(Minghui.org) Following a decision of the U.S. Department of State to tighten visa vetting of human rights violators and those who persecute religious beliefs, Falun Gong practitioners submitted a list in July 2019 of some perpetrators involved in the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Here is another official who has been actively participating in the persecution. In particular, he recently sentenced two women to a total of 16.5 years in two back-to-back trials in one day for their belief in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditation system composed of physical exercises and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to suppress the group in July 1999.
Li Bo (李波), deputy chief judge of Qingyang Court, was born on September 30, 1972. His address is: Building 2, No. 902, 401 Guanghua East Third Road, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610031. His phone number is: +86-18780288033.
The two practitioners sentenced by Li are Ms. Yi Wenjun and Ms. Tan Shunbi, both residents of Chengdu City.
Ms. Yi, a professional painting artist, is a standing director of an art institute. Because of talking to people about Falun Gong, she was arrested on February 12, 2018 and sent to Chengdu Detention Center. Ms. Tan was arrested at home by over 10 officers on January 15, 2018, after she told a cleaning worker about Falun Gong and gave her a booklet related to it.
Ms. Yi and Ms. Tan were tried one after another on June 12, 2019. As the presiding judge, Li allowed only one family member of each practitioner to attend the trial and no one else was permitted. As Ms. Yi talked about the physical and spiritual benefits of Falun Gong, Li struck the gravel on the table many times to stop her.
As Ms. Yi’s lawyer defended his client, Li also interrupted him several times. The prosecutor warned the lawyer too, saying, “What you say and what you do now could bring you trouble!”
In the end, Ms. Yi was sentenced to 8 years in prison with a fine of 10,000 yuan. Ms. Tan, 69, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.
Li convicted the two practitioners on the grounds that they violated “Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Law,” which stipulates that those using a cult organization to undermine enforcement of the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
Such allegations, however, lacked any legal basis.
The People’s Congress (China’s legislative body) has never enacted a law deeming Falun Gong a “cult.” In fact, a survey by Qiao Shi (a former top leader of the Chinese Communist Party) and senior officials concluded that Falun Gong benefits practitioners and society in general and causes no harm to anyone. Moreover, Falun Gong is not on the cult list published by the Police Ministry, or that from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and General Office of the State Council.
Li alleged that the two practitioners' possession, reading, and dissemination of Falun Gong books undermined law enforcement. He cited as legal basis two notices issued by China's General Administration of Press and Publications in July 1999 to ban the publication of Falun Gong books. But Liu Binjie, Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, issued Announcement 50 on March 1, 2011 to lift the ban on Falun Gong publications.
Therefore, by convicting the two innocent practitioners, Li has committed the crimes of false accusation and abuse of power.
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