(Minghui.org) A married couple in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, appeared in court on December 10, 2020, for refusing to give up their faith in Falun Gong. Mr. Fan Zhigang’s younger brother was the only family member allowed to attend the hearing as a spectator. Mr. Fan’s lawyer and his 78-year-old mother defended his innocence in court.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Fan was arrested on April 15, 2020, by Xijie Police Station officers. Local residential committee members and Longgang Police Department officers joined the Xijie police at Mr. Fan's home, where they also arrested his wife, Ms. Su Shuang. The couple's computer, printer, and other Falun Gong-related items were confiscated.
Mr. Fan’s mother went to the residential committee and asked why the police arrested her son and daughter-in-law. A staff member there told her, “It’s because your son practices Falun Gong.”
The couple was detained in the Huludao City Detention Center. The police later submitted their case to the Longgang District Procuratorate, which then forwarded it to the Lianshan District Procuratorate. The prosecutor indicted them on October 27 and moved their case to the Lianshan District Court.
During their hearing on December 10, the couple’s lawyer argued that computers and printers are common household items and shouldn’t be used as prosecution evidence against his clients. The more than 100 Falun Gong books the couple had at home were for their personal use and didn’t cause any harm to anyone or to society at large.
The prosecutor claimed that the criminal complaint that Mr. Fan filed in 2015 against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong was enough evidence that he had broken the law. The lawyer argued that the complaint contained only factual information of the persecution Mr. Fan had suffered before.
The lawyer emphasized that none of the evidence proved that Mr. Fan and his wife had “undermined law enforcement” (the standard pretext used against Falun Gong practitioners). As such, the charges against the couple simply didn’t stand.
Mr. Fan said that he started to practice Falun Gong in 1996 and benefitted tremendously from it. He said the propaganda demonizing Falun Gong put out by the Chinese communist regime was all false. He denied any wrongdoing in practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Fan’s mother, Ms. He Fengyun, said, “My son is a good person. He treats me and others very well. I’m 78 years old now. Although I still live alone, I rely on him for many things. No law in China says practicing Falun Gong is a crime. The Constitution also protects one’s freedom of belief. My son didn’t do anything wrong or commit any crime. I demand that he be fully acquitted.”
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