Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Thursday 22nd October

Zhang Zanning (left) and Mo Shaoping (right) have spoken out against Guo Quan's ten-year prison sentence.

-         Falun Gong framed for Sichuan needle attacks

-         Guo Quan sentence against Chinese Constitution

-         Massacre at Baijia village over coal mine.

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Falun Gong framed for Sichuan needle attacks

Authorities in the cities of Nanchong and Guangan within the Sichuan Province have blamed Falun Gong practitioners for the recent spate of needle attacks in the region. Due to the public panic surrounding these incidents, a number of local Falun Gong practitioners have been detained without proof by local police.

A Mr. Wu from Nangchong City told reporters, during the evening of October 6th, an elderly lady in her seventies was arrested as a suspect to the attacks. Consequently a crowd gathered to protest, smashing police cars. He describes the show of force by police as “over the top” and did not believe the authorities had correctly handled the situation. He also believes that the police had been trying to smear the reputation of Falun Gong.

According to Mr. Wu, about a dozen locals had been arrested in connection to the attacks. He recalls (recording), “Previously there were also attacks in Pengan. Evidence is very important in any police matter. Now Falun Gong is blamed without evidence. There must be a scapegoat, right? The government can fabricate any crime they wish to. Nothing can get posted onto the internet with censorship. The entire internet has been censored. Common citizens have a long list of complaints over a whole host of issues. They now have no place to vent their grievances.”

An activist in Sichuan who wished to remain anonymous said that by framing Falun Gong, the Communist regime are aiming at inciting the public’s hatred towards Falun Gong, thus facilitating its crackdown.

He states (recording), “Falun Gong won’t do such a thing. Basically they are all under surveillance. Their every move is closely monitored. You can’t even leave your own home, or go alone onto the streets. What can you accomplish? But the government’s propaganda towards Falun Gong has helped facilitate its crackdown”

Perry Luo; Lin Li; and Dong Hai of the SOH Radio Network.

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Guo Quan sentence against Chinese Constitution

Mr. Guo Quan was sentenced to ten years in prison, and was charged with “subverting state power.” Law Professor Zhang Zanning believes that the judgement and charge against Guo Quan is against the constitution. The renowned law attorney Mo Shaoping also said there are intense disputes in the legal circle. Some attorneys believe the charge “subversion of state power” into legislations conflicts with the constitution and should be abolished.

When accepting an interview with Sound of Hope on October 17th, Professor Zhang Zanning said: “Guo Quan is innocent from a legal perspective. This is a contemporary version of convicting someone for being outspoken. From the perspective of law, it does not hold water. Doesn’t China’s constitution grant citizens the right of speech and the right of association? Therefore, this judgment is against the constitution.”

Professor Zhang Zanning further pointed out that it is untenable to say opposing the communist party is equal to opposing the state. When the Kuomintang government tried one of the early communist leaders Chen Duxiu more than seventy years ago, the Chinese communist party itself denounced this statement. Presently, the communist party uses the same statement to punish those dissidents who oppose the communist party.

Zhang Zanning said: “In actuality, they use a double standard. It is very unfair to use double standards and there is no sensible reasoning to speak of. As of now, I haven’t seen any well-defined and rational explanation for the crime of subverting state power, be it from the Supreme Court, or from related legal textbooks. I haven’t seen any definition or explanation so far.”

The renowned criminal law attorney Mo Shaoping says there are always disputes amongst lawyers over the incorporation of this charge into the legislation. The focus of the dispute is whether these two charges are against the constitutional rights of freedom of association and freedom of speech.

Mo Shaoping said: “Article 165 of the criminal law of the People’s Republic of China defines the so-called crime of subverting state power. Then how do you define the constitutional rights of freedom of speech? Those who take it seriously point out that the legislation of the crime “inciting subversion of state power” is against the constitution and should be abolished. Then with regard to his founding of a political party, how do you define the freedom of association as stipulated in the constitution? The argument which takes it one step further is that the crime of subverting state power with current criminal law is contradictory to the freedom of association as constitutional rights for citizens, and thus should be abolished as well.”

Professor Zhang Zanning said, Guo Lianhu and Si Weijiang, the attorneys for Guo Quan, in their defense statements, explained why the statement of “subverting state power” does not hold water, and their reasoning is simple and straightforward.

Zhang Zanning said: “What is a state? A state is the people, the land. Actually, a state cannot be subverted. Then who is a state? It can be compared to a real estate owner. Then who is a ruling party? It can be compared to a real estate management company. As the owner, he has the right to select the management company. If you do not do a good job in management, as the owner, I have the right to fire you. So the conviction of subverting state power in the case of Guo Quan does not hold at all.”

In the past decade, there has grown a long list of Chinese citizens accused of inciting subversion of state power by the Chinese communist regime. However, there have always been scholars who write joint open letters, requesting the authorities to abolish these two criminal charges.

Chris Thomas; Li Yifei; and Li Yang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Massacre at Baijia village over coal mine
On the 12th of October, death visited Baijia village. It hacked several villagers apart. A bloody massacre in China’s North East Shanxi Province. News of the incident has been blocked by the Communist authorities.

The Epoch Times newspaper exclusively obtained pictures of the bloody aftermath.

Warning: the following image is graphic.

The Epoch Times reported that some 100 thugs attacked the villagers with sticks, knives and petrol on the west side of the local mine. Four people died, 17 are in hospital, and two are in a critical condition.

The village once shared ownership of the local coal mine. According to residents, the mine was sold privately in a deal made by local officials without the approval of other villagers. For six months villagers camped out in front of the mine, effectively stopping any resources being extracted.

Eyewitnesses say they saw one victim, Hao Tuzhao, get run down by a car, breaking his skull and spilling his blood instantly. Hao’s wife and children are angered and aggrieved.

Hao Tuzhao’s wife told the Epoch Times, “My husband is still lying on the road, even now. He was hacked to death. It is a tragic sight.”

On the 15th another villager told Epoch Times that local police had already cleaned up the murder site. Residents say they do not feel safe and are afraid and insecure.

Caden Pearson; Yang Lin; Gu Qinger of the SOH Radio Network.

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