(Minghui.org) Maoming City police arrested many local Falun Gong practitioners on orders from 610 Office prior to the Chinese Communist Party's 19th National Congress in October 2017.
Five of those practitioners remain detained, with three already sentenced to prison and two others facing indictment.
Ms. Chen Le'an, 74, was arrested on August 27, 2017. It was learned recently that she has been sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Mr. Zhu Shixiong, in his 50's, was arrested on September 20, 2017, and indicted by prosecutor Dai Jianlan (+86-668-3397046) of the Maonan District Procuratorate. During his trial on December 11, his two lawyers defended his constitutional right to freedom of belief and testified to violations of legal procedures carried out by the police. The arresting officers never produced a search warrant or gave Mr. Zhu a list of confiscated items as required by law.
Judge Tan Wei of the Maonan District Court sentenced Mr. Zhu to 1.5 years in prison and fined him 2,000 yuan on January 6, 2018. Mr. Zhu's family hired two new lawyers to help appeal his case. The lawyers visited Mr. Zhu on January 9 and 10 and submitted his appeal to Maoming City Intermediate Court. They called the higher court in late March 2018 but were told there hasn't been any progress in the case.
Ms. Cao Junyi, 56, was arrested on June 6, 2017. Ms. Cao first appeared in court on January 11, 2018. Her sentencing hearing was held five days later, and judge Jiang Guowei convicted her in less than 20 minutes. Ms. Cao was sentenced to 2 years in prison and fined 3,000 yuan. She hired a new lawyer, who met with her on January 19, 2018. The lawyer is appealing her case.
Ms. Cao has been detained for more than eight months.
Mr. Liang Yuansheng, a 61-year-old veteran, remains in Maoming First Detention Center following his arrest on September 19, 2017. His lawyer visited him on January 3, 2018, and learned that he had been suffering from a stomachache. Prosecutor Dai Jianlan (+86-668-3397046) of the Maonan District Procuratorate, who indicted Mr. Zhu, had twice returned the case to Guandu Police Station, citing insufficient evidence, but the police refused to release him. Most recently, his wife was summoned to the police station on March 23 for questioning.
Ms. Zhou Qixue, 58, was arrested on September 19, 2017. Her husband was told to collect her cell phone and house key from the local police station the following day. Ms. Zhou has been detained for almost eight months. No further information about her is available.
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