Peking builds case

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 8

Peking builds case

NZPA-Reuter Peking The prosecution strategy in the Peking counterrevolution trial has become clear from the opening ses-j sions, with the first three de- 1 t'endants in the dock being used to build up the case! against the more intransigent! among the other seven. I

The first tribunal of the special court hearing the case against the five civilians — the so-called “Gang of Four” and Mao Tse-tung’s one.-time political secretary, Chen Boda — took evidence on Monday from the two junior gang members. Meanwhile, the court’s second tribunal trying the five other defendants, all former high-ranking military officers, was due to meet again yesterday. The two tribunals appear to be alternating their sessions day by day.

i The trial opened last Thursday with ail 10 defendants present to hear the 20,000-word indictment read out.

The second (military) tribunal had iw fust session lon Sunday, with the former (Air Force commander, Wu [Faxian, in the dock. The Chinese news agency quoted Wu as admitting his involement in the plot to assassinate Mao and stage a coup d’etat.

In the half hour of recorded extracts of the 107minute session shown on Peking television, Wu's lawyer did not speak at all and the witnesses were addressed only by the prosecution and the bench.

The judges and the prosecuting counsel, as in al! Chinese court cases, appeared to feel it necesstsary to harangue the accused in stem,

loud voices whenever they spoke. In the first session of the first (civilian) tribunal, the agency said that two “Gang of four” members, Wang Hongwen and Yao Wenyuan. “confessed" that Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing. had been the chief instigator in a plot to frame the late Premier! Chou Enlai and the present Communist Party Vice-! Chairman, Deng Xiaoping,! in reports to Mao. Part of the indictment against the “Gang of Four”, headed by Jiang Qing, accuses them of having sought to "usurp party and State leadership” in October, 1974, by plotting against Chou and Mr Deng. Chou Enlai died in early 1976. while Mr Deng survived a purge the same year to re-emerge as China’s strongman after Mao’s death in September, 1976.