|
SMHRIC |
June 20, 2006 |
New York |
On June 12, 2006, over a year after they were first detained,
Dr. Naguunbilig and his wife
Ms. Daguulaa stood trial
for “practicing an evil cult”,
“advocating idealism and superstition”, “conducting illegal
business”, and “printing and distributing illegal publications.”
Both
Naguunbilig, a prominent Mongolian
physician and psychiatrist, and Daguulaa, who worked as his
assistant, were arrested at his “Inner Mongolian Aztai Mongol
Senior’s Health Center” in Hohhot City on the evening of June 7,
2005, for practicing what the authorities called a “Mongolian
version of Falun Gong”. The health center was forcibly shut down
following his arrest.
Security personnel from the Detention
Center of the Inner Mongolian Security Bureau (内蒙古公安厅看守所)escorted Naguunbilig into
the Hohhot
Municipality Intermediate People’s Court in China’s Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region for the open trial;
personnel from the Hohhot City Detention Center No.1
(呼和浩特市第一看守所)escorted Daguulaa. Both were in handcuffs. A lawyer retained by
Naguunbilig’s older brother represented both the accused. No
information about the lawyer is available.
Some 200 Mongols, most of then the
doctor’s patients, colleagues, and employees who chose to come
to express respect and support, filled the heavily guarded and
monitored courtroom. Ms. Xinna, wife of the well known Mongolian
political prisoner Hada, and their son Uiles, were among the
court audience. Taking notes during the trial was prohibited,
and security personnel confiscated pens, pencils, and notes from
those they caught trying to record the proceedings. Each of the
two defendants was given 15 minutes to make a statement.
Although they were frequently interrupted by the trial judges
both strenuously refuted the allegations. Dr. Naguunbilig said
that the accusation of practicing an “evil cult,” was not only
unfounded but an insult to traditional Mongolian medicine, and
added that the trial would have consequences that went well
beyond his own case.
Reports indicate that no solid
evidence backed up the charges. Instead, the prosecutor spent
more than two hours connecting the defendants to an alleged
“illegal qigong practitioner” named Zhang who, reportedly, has
not been charged with any breach of law. It was clear that
audience members were confused and angered by what they
considered to be the prosecutor’s illogical allegations and
thought that some clarification was in order. For example, an
elderly woman sitting next to Xinna, asked her if Zhang and
Naguunbilig were the same person. Xinna then stood up, asked the
trial judges if the court was trying
Naguunbilig and Daguulaa
or qigong practitioner Zhang, and
started to leave the courtroom accompanied by her son, Uiles.
Security personnel forcibly intercepted and
assaulted the two and held them in a small cell behind the court
room from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. for “disturbing court proceedings”.
At about 7:00 PM, police officers took Uiles into another room
and beat him brutally for some twenty minutes. At 8:30 PM, Xinna
was released after agreeing that although she was unaware
“speaking at the court is a violation of law,” she agrees she
made a mistake in doing so. Uiles was sentenced to 13 days in
detention and transferred to the
Hohhot City Public Security Detention
Center (
呼和浩特市中级人民法院
). He is
held with seven others in a small cell and pays 25 yuan
(approximately U.S.$3.00) per day to cover his expenses. During
his stay, Uiles works long hours in the detention center’s
kitchen.
At 5:30 PM, the court adjourned
without a ruling on the cases of
Naguunbilig and Daguulaa. Speculation continues about the
reasons for an open trial. Some suggest three motives, one to
show the public that rule of law is the norm in China, another
to serve as a warning that harsh treatment awaits those who
follow in the footsteps of Naguunbilig and Daguulaa; and a third
to monitor who shows up at the trial and who doesn’t. |