(Minghui.org) A resident of Qinglong County, Hebei Province was arrested on March 10, 2023, and sentenced to three years and four months with a 5000 yuan fine by the Changli County Court on May 5, 2023. Ms. Wang Wenjie was targeted for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Both Qinglong County and Changli County are under the administration of Qinhuangdao City. Ms. Wang entrusted her lawyer to file an appeal with the Qinhuangdao City Intermediate Court on May 11, 2023. The appeals court, however, ruled to close the case even before the lawyer had a chance to review her case documents. He protested against the court’s violation of legal procedures but to no avail.
The court didn’t say whether “case closed” means that it had declined to hear the appeals case or ruled to uphold the original verdict. The two scenarios would require different legal options for the lawyer to keep seeking justice for Ms. Wang.
Arrest and Trial
Ms. Wang was arrested on March 10, 2023, not long after she returned home from living away to avoid being persecuted for her faith in Falun Gong. The arresting officers were from the Qinglong County Domestic Security Office and Mutoudeng Town Police Station.
It is unclear when Ms. Wang was made to stand trial. On May 5, her family received her verdict, which stated that the presiding judge was Zhang Qiusheng, the assistant judges were Zhang Xiaohui and Liu Laixiang, and the clerk was He Jichao.
According to insiders, Ms. Wang’s lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her at her court hearing and refuted the allegations against her. Judge Zhang asked her, “Do you admit your guilt?” She replied, “I broke no law by following Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person.”
Appeal
Ms. Wang’s lawyer had a virtual meeting with her at the Qinhuangdao City First Detention Center on May 11, 2023. She told him that she refused to sign her verdict because she should never have been sentenced for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief.
The lawyer went straight to the Changli County Court after the meeting and submitted Ms. Wang’s appeal and Power of Attorney with her fingerprints. In China, trial courts are tasked with receiving appeals and forwarding them to appeals courts.
Ms. Wang’s appeals case was assigned to judge Cui Guanjun at the Qinhuangdao City Intermediate Court. Her lawyer went to the appeals court on June 8, 2023, in hopes to review her case documents. He called judge Cui, but no one answered the phone. He then called Cui’s assistant judge Liu Changjun.
Liu claimed that Ms. Wang told him that she had never hired any lawyer in her appeals case when he went to interrogate her at the detention center. Liu also told the lawyer that the case had been closed, but he didn’t elaborate on what it meant by “case closed.” It’s unclear whether the appeals court declined to hear the case or ruled to uphold the original verdict.
The lawyer was shocked to hear what Liu had to say. The intermediate court should have long received Ms. Wang’s appeal and Power of Attorney from the trial court and known she had a lawyer. He suspected Liu’s claim that Ms. Wang said she had no lawyer was a lie.
He also reminded Liu that it was only four weeks from May 11 (when he submitted Ms. Wang’s appeal and Power of Attorney) to June 8 (the day of their phone conversation). And the appeals court closed the case even before June 8. By law, appeals courts should give defense attorneys sufficient time to review case documents and prepare defense statements. He, however, was deprived of his right to represent his client.
Liu insisted that everything they did followed relevant legal procedures. The lawyer asked if the decision to close the case was made by a collegial panel of judges, and Liu blurted out, “I told you that the case has been closed. What’s there to talk about if you didn’t believe me?” He then hung up the phone.
Related Report:
Hebei Woman to Appear in Court for Talking to People about Falun Gong Five Years Ago
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