Defense Lawyer Not Allowed To Meet Client in Jilin Province

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Zhang Qingquan and his wife Ms. Liu Jinru from Jilin Province were arrested at home on June 16, 2016. Police raided the couple's home and took away more than 180,000 yuan in cash and large amount of personal property. Mr. Zhang's lawyer has encountered a lot of resistance from authorities and has had difficulty meeting his client.

Couple Arrested

Mr. Zhang and his wife Ms. Liu are from Lishu County in Siping City.

More than ten police officers, including Wang Mingshan, head of the Domestic Security Division, Shao Zhanshan, head of the Shuwen Police Station, and officer Yang Wen, jumped into the front yard of the couple's house at around 11:30 a.m. on June 16, 2016. They arrested the couple just as they were returning home. They searched the house and took enough personal belongings to fill four vehicles. They also took more than 180,000 yuan in cash.

Ms. Liu Jinru was seriously injured in the police station and required surgery. After the surgery, she still had symptoms of dizziness, vomiting, and high blood pressure up to 210/140 mmHg. She frequently fainted.

The police threatened to send her to a detention center and threatened the couple with six-year prison sentences.

Mr. Zhang Jingquan was sent to Lishu County Detention Center that night. He was issued an official arrest document on June 28, 2016.

Lawyer Denied Meetings with Client, Given the Runaround

In early July, Mr. Zhang's lawyer went to meet him at Lishu Detention Center and was told that the center had originally refused to accept Mr. Zhang because of his high blood pressure. He said that Wang Mingshan, head of the Domestic Security Division, kept calling the county police department to insist that Mr. Zhang be accepted. He said that Mr. Zhang was held only temporarily in the detention center.

The lawyer went to the Lishu County Domestic Security Division to get more details from Wang Mingshan, who refused to divulge any information. The lawyer argued that arresting the couple for filing criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin was illegal, and that the property taken from the couple's home, including books, PCs, printers, money, etc. were not used in the commission of a crime. Wang told the lawyer, “I believe it is illegal for them to sue Jiang Zemin.”

After the lawyer's visit, Wang transferred Mr. Zhang to the Siping City Detention Center. The lawyer tried to meet Mr. Zhang in Siping on July 26 but was denied entry. An official showed him a document from the Lishu County Domestic Security Division stating that Mr. Zhang Qingquan had violated national security and that no lawyer was allowed to visit him.

The lawyer went to the Siping City Procuratorate to file complaints against the Siping Police Department, Siping Detention Center, and Lishu County Domestic Security Division. A staff member said, “There's an internal document in Jilin Province that Falun Gong practitioners are not allowed to meet lawyers” and added that it would take three to six months to get a response for the lawyer's complaint.

The lawyer was told that he could meet Mr. Zhang if he obtained a permit from the Domestic Security Division. However, the Lishu County Domestic Security Division refused his request and claimed that no such document existed. The lawyer was then told that a special group in the Siping Police Department has been set up to examine the case.

The lawyer went to the Lishu County Police Department and complained to Ding Rui, director of Discipline Inspection Committee. Ding Rui was initially cooperative, but after making a call to Wang Mingshan, Ding's attitude immediately changed; he said that he needed to investigate further before responding to the lawyer's complaint.

Perpetrators' contact information:Wang Mingshan (王明山), head of Lishu County Domestic Security Division, [phone] (o), [phone], [phone], [phone]Li Changfu (李长富), head of Lishu County “610-Office”, [phone] (o), [phone], [phone], [phone]Zi Haibin (左海滨), head of Lishu County Police Department, [phone], [phone]Siping Detention Center, [phone]