(Minghui.org) We recently learned that five practitioners from Longkou City who were illegally arrested on April 11 were unjustly sentenced to 4-9 years of imprisonment bythe Longkou Court. The practitioners include Ms. Yang Meijuan, Ms. Jiang Shuhong, Ms. Sui Yuhong, Mr. Wang Mingliang, and Mr. Jiang Yongzhan. They were detained for nearly eight months before the trial. Their families and supporters were shocked at the news.
Falsely Accused and Framed for Efforts Promoting Traditional Chinese Art
The practitioners were arrested, detained, and sentenced for making Shen Yun Performing Arts CD cases. The highly acclaimed world-renowned show promotes classical Chinese culture.
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts company was established in 2006. The Shen Yun artists in three companies have toured to more than 100 cities around the world for the past six years. They perform all-new programs each year at the world's finest theaters, and the performances are highly praised by government officials, elites and celebrities, and audience members from all walks of life. The Shen Yun artists thoroughly and vividly portray the most classic and divine parts of China's 5000 years of culture, inspiring and amazing the audience.
Because of the Chinese regime's interference, Shen Yun is banned from performing in China. DVDs of the shows were made and those who received a copy were greatly impressed with the New York-based show. Falun Gong practitioners used their saved money to make DVDs every year in hopes that people would benefit from the performances. Practitioners in Longkou City cooperated with Linrun Culture Media Ltd. Co. in Beijing to make CD cases for this year's DVDs, but Beijing police learned about the project and reported it to the Ministry of Public Security, demanding that the practitioners be found.
Break-in, Arrest and Robbery
Longkou police followed practitioners and monitored their phone calls for two weeks. They mobilized a large number of officers and broke into the homes of eleven practitioners on the morning of April 11, 2012. Fifteen practitioners were arrested, and police confiscated their cash, credit cards, computers, printers, televisions, and other personal belongings, valued at more than 500,000 yuan.
More details on the arrests can be found in the article, “Longkou City, Shandong Province: Over a Dozen Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested” http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/8/29/135204.html
Police Cordon off Roads to Block Lawyers from Beijing from Entering the Courtroom--Illegal Trial Held
Longkou City police, procurators, and court officials colluded with Political and Legal Affairs Committee and 610 Office agents to collect “evidence” against practitioners and prosecute them. A trial was held in an attempt to put the practitioners in prison. In order to prevent the courageous lawyers from Beijing from entering a not-guilty plea for the practitioners in court, more than 200 police officers were dispatched to cordon off the roads leading to the detention center where the trial would take place, and stop traffic.
The Beijing lawyers hired by the practitioners' families held proper documents, but the Longkou Court officers didn't dare to accept the lawyers' defense paperwork, and constantly caused difficulties for the lawyers, to prevent them from working on the cases. Officers from Longkou Detention Center and Yantai Detention Center blocked the lawyers from meeting with detained practitioners, and verbally “guaranteed” that if the practitioners' families dismissed the lawyers, they would have everything in their favor.
More details can be found in the article, “Longkou Court of Shandong Province Obstructs Falun Gong Practitioners' Attorneys” http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/9/9/135343.html
The trial that was rescheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on September 25 actually began at 8:00 a.m.. at Longkou Detention Center. The roads within 1 km. north and south of the entrance to the detention center were blocked, and police, police vehicles, and plainclothes police were densely deployed. A practitioner's lawyer from Beijing had not been informed about the change of schedule for the trial, so when he arrived at 9:00 a.m., he was not allowed to enter the courtroom. The police on duty blocked his way and would not listen to the lawyer's explanations. The spectators witnessed all this and saw that the lawyers and the practitioners' families were being prevented from attending the court procedures.
Parties involved in the persecution:
Xu Haisheng, Longkou City Police Department head: +86-535-8501001, +86-13806459396
Du Dunhua, police department deputy head, also 610 Office head: +86-5358788716, +86-13583578599
Du Jitiao, Longkou City Court president: +86-535-8778277, +86-13863801877
Zhang Hairu, Longkou City Detention Center head: +86-13355455888
Please refer to the original Chinese article for more people and offices involved in the persecution.
