier was not working and asked the lawyer to take a quick look. The lawyer wanted to take a photo of the documents with his cell phone, but Li Mingjiu stopped him, claiming that he had to obtain permission from his superiors first. The lawyer protested, “This is my right.” Li Mingjiu took him to the office and told a police officer to watch the lawyer, and make sure he did not take notes or photos while he went to see his boss for instructions.

The police officer refused to let the lawyer take notes and made a scene. The lawyer insisted that it was his right, and that the police had no authority to stop him. While the lawyer read the files, the officer kept disturbing him. This went on for 15 minutes.

Li Mingjiu returned and told the lawyer, “You can take notes and photos as you wish.” He then asked the lawyer how many years he had defended Falun Gong practitioners. The lawyer replied, "Several years now--I cannot remember exactly." Li Mingjiu continued, “So you are going to become a practitioner soon.” The lawyer said, “You should get to know these practitioners. They are wonderful people.” The lawyer spent around an hour and a half reading the documents and then left.

Contact information for those involved in persecuting Ms. Zheng: Gu Shaorui (顾绍锐) , prosecutor, Taoshan District Court: [phone], [phone], [phone] Li Mingjiu (李明久), Taoshan District head judge: [phone], [phone] Liu Xiaoyan (刘晓艳), presiding judge: [phone] Han Long (韩龙), head of Taobei Police Station:[phone] Hou Yanjun (侯彦军), police officer: [phone] Zeng Qingchun (曾庆春), police officer: [phone]

(For more perpetrator contact information, please refer to the original Chinese article)