Name: Pu Binpeng (蒲宾鹏)
Gender: Male
Age: 53
Address: Baiyun Village, Shilipu Township, Gangu County, Gansu Province
Occupation: Elementary school teacher
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 30, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Gangu County Detention Center (甘谷县看守所)
City: Gangu County
Province: Gansu
Persecution Suffered: Home ransacked, detention

(Minghui.org) Mr. Pu Binpeng, an elementary school teacher in Baiyun Village, Shilipu Township, Gangu County, Gansu Province, was illegally tried in Gangu County Court on March 19, 2012. His attorney asked the court to release him. When the attorney made the request, people sitting in the public gallery applauded him.

At 9:00 a.m. on March 19, 2012, Gangu County Court officials held a public hearing for Mr. Pu. The local Tianshui Evening News published the information about the hearing, so many people went to observe the proceedings, including officers from the Gangu County Domestic Security Division.

When the trial began, the presiding judge first announced the courtroom rules: no photos or recordings, cell phones turned off.

However, a court staff member took photos of the people in the gallery and the nearby area outside the building, in violation of the judge's rule. Mr. Pu's attorney protested, but the staff person said it was his job.

During the trial, the attorney from Beijing entered a not-guilty plea for Mr. Pu Binpeng. He said, “I'm against the claim that Falun Gong is a cult, because there is no such item in our current law stipulating that Falun Gong is a cult. It's not a crime to have a belief.” He supported his arguments with facts and logical reasoning, and his case was convincing. The procurator couldn't find “evidence” several times in his prosecution, and was tongue-tied and unable to advance any further arguments to justify his case.

In his closing statement Mr. Pu's attorney said he hoped that the presiding judge would make a decision based on the law, his conscience, and morality. He also asked the court to order Mr. Pu's immediate release. The people in the gallery applauded him.

Mr. Pu started practicing Falun Dafa in November 1998, and ever since has followed an uplifting path to return to his original, true self. After he began practicing, he held himself strictly to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He used to suffer gastroptosis, a chronic digestive system disease, and nervous headache, but both disappeared after he began practicing Falun Dafa.

Mr. Pu was previously persecuted several times by local Chinese Communist Party agents for remaining steadfast in his belief. He was most recently arrested on November 30, 2011, at his rented residence in Wujiabao Village, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. The police took away two notebook computers, a printer, and more than 8,000 yuan in cash. Mr. Pu is currently being held in the Gangu County Detention Center.