The hearing of Dr. Wenyi Wang, 47, was postponed again for nearly two weeks, till May 31 as both sides sought more time to prepare. The charges stem from her interruption of the Chinese Communist leader Hu Jintao on April 20 at the White House south lawn.
The physician protester is being charged with a federal misdemeanor of "willfully intimidating, coercing, threatening and harassing a foreign official." The defense has maintained that she was no threat to the Chinese Communist leader as charged. On Tuesday, Michael J. Horowitz, a senior fellow from the Hudson Institute and who frequently accompanies Dr. Wang at press conferences, said at the National Press Club on May 16, that based on his more than 30 years of practicing law, that the charges are way overblown, and noted that a Washington Post editorial had said the same.
Dr. Wang announced that Beijing attorney Gao Zhisheng was invited by Attorney Terri Marsh to join Dr. Wang's legal defense team. Gao is well known in China and abroad for his three open letters to Chinese Communist leader Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, urging an end to the barbaric persecution of Falun Gong.
According to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, Gao, "…41, army veteran, self taught lawyer, Christian; is director, founder and star litigator of the well known Beijing based Shengzhi Law Office. The office, because it is one of few Chinese law firms involved with human rights issues, has been suspended by the Chinese authorities for one year."
For the last 90 days, Gao and his family have been surrounded and followed by 29 public security agents.
Dr. Wang said to the Epoch Times on May 18 that she intended to file a lawsuit against the cameraman working for China Central Television (CCTV). She alleges that the body contact resulted in her arm being injured when the CCTV cameraman took away her banner and covered her mouth.
According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, CCTV makes no secret about its mission to advance the cause of the Chinese Communist Party. CCTV's own website states that it "serves as the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party and follows the CCP's plans and mandates as well as those of the Central Propaganda Department."
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