Ou Weizhi and Zou Jixiu Tried in Nongken Court in Mudanjiang

Ms. Ou Weizhi and Ms. Zou Jixiu were arrested and put on trial because they practise Falun Gong. Friends of Ms. Ou Weizhi found her an attorney in Beijing, and Ms. Zou Jixiu's family found her one too. Personnel from the procuratorial department lied in court, and judges hindered attorneys from speaking and even threatened them.

Ms. Ou Weizhi and Ms. Zou Junxiu were both workers from the 854 Farm in Heilongijiang Province. On November 19th, 2009, they were arrested by officers from 852 Police Branch in Nongken; 854 Police Branch officers also participated. The practitioners were transferred from Hongxinglong Nongken Detention Centre to Nongken Detention Centre in Mudanjiang. During that period, personnel from the Nongken Politics and Law Committee, the National Security Team of the Public Security Bureau, the procuratorate and the court, all participated in the persecution.

On the morning of March 22nd, 2010, Ms. Ou Weizhi and Ms. Zou Jixiu were put on trial in Nongken Court in Mudanjiang. In court, the public prosecutor showed two testimonies which were identical except for the signatures. This sameness was pointed out by one practitioner's attorney. In addition, the public prosecutor showed a list of belongings confiscated; it included 92 disks. But the defendant said it was just 15 disks. Due to the frequent requests of the attorney, the presiding judge agreed to count the disks after adjournment. After adjournment, the public prosecutor left in a hurry. In the public eye, the amount of the disks was counted to be 75. This brought into question the source of other belongings confiscated. The interrogation records and the search warrant showed by the public prosecutor lacked relevant signatures. Since the search warrant did not have the signature of the director of the public security bureau, it was invalid. The attorney urged the court not to take these items as evidence.

The judges tried to hinder the attorneys from speaking with the excuse that the government had already determined the nature of Falun Gong, but the attorneys protested. After adjournment, the presiding judge tried to threaten one of the attorneys, but he said he wouldn't be afraid. The attorneys pointed out that personnel of the Law Enforcement Agency had violated freedom of belief as defined within the Constitution. The results of the investigation were not in line with the law, the evidence was lacking and insufficient. The attorneys defended the innocence of the two practitioners.

Ms. Zou Jixiu's attorney said in her defence that considering Zou Jixiu's health condition was not appropriate for long-term detention and forced labour, any detention should be suspended or served outside of prison.

The court eventually finished hastily, and announced another court session later.

Before the trial, leaders in Ms. Ou Weizhi's department once went to the politics and law committee in Nongken, Mudanjiang, to appeal for her release. Her neighbour also went to the Nongken politics and law committee, explaining that her husband was in the late stages of cancer, and that they were appealing for her release so that she could take care of her husband.

Ms. Zou Jixiu suffered from high blood pressure and a heart attack during her detention. Co-workers in the brick plant where she worked appealed together to the court to release her.

At the time when this article was published, the two practitioners were still detained in Nongken Detention Centre in Mudanjiang.

Wang Lishi from Procuratorate in Nongken, Mudanjiang (the public prosecutor)
Lu Chunling from Nongken Court in Mudanjiang (presiding judge)
Judge Yang: 86-453-5063535

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/3/25/220399.html