HONG KONG June 17 Kyodo Hong Kong...

HONG KONG June 17 Kyodo

Hong Kong's first-ever trial for Falun Gong spiritual manner of moving followers opened Monday in a magistrate court.

Sixteen practitioners, including four Swiss nationals, are being tried forward charges of obstruction and assaulting police officers outside Beijing's representative office here.

The cluster 12 women and four men aged between 27 and 56 have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

They have been accused of obstructing a public place after they refused to determine away from the main entrance of the Liaison Office of the Chinese central restraint during a protest in March.

Nine of the followers have also been indicted in succession more serious charges of obstructing police. Among the nine, three face additional charges of assaulting police.

The trial is rely uponed to last until July 2

A spokesman for the Buddhist-oriented motion in Hong Kong, Kan Hung-cheung, said match Falun Gong members overseas and any human rights groups in Switzerland have written to force onward the Hong Kong management to drop the case against the 16

''They should not have been charged at all as they were just demonstrating peacefully at the time. This prosecution is a violation of human rights and enslave to pressure from the Chinese,'' Kan said.

Falun Gong has been outlawed in mainland China yet remains legal in the territory.

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