(Minghui.org) A lawyer's efforts to defend his client's innocence were repeatedly stopped in the trial of Ms. Li Mingfang from Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. The 72-year-old woman was charged with using a cult to undermine law enforcement – a standard pretext used by the Chinese communist regime to frame Falun Gong practitioners.
Unable to articulate and finish his defense arguments, Ms. Li's lawyer withdrew from the case in protest. The judge responded, “Go ahead and quit. I don't care.” The prosecutors then recommended 8-10 years of prison.
Ms. Li is awaiting her sentencing verdict in Nanming District Detention Center, where she remains after her arrest on July 30, 2015.
Judge Repeatedly Violates Procedure
When the trial began on April 15, 2016, the defense lawyer noted that Judge Yu Jiheng had installed an additional prosecutor in the courtroom without his prior knowledge. As the person was not originally listed on the indictment, the lawyer requested he be recused, but the judge ignored it.
While judge Yu allowed the prosecutors unlimited time to question Ms. Li, he kept interrupting the defense lawyer whenever it was his turn to speak.
Items confiscated from Ms. Li's home were listed as prosecution evidence on the indictment, but the prosecutors refused to show any of them in the hearing. The defense lawyer argued that those items were Ms. Li's lawful possessions and attested to her innocence. He challenged the judge and the prosecutors to present the evidence, but his request was rejected.
The defense lawyer complained about being denied a fair chance to defend his client's innocence, only to be met with ridicule from the judge.
After the defense lawyer quit, the judge rushed through the rest of the hearing. The prosecutors have asked for a 8-10 year prison term.
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