(Minghui.org) Once a distinguished officer in the military, Mr. Wang Hongwei lost his post and was forced to leave the army in 1999, when the former communist regime leader Jiang Zemin launched the persecution of his faith, Falun Gong.
Over the course of the next two decades, Mr. Wang was subjected to relentless persecution for not giving up his faith. He was detained at a forced labor camp for a year between 2002 and 2003, and then sentenced to six years in prison in 2005. He was subjected to constant torture, including beatings, solitary confinement, standing for prolonged periods and verbal abuse.
In 2015, Mr. Wang joined a wave of criminal complaints filed by Falun Gong practitioners against Jiang for ordering the persecution. Because of his criminal complaint, he was arrested in 2017 and is now again facing prison time.
Tried for Suing Former Communist Regime Leader for Persecuting His Faith
After more than a year of detention, Mr. Wang was tried by Yuzhou City Court in Henan Province on September 18, 2018. His two lawyers delivered a non-guilty defense for him and demanded his acquittal at the end of the trial.
Mr. Wang also defended himself. He described how Falun Gong changed him from an angry person into being peaceful and calm, and that he didn't violate any law in filing the criminal complaint against Jiang.
The judge stopped him when he went on to talk about how Jiang had utilized government apparatus to target the Falun Gong spiritual group.
The prosecutor cited Mr. Wang's previous six-year prison term, and recommended four to six years this time. The judge adjourned the trial without announcing the verdict.
Mr. Wang was arrested on August 25, 2017. He was tortured and interrogated at the police station before being transferred to Yuzhou City Detention Center.
The court originally scheduled his trial for March 15, 2018, but then canceled and postponed it until September.
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