(Minghui.org) A Tangshan City resident testified in his own defense and argued that he should never have been prosecuted for his faith.
Mr. Wang Baoshan was arrested on July 3, 2017, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
The local Fengrun District Procuratorate twice returned the case to the local police, but the latter resubmitted the case both times. The district procuratorate eventually forwarded the case to the higher Zunhua City Procuratorate on February 27, 2018.
Mr. Wang appeared in Zunhua City Court on May 9. His lawyer requested to have his handcuffs and shackles removed, but judge Zhou Yuanbo declined the request.
The lawyer entered a not guilty plea for Mr. Wang, as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.
Mr. Wang appeared to have lost quite a bit weight since his arrest ten months ago. He told his lawyer midway through the trial that he wasn't feeling well, and the lawyer made a second request to have his handcuffs and shackles removed. This time the judge agreed.
Mr. Wang then made the case for his innocence. He wasn't able to finish reading his written defense statement, though, as judge Zhou cut him off and adjourned the session.
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