(Minghui.org) When a Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province resident stood trial on August 12, 2022 for her faith in Falun Gong, the judge refused to have her shackles and handcuffs removed and also interrupted her lawyer’s defense. The prosecutor only presented photos of evidence in court, not the actual items used against Ms. Wang Hua.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Wang was arrested on July 5, 2021 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She is now held at the Sanyao Detention Center. The Lianhu District Court originally scheduled a hearing for March 22, 2022, but postponed it due to a local outbreak of COVID-19 cases.
At the beginning of the hearing, the lawyer demanded the bailiffs remove Ms. Wang’s handcuffs and shackles, but was rejected by judge Quan Borong, who claimed that it’s not convenient to do so during the pandemic. The lawyer then asked the clerk to record the judge’s remarks in the court proceedings, but was rejected by the judge too.
The lawyer then asked Ms. Wang whether she was notified of the hearing three days ahead of time, as required by law. She said she was never told any information about the session.
The lawyer also asked Ms. Wang why she practiced Falun Gong and what benefits she had experienced. Before the lawyer finished the question, judge Quan stopped him from talking. She also denounced the lawyer’s request for the clerk to record the interruption in the court proceedings.
The lawyer asked prosecutor Chen Bo why he only presented photos of the evidence, without showing the actual items. The prosecutor replied that the evidence stayed with the police and he didn’t have it.
The lawyer argued that if the police didn’t submit the actual evidence to the prosecutor, then how could he verify the items and their quantities? Did he indict Ms. Wang simply based on a few photos?
After the hearing, the lawyer requested to meet with Ms. Wang for her to sign certain paperwork, but was again rejected by the judge. The lawyer is now preparing to file complaints against the judge and the prosecutor for violating legal procedure in handling Ms. Wang’s case.
Ms. Wang, around 49, was a top R&D scientist at a chemical company. She took up Falun Gong in June 1997. Prior to her latest prosecution, she has been given a labor camp term and a prison term. She was also repeatedly held in brainwashing centers, fired from her job and had her retirement benefits suspended.
Quan Borong (权波蓉), judge, Lianhu District Court: +86-19890986745, +86-17829751505, +86-29-87627637Chen Bo (陈博), prosecutor, Lianhu District Procuratorate: +86-29-87325028Zhang Peng (张鹏), president, Lianhu District Court: +86-29-87621629Hu Xiaojing (胡晓静), president, Lianhu District Procuratorate: +86-29-87322000
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Having Served Three Years Behind Bars, Shaanxi Woman Faces Prison Sentence Again for Her Faith