(Minghui.org) A resident of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province was transferred to Sihui Prison on September 27, 2021 to serve a 3.5-year term for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Xie Wanmeng, a 37-year-old professional Go coach, was arrested on May 28, 2019, along with his two guests, Mr. Wu Rui (also a Shenzhen local) and Ms. Li Ruihua (a Beijing resident). The police ransacked the place and confiscated Mr. Xie’s 10,000 yuan in cash and other personal belongings.
It was reported that the police arrested Mr. Xie after spotting him putting up information about Falun Gong through surveillance cameras, and found his residence through monitoring.
Mr. Xie’s landlord, Wang Wei, was fined (an unknown amount) by the authorities for renting the apartment to him. Mr. Xie’s 10,000 yuan deposit has been forfeited and all of his personal belongings in the apartment were removed without his knowledge.
Liu Xiaona, a prosecutor from the Yantian District Procuratorate, indicted the three practitioners on November 29, 2019 and moved their case to the Yantian District Court.
The three practitioners appeared in court on October 29, 2020. Whenever the practitioners and their lawyers brought up the topic of Falun Gong, including the lack of legal basis for the persecution, judge Duan Hui stopped them.
Mr. Xie’s lawyer said that the Chinese Constitution and a resolution passed by the United Nations protect freedom of belief. Judge Duan said to him, “You aren’t allowed to talk about the Constitution. This case is about the criminal law. You can’t talk about the United Nations resolution either. We are in China, and we only follow Chinese law.” When Mr. Xie’s lawyer continued to talk, the judge threatened to remove him from the courtroom.
The judge sentenced Mr. Xie to 3.5 years in prison on April 1, 2021 with a 5,000 yuan fine. Mr. Wu and Ms. Li each got two years with 3,000 yuan fines. Mr. Xie appealed the verdict, but the higher court ruled to uphold his sentence.
Mr. Wu and Ms. Li were released from the Yantian District Detention Center on May 29, 2021 after having served the time. Mr. Xie, who still has 1.5 years left on his term, was transferred to the Longgang Detention Center on September 19 and taken to the Sihui Prison on September 27.
Related reports:
Persecution of Four Falun Gong Practitioners in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province
Falun Gong Practitioners’ Lawyers Not Allowed to Mention Falun Gong During Trial for Their Faith
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