(Minghui.org) A Chongqing resident has been held incommunicado since his arrest in April 2021 for practicing Falun Gong. Only when his lawyer recently visited him at a local detention center, did he learn that Mr. Xiong Lin has been tried on August 26 and is now awaiting the verdict.

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. Xiong, a 46-year-old taxi driver, began to practice Falun Gong around 2011. Shortly into the practice, he overcame the drug addiction that had plagued him for years. 

Mr. Xiong was arrested on April 21, 2021, by officers of Longshan Police Station. His printer and other personal belongings were confiscated. The Yubei District Procuratorate approved his arrest on April 30. 

The police kept Mr. Xiong’s family in the dark about his situation. Only when they went to the police station to inquire about his case, did the police give them a copy of his arrest approval notice. But the police refused to provide the names and contact information of officers handling his case. 

Mr. Xiong’s family has since received no more updates about his case. They only knew that he was detained at the Yubei District Detention Center, but were denied visitation. 

In September, they hired a lawyer to represent Mr. Xiong. When the lawyer visited Mr. Xiong, he said that he was tried by the Jiangbei District Court on August 26. The court has been designated to handle Falun Gong cases in the Chongqing region.