BEIJING CHURCH LEADER PUT ON TRIAL
By Jeremy Reynalds (07/08/05)
A leader of six Beijing-area house churches was put on trial Thursday morning in a Beijing courtroom for alleged "illegal business practices."
According to a news release from the China Aid Association (CAA), the trial of Pastor Cai Zhuohua lasted about four-and-a-half hours, but the verdict was not announced.
Zhuohua was on trial along with his wife, Xiao Yunfei; her brother, Xiao Gaowen; and his wife, Hu Jinyun.
Nine lawyers had volunteered to represent the accused Christians, but CAA reported the judge allowed only five of them into the courtroom.
Zhuohua's mother was also not allowed to be in the room for the trial. According to CAA, the family had been told they would be allowed 10 seats for family members. However, when they arrived at the court they were told they could have only five seats. But then guards allowed only three family members inside, and Zhuohua's mother was not allowed to go in.
Two members of the church were allowed to enter, as was Xiao Yunfei's father. Even though there weren't enough seats for family members, CAA reported the judge invited more than 20 law school students as his guests to observe the trial.
According to CAA, eyewitnesses reported that about 30 of Zhuohua's church members stood outside the court building to show solidarity with him.
The U.S. Embassy sent an observer to be present at the trial, which had been announced for hearing room three at the People's Court of Haidian District in Beijing City. However, when he arrived at that room, CAA said the embassy staffer was told that the hearing had been moved to hearing room six, and was ordered to leave the building.
Once the hearing began, Zhuohua said his written testimony, which was compiled from the interrogation records of the police, wasn't true. He said he was unaware what the interrogator had written down on the interrogation document, and that he was forced to sign the record of the interview under threat of torture. He denied that he had anything to do with the record.
All three of the other accused Christians also revoked their testimony, CAA reported, saying they had also been forced to sign or face torture.
The lawyers tried to present evidence that the case had to do with Zhuohua's unregistered church activities, but the judge would not allow any arguments about religious issues.
"This has nothing to do with religion. This is an economic crime," CAA reported Presiding Judge You Tao said.
Police witnesses read prosecution documents, as well as records from the interrogation. According to CAA, only one witness for the defense was allowed to testify: an elderly Christian lady who said she had received Christian literature from Zhuohua without being asked to pay anything.
This witness led into the defense's core argument, CAA reported, that because the Christian literature was being given away, it was not a for-profit activity and therefore could not have been "illegal business practices."
Zhuohua was arrested Sept. 11 2004 at a bus stop, where he was dragged into a van by state security officers. The prosecution of his case was reportedly arranged directly by the Chinese Dept. of State Security. According to CAA, authorities had been shocked to find more than 200,000 pieces of printed Christian literature in a storage room managed by Zhuohua.
In China, only one printer is legally able to print limited numbers of Bibles in China, and those Bibles can only be sold through registered churches.
The verdict in the case will be announced later. CAA reported its sources say that time frame could range between a week and a year. It is believed that the Chinese government will try to find a time when political fallout from the decision will be less, CAA commented.
CAA reported that one of Zhuohua's lawyers, Gao Zhisheng, chief attorney at Beijing Shenzhi Law Firm, told Agencie France Presse that, "It is impossible for them to be found innocent, but I have confidence to strive for lighter sentences."
"Clearly the charges against Pastor Cai are false," said Bob Fu, President of CAA and a former coworker of Zhuohua. "We urge people of conscience around the world to pray and protest on behalf of these faithful Christians."
Letters and phone calls of protest can be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. at the following address. Ambassador Yang Jiechi, Embassy of the People's Republic of China, 2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20008. Tel:(202) 328-2500 Fax:(202) 588-0032
According to its website, the China Aid Association is "a non-profit Christian organization with a mission to explore the truth, to tell the truth and to preserve the truth on the issue of religious freedom in China, particularly focusing on the fate of the unofficial church."
More information about CAA is available at www.chinaaid.org
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