2014-08-20
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Beijing-based lawyer Wang Yu in an undated photo.
Photo courtesy of Wang Yu’s microblog
Authorities in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin on Wednesday expelled from a courtroom two lawyers representing members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement after the lawyers asked the judge and prosecuting officers to be removed from the case.
Falun Gong practitioners Wen Yingzhou and Zhang Haixia, who are married to each other, stood trial on Wednesday at Harbin’s Xiangfang District Court over their involvement in what the ruling Chinese Communist Party has designated an “evil cult.”
But their two defense attorneys, Dong Qianyong and Wang Yu were roughly expelled by security guards after they applied for the judge and the prosecution to be withdrawn from the case.
“I, together with Dong Qianyong and Li Dunyong were acting in defense of Zhang Haixia and Wen Yingzhou’s trial for ‘undermining law enforcement,'” Wang Yu told RFA.
“During the trial, Dong Qianyong was kicked out of the court by judge Yuan Yue after he applied for recusal [of judge, court officials and state prosecutors],” Wang said.
“Dong was dragged away by a courtroom guard … who locked an arm around his neck, as he was gathering his stuff together,” she added.
“When I continued to bring up the recusal application and the violent law enforcement, I was also bundled out of the courtroom,” Wang said.
“Lawyer Dong and I are at the prosecutor’s office filing a complaint right now.”
Wang said the defense team is concerned about the health of both Wen and Zhang, who had been dragged to court in spite of warnings from a hospital that they are in critical condition.
“We wonder whether the court and the prosecution are capable of providing a fair trial here,” Wang said. “We have our suspicions about that.”
“Our clients are in a very poor state of health right now, both physically and mentally,” she added.
Detention
Wen and Zhang were detained by state security police on June 18, and their Harbin home turned over, and computers and other equipment confiscated.
