(Minghui.org) A Yi County resident was recently tried on charges of “using a cult to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext in the Chinese communist regime’s attempts to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr. Tian Kaishan’s lawyer argued that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that his client should not have been prosecuted for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of belief. Mr. Tian’s family also testified in his defense.
Mr. Tian and his lawyer demanded an acquittal. Judge Sun Chunmei adjourned the session without issuing a verdict.
Arrest, Release on Bail, and Re-Arrest
Mr. Tian was initially arrested on October 5, 2016 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
He went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention and was released on bail two weeks later when he became extremely weak.
Unbeknown to him, the police soon put him on a wanted list.
Mr. Tian went to his bank on February 10, 2017 and was reported to police, who rushed there to find that he had left. To make Mr. Tian return, the police and the bank staged a phone call, informing him that there was still unfinished paperwork. He was arrested when he returned.
Mr. Tian was tried on May 4, 2017. His lawyer, Mr. Ma Wei, entered a not guilty plea for him.
In Mr. Ma’s words, “It’s a virtuous thing to seek justice for Falun Gong practitioners since they haven't broken any laws.”
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