(Minghui.org) A married couple in Binchuan County were both sentenced to prison for filing criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin and holding the former Chinese dictator responsible for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong.
Both Mr. Shi Jianwei and his wife Ms. Xiao Zhu had been repeatedly persecuted during the past 17 years for refusing to renounce Falun Gong. Their legal complaint led to them being given 6.5 years and 5 years, respectively. They are now in the process of appealing the sentences.
Neighboring County Takes Over After Lawyer Complaint
The couple was arrested on October 16 of last year. Mr. Shi was later sent to Binchuan County Detention Center and Ms. Xiao to Dali City Detention Center.
Their lawyer was met with a lot of obstacles in his quest to defend their constitutional right to seek justice against Jiang for infringing upon their right to freedom of belief.
The two detention centers denied the lawyer’s request to meet with his clients a total of four times. Yang Yu, head of Binchuan County Domestic Security Office, claimed that the couple’s case concerned national security and that no meetings with lawyers were allowed.
The lawyer then filed a complaint against Yang with relevant government agencies.
A deputy prosecutor at Binchuan Procuratorate later denied the lawyer’s request to review the couple’s case. The lawyer proceeded to file a complaint against the prosecutor and requested the case be moved to a different jurisdiction.
Dali City Procuratorate, the administrative supervisor of Binchuan Procuratorate, then ordered neighboring Xiangyun County Procuratorate and Xiangyun County Court to take over.
Access to Court Hearing Restricted
Xiangyun County Procuratorate indicted the couple, who were tried by Xiangyun County Court on June 23 of this year.
Only a few of the couple’s family members were allowed inside the gallery. Local Falun Gong practitioners who showed up to support the couple were all barred from entering the courthouse.
Unlisted Prosecutors
As soon as the hearing began, Mr. Shi requested recusal of judges and prosecutors who were also members of the Chinese Communist Party, because he deemed them unfit to try him and his wife. The presiding judge ordered a recess in response.
The lawyer next noticed two more prosecutors present when the indictment listed only one. He demanded to know the identities of the two additional prosecutors.
The presiding judge initially ignored the request, but he relented and announced a second recess as the lawyer kept protesting against the procedural violation.
The additional prosecutors revealed their identities when the hearing resumed. They were special agents from Dali City Procuratorate.
Couple Testifies Against Police
Mr. Shi said Yang Yu, the aforementioned Domestic Security officer, ordered more than a dozen of his officers to beat him a total of three times. They twisted his arms behind his back, kicked him on the back and abdomen, and pushed him down to stomp on his head.
Ms. Xiao said she was also brutalized during police interrogation. She also testified that the police threatened her with the safety of the couple’s daughter.
The couple explained that they feel compelled to do everything they can to stop the persecution of Falun Gong, and that suing Jiang Zemin is a step forward.
They were sentenced on August 5.
Background
Jiang Zemin, as head of the CCP, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong in July 1999.
The persecution has led to the deaths of many Falun Gong practitioners over the past 17 years. More have been tortured for their belief, and even killed for their organs. Jiang is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of the brutal persecution.
Under his personal direction, the CCP established an extralegal security organ, the 610 Office, on June 10, 1999. This organization overrides the police and the judicial system in carrying out Jiang's policy regarding Falun Gong: to ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.
Chinese law now allows for citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are exercising this right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.
