(Minghui.org) When more and more human rights attorneys began to speak up for Falun Gong practitioners, the Chinese Communist Party added another tactic to its playbook: blocking the defense attorneys' representation using threats and intimidation.
In Shulan, Jilin, after Falun Gong practitioner Han Fu's family hired a defense attorney, they were harassed and threatened by the authorities, who wanted them to dismiss the attorney.
“We won't reduce Han's sentence even if you guys have an attorney. In fact, we won't even tell you when the trial is!” said Zhao Liwei–a staff member of Shulan City People's Court–to Mr. Han's family members. He ultimately failed to coerce them into dropping the attorney.
In another attempt, Wang Hanming, a 610 Office staffer, summoned Mr. Han's wife to the Xihe Police Station and asked her to terminate the attorney's contract.
“If I dismiss the attorney, will you release my husband?” asked Mr. Han's wife.
“That is not possible.” Wang replied.
Another instance of blackmail involved Li Cheng (head of the Xihe Police Station), Officer Wang Yongfu, and Xu Zhanlong (the village secretary of Mr. Han's residence) when they harassed Mr. Han's family at home. They asked whether Mr. Han's wife practices Falun Gong and also asked their daughter to sign several papers.
Despite the pressure, Mr. Han's family did not give up their attorney, who later submitted a letter of Legal Opinion to the Shulan Procuratorate, urging them to drop the case.
“My client is just an ordinary farmer; how can he have the ability to interfere with or undermine enforcement of the law, as the indictment indicates? He is innocent: practicing Falun Gong and distributing information about it is not a crime,” the lawyer wrote in his letter.
However, shortly after he submitted the letter, the attorney realized that the Procuratorate had already submitted Mr. Han's case to the court without notifying him.
A Farmer's Plight
Mr. Han Fu, a 48-year-old farmer from Shulan, Jilin, was arrested by officers from Liangjiashan Police Station for distributing Falun Gong materials on September 9. The police raided his home at around 2 a.m. and took his laptop, two printers, some Falun Gong books, and a photo of the founder of Falun Gong.
Shortly after ransacking Mr. Han's home, the police called his family around 3 a.m. and told them to go to the Shulan City Hospital. After arriving at the hospital, Mr. Han's family found him lying in bed with an oxygen tube inserted into his nose.
Officers only allowed them to have a glance at Mr. Han before ordering them to leave so that the police can talk to him.
Officers brought Mr. Han back to the police station at around noon on September 10, and sent him to the Shulan Detention Center in the afternoon, where he is currently detained.
Perpetrators' Contact Information:Zhao Liwei (赵立伟), judge at Shulan Court: +86-13944290966Dong Qiming (董其明), head of the Domestic Security Division of Shulan Police Department: +86-13504750006
