(Minghui.org) A Dalian City resident was sentenced to four years in prison for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a mind-body practice being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

His family was bounced back and forth between relevant agencies, but they haven't been able to obtain a copy of his verdict so that they can file a motion to have his case reconsidered. His lawyer was punished for getting involved in the case.

Dr. Kong Qingchun, a former chief urologist at a local hospital, was targeted in a mass arrest of more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners in Liaoning Province on June 28, 2016.

Dr. Kong was sentenced to four years by judge Guo Danhua of Ganjingzi Court in April 2017. Judge Yin Chuanmao of Dalian Intermediate Court turned down Dr. Kong's appeal three months later. Dr. Kong was admitted to Dongling Prison on August 17, 2017.

Dr. Kong's family decided to file a motion with Dalian Intermediate Court to reconsider his case, but the appeals court returned the case to the petition office of Ganjingzi Court in July 2018.

The petition office told Dr. Kong's family on July 24, 2018, that they'd have to exhaust all possible appeal channels, from Dalian Intermediate Court to Liaoning Province Superior Court to Liaoning Province Procuratorate, before the petition office could take up the case.

His family was thus directed back to Dalian Intermediate Court, which required a copy of his verdict as a key document in the paperwork. Both judge Guo of the trial court and judge Yin of the appeals court refused to provide a copy of the verdict.

The two lawyers who represented Dr. Kong at his trial and appeal had copies of the verdict, but the local judiciary department threatened to revoke their licenses should they share the verdict with Dr. Kong's family.

The family tried the intermediate court again days later, but a staff member told them that only lawyers can access case documents and make copies of verdicts.

The same staff member demanded a Power of Attorney signed by Dr. Kong when his family returned with a new lawyer they'd hired to represent him.

The family and lawyer obtained the Power of Attorney signed by Dr. Kong in September. They were then told that they also had to secure judge Yin's signature.

Yin reprimanded the lawyer for violating Dalian City Bar Association's policy not to represent Falun Gong practitioners. He submitted a complaint against the lawyer, who was subsequently punished by his law firm.

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