(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Cao Chaohui and his wife Ms. Chen Lingmei were each sentenced to three years in prison by the Guan County Court on January 14, 2015.

The couple filed an appeal, but the Langfang Intermediate Court upheld the original verdicts without a public trial, a violation of China's Code of Criminal Law.

The practitioners' families learned that the couple was transferred to the Shenzhou Prison on July 16, 2015.

Judge Chen, who is in charge of the appeal, claimed, “I have tried the two practitioners at the detention centers, and they defended themselves. Hence, there is no need to hold a public trial. The original sentences were upheld.”

The couple's attorney attempted to submit documents to Judge Chen, who was out of the office. The attorney later learned that the verdict had been issued and the case had been returned to the Guan County Court.

The practitioners' families unsuccessfully tried to contact Judge Xiao Dongbo, who heads the Guan County Court. The attorney later tried to meet Xiao but was also unsuccessful. Xiao claimed that the case filings were not ready and that the attorney’s documents were rejected. He also denied the attorney's request to read the case files and meet with the two practitioners.

Mr. Cao and Ms. Chen, both in their 50s, were arrested by officers from the Guan County Police Station in 2014 for talking to the public about the persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Cao was held at the Guan County Detention Center and Ms. Chen at the Langfang Women’s Detention Center.

Perpetrators' contact information:Xiao Dongbo (肖东波), judge of the Guan County Court: +86-316-6190312Guan County Police Department: +86-316-6180617, +86-316-6165898Guan County Domestic Security Division: +86-316-6163147Guan County Detention Center: +86-316-6193668Chen (陈), judge of the Lanfang City Intermediate Court: +86-316-2609170Lanfang City Detention Center: +86-316-2333043