(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Da, a 24-year-old graduate student from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, was tried in the Hongshan District Court in Wuhan City, Hubei Province on September 19, 2017, for practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Li hired an attorney and pleaded not guilty.
Brief Summary of the Attorney's Defense
1. The domestic security officers violated established legal procedure and committed the crime of unlawful detention when investigating the case against Mr. Li.
The domestic security officers from Hongshan District illegally arrested Mr. Li on the evening of November 30, 2016, and detained him in the Yangyuan Brainwashing Center. The officers did not show an arrest and detention warrant. Mr. Li was detained for 51 days before being bailed out on January 20, 2017.
2. The procuratorate charged Mr. Li with “using a cult to undermine law enforcement,” a baseless charge used to prosecute Falun Gong practitioners. However, the evidence that the public prosecutor presented had no connection to the law stipulated by the prosecution. There is no law in China that states Falun Gong is a cult, and Mr. Li did not undermine the law, nor commit any crime. In addition, the attorney brought to light that the China Publishing Bureau abolished a law banning the publishing of Falun Gong books in 2011.
3. China's Constitution clearly states that Chinese citizens have been granted freedom of belief and religion. Freedom of belief is also a principle in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which China has signed. In conclusion, it is legal for Chinese citizens to believe in Falun Gong, and enjoying the freedom of thought and belief are not a crime!
4. The judicial system should stop persecuting Chinese citizens and start building a society based on the rule of law. The 18-year persecution against Falun Gong has brought great tragedies to countless good, law-abiding people. The judge should have the courage to uphold justice and declare Mr. Li’s innocence.
The judge adjourned the trial and did not announce a verdict.
Arrest and Detention
Mr. Li Da was initially arrested on November 30, 2016, and detained at Yangyuan Brainwashing Center. He was forced to watch videos slandering Falun Gong and write confession letters.
Team leader Wang Yan of the domestic security division and the procuratorate threatened to expel him from school and imprison him unless he provided information about other practitioners.
The police interrogated and videotaped Mr. Li a dozen times. They also took Mr. Li’s fingerprints and blood samples.
The police did not provide appropriate arrest and detention warrants when Mr. Li was arrested again in May 2017. Mr. Li has been detained at the Wuhan First Detention Center since then, and his family was not notified by the police.
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