HONG KONG - A protest by Falun Gong followers blocked the sidewalk outside the Chinese government liaison office here, forcing 30 people to enter through a driveway or the back door, a security guard testified Wednesday.
Sixteen Falun Gong practitioners — including four Swiss — are on trial for public obstruction in Hong Kong's first-ever criminal case against members of the group banned as an "evil cult" in mainland China though it practices freely in Hong Kong.
Security guard Fung Kin-luen said the protest hindered workers and visitors trying to enter the Chinese office on March 14, and that cars going onto the driveway had to slow down.
All 16 defendants face two counts of public obstruction, while three face charges of assaulting the police and nine face the most serious charge in the trial — obstructing the police.
The Falun Gong followers claim they did nothing wrong, and defense attorney John Haynes accused Fung of lying to support a trumped-up case against his clients.
Haynes said most workers would have entered the building through the driveway, a more direct route than the walkway right in front of the building. The walkway, where the mainland Chinese flag is hoisted, is the area that Falun Gong followers were accused of blocking.
"You are trying to make difficulties for Falun Gong people by trying to support the lie of obstruction," Haynes said.
Fung denied it.
Haynes suggested police might have created more of an obstruction than Falun Gong did, by putting up barricades after the protest was broken up. The barricades stayed in place for four days and blocked more of the sidewalk than the demonstration had, Haynes said.
The defense also contended that police had improperly taken witness statements from Fung and his supervisor, Wong Yeung, while they were in the same room.
Although Fung said 30 people found it more difficult to get into the building, including some he recognized as regular employees, he acknowledged under cross-examination not remembering who they were.
"I can't remember any of the particulars of those who complained," Fung said.
Human rights activists say they fear Hong Kong is cracking down on Falun Gong with what they call bogus charges of public obstruction. The real intent, critics say, is to stifle the group's frequent Hong Kong protests against Beijing's efforts to eradicate Falun Gong in the mainland.
Hong Kong officials countered the charges by saying they acted only after the Chinese liaison office complained about the obstruction outside.
Prosecutor Robert Lee on Wednesday showed video footage taken by police after they arrived at the Falun Gong protest, then began arresting sect members after they refused repeated warnings to move their demonstration a few steps away.
The film showed Falun Gong followers outnumbered four-to-one by police who took them away from the protest site. Some demonstrators shouted, "We have committed no offense." Others protested, "Police are arresting innocent people."
The film also showed one police officer holding her hand in pain and telling a demonstrator: "You bit me."
If Magistrate Symon Wong convicts the Falun Gong followers, the potential penalties range from up to three months in jail or a fine of 500 Hong Kong dollars (U.S. dlrs 64) for the lesser of the public obstruction charges, to a maximum of two years in prison for obstructing the police.