(Minghui.org) The Liaocheng City Intermediate Court in Shandong Province recently ruled to uphold a seven-year prison sentence of a local woman for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Xu Jinfeng’s family defender received the ruling in the mail on May 7, 2024. The verdict bore the signatures of presiding judge Hu Hongjian, judges Guan Lingling and Hu Fengying, as well as Tian Yusong (assistant to the judges), and clerk Feng Xin.
The appeals court reached the decision without holding a hearing as requested by Ms. Xu’s family defender and lawyer. The family defender on April 6, 2024 submitted an open hearing request but received no response. The court instead told him and the lawyer to submit their defense statements in writing. Both refused to comply as the court was violating the law in denying their client a hearing. Prior to receiving the appeals ruling, Ms. Xu’s family defender was twice harassed by officers from the Dulangkou Police Station, under the directive of captain Wang Changsong (+86-18863511001) of the Chiping District Domestic Security Division in Liaocheng City.
Ms. Xu is currently still held at the Liaocheng City Detention Center.
Part of Group Arrests
Ms. Xu was arrested on August 12, 2022 with six other local Falun Gong practitioners. She was released under house arrest weeks later on August 31. The Dong’e County Court tried the seven practitioners in two groups in either late 2022 or early 2023 (exact dates unknown). All seven practitioners, who had been out on bail, were allowed to go home after the hearing.
The police descended on Ms. Xu’s home on January 18, 2023, to execute the Dong’e County Court’s order to take her back into custody. Having heard that she and others would once again be incarcerated, Ms. Xu had no choice but to live away from home after the hearing. The police put her on the wanted list.
A group of officers from the Chiping District Police Department seized Ms Xu from her rental place at 7 a.m. on October 31, 2023. They flashed an arrest warrant and a search warrant issued by the Dong’e County Court.
Ms. Xu was briefly held at the Chiping District Police Department before being taken to the Liaocheng City Detention Center later that day.
Sentenced After Second Hearing
The Dong’e County Court held a second hearing for Ms. Xu on December 11, 2023. Her lawyer defended her constitutional right to freedom of belief and demanded her acquittal. The court sentenced Ms. Xu to seven years with a 10,000-yuan fine on January 10, 2024. Her family picked up a copy of the verdict from the courthouse that same day. Her lawyer met with Ms. Xu two days later and filed an appeal hours later.
Ms. Xu is not the only victim of a group arrest who has been wrongly convicted. Three other practitioners arrested with her in August 2022 were sentenced to up to five years in early 2023. For details of the other practitioners’ arrests and sentencing, see the related report below.
Related Report:
Seven Shandong Residents Tried for Practicing Falun Gong, Three Already Sentenced
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