(Minghui.org) On July 8, 2014, Chengyang District Court in Qingdao sentenced Mr. Yang Naijian, his mother Ms. Liu Xiuzhen, and Mr. Feng Hua to imprisonment for “inciting subversion of the state.” Another secret trial of the same Falun Gong practitioners was held on February 28, but no verdict was publicly released.
Four days earlier, two other practitioners, Mr. Cui Luping and Mr. Li Hao, were also sentenced to prison for five years and four years, respectively, for the same charge.
The five practitioners were part of more than a dozen arrested on May 2, 2013. Some were later released after being extorted by police. The practitioners were reported to have suffered mistreatment and torture while in police custody.
Escalating Charges
The detained practitioners were first accused of “illegal gathering” following their arrest in May 2013. One month later, CCTV and Xinhua News Agency, both state-controlled media, announced that Qingdao Police had “cracked” a criminal case in which Falun Gong practitioners took pictures of re-enacted torture methods used on practitioners in prison. The pictures would have been used to expose the abuses those practitioners suffered.
In just a few days, the charge escalated to “using superstitious sects [cults] to undermine the implementation of law” (a charge commonly adapted to sentence Falun Gong practitioners), as stated in the arrest notification issued by police on June 9. Shortly thereafter, the charge changed to “inciting subversion of state power.”
Incidentally, a national conference for chief prosecutors was held in Qingdao starting on July 2, 2014, which was attended by Cao Jianming, Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), Hu Zejun, the deputy chief of SPP, and Cai Limin, Party Secretary of the Political and Judiciary Committee of Shandong Province. Families of the five illegally sentenced practitioners suspected that the conference may have contributed to the sentences being pushed through a few days later.
Show Trial
During the July 8 trial, prosecutors Hao Dongsong and Yu Peijuan read out the list of charges. Judge Hu Xuqing then passed sentence without calling any witnesses or allowing time for the defense. Mr. Yang Naijian was given 6 years in prison, Mr. Feng Hua 4 years, and Ms. Liu Xiuzhen 3 years. The entire trial lasted about 20 minutes.
When the judge pronounced Ms. Liu's sentence, she shouted, “I protest the judgment!” During the trial, Ms. Liu stood up a number of times to refute the allegations against her. Mr. Yang and Mr. Feng said that they too plan to appeal their sentences.
The practitioners' families also expressed indignation. Ms. Liu's sister told the prosecutors and the judge, “You punish good people instead of murders and arsonists.” Mr. Yang's father said, “You are acting against your conscience. But don't forget that gods above are watching you.”
Injustice in Party-Controlled Court
As was the case in the February trial, the defense lawyer and practitioners' family members were notified only the day before the trial. By law, the court is required to notify defendants at least three days in advance.
The court also said openly before the trial, “There is no use even if you have a lawyer. The sentences have already been decided. We're only carrying out orders. There is nothing we can do.”
In December 2013, the court used threats and intimidation to force Mr. Feng's father to dismiss the lawyer that he had hired for his son. Neither the lawyer nor Mr. Feng's family members attended the July trial.
The conduct of Chengyang District Court is common across China, particularly in cases involving Falun Gong practitioners. Nevertheless, through persistent efforts by Falun Gong practitioners to increase public awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong, more and more lawyers in China are defending Falun Gong practitioners and and challenging these unlawful practices in China's judicial system.
Contact details of perpetrators involved in this case of persecution:
The Chengyang District Procuratorate Office:Hao Dongsong (郝栋松), head of prosecution section: +86 18561326018Yu Peijuan (于佩娟): +86 13573259866The Chengyang District Court:Hu Xuqing (胡绪庆), deputy chief judge of criminal court: +86 13697664305, 0532-87866408Wang Ning (王宁), chief judge of criminal court: +86 13969612937， 0532- 87866406Sun Xiaoguang (孙晓光), clerk of criminal court: +86 13583290123, 0532-87866402Tian Xiaomin (田孝民), head of court: +86 0532-87868308 (W)，0532-87863001 (W) , 13905327556 (Cell), 0532-85713178 (H)Party Secretary Wang: +86 13806398876，0532-87863002Head of Court, Du: +86 13905422277，0532-87863003Head of Court, Li: +86 13853236217，0532-87863005Head of Court, Liu: +86 13806398781，053287863006
