(Minghui.org) Three residents of Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province were tried by Ranghulu District Court for not renouncing their faith in Falun Gong on August 12, 2019.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Wu Yanhua, her husband, Mr. Guan Xingtao, and Mr. Du Yecheng were arrested in a sweep of 119 practitioners in Daqing and Harbin City (capital of Heilongjiang Province) on November 9, 2018. They have been held at Daqing City Detention Center since.
Ms. Wu and Mr. Guan's family hired a lawyer to enter a not guilty plea for them. Mr. Du testified in his own defense.
Both the lawyer and Mr. Du argued that no law ever criminalizes Falun Gong in China. They also refuted the charge of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext used by the Chinese authorities to frame the practitioners.
The lawyer questioned the prosecutor, “Can you specify which law was undermined by my clients?” The prosecutor didn't respond.
In the more than 100 pages of case documents, all evidence listed against the practitioners were their Falun Gong books, personal cellphones and computers. “None of these items could indicate that my clients have violated any law,” the lawyer said.
He went on to say, “Falun Gong has been introduced to many countries around the world and embraced by the citizens there, and it's only in China and North Korea that it's being persecuted.”
Mr. Du defended himself, “I just want to be a good person by practicing Falun Gong and living by its principles. I didn't violate any law in upholding my faith.”
The prosecutor suggested sentenceing Ms. Wu and Mr. Du to 5-6 years, and Mr. Guan to 7-8 years.
The presiding judge, Zhang Xinle, adjourned the hearing without issuing any verdicts.
Related report:
119 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Two Heilongjiang Province Cities in One Day
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