(Minghui.org) A 68-year-old woman in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, stood trial on November 19, 2025, because she practices Falun Gong. Her two non-lawyer family defenders entered a not guilty plea for her and she also testified in her own defense.
Ms. Wang Shuhua
Ms. Wang Shuhua, an award-winning former teacher and assistant principal at the Daxing Township Middle School in Changtu County, Liaoning Province, was arrested on August 23, 2025, and admitted to the Shenyang City First Detention Center around 4 a.m. the next day despite her dangerously high blood pressure.
Over 30 family members and friends went to the Dadong District Court during her hearing on November 19 to show their support for Ms. Wang. Clerk Liang Meiqi ordered them to submit their IDs. After she made copies of the IDs, she had the bailiffs take them out for a second round of security checks. They were asked again how they were related to Ms. Wang and they were barred from bringing their cell phones into the courtroom.
Presiding judge Zhang Jutao claimed that there were too many of them and only allowed ten to reenter the courtroom.
Ms. Wang walked very slowly and relied on bailiffs to help her into the courtroom. Her voice was hoarse and she had to drink water frequently to soothe her throat. For 16-17 hours following her arrest, she was not given any water to drink or food to eat. She was also deprived of sleep during. Her voice became hoarse as a result.
Baseless Charges
Prosecutor Zong Shan from the Dadong District Procuratorate and her assistant Cao Yu accused Ms. Wang of using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement, a standard pretext used by the communist regime to frame Falun Gong practitioners. Her two defenders emphasized that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong or labels it as a cult. The prosecution failed to specify which law Ms. Wang allegedly broke to cause harm to anyone or society at large, much less undermine law enforcement.
The prosecution evidence included three Lenovo mobile phones and five music players confiscated from Ms. Wang during her arrest. She and her defenders asked to display the items in court to see if they contained any “illegal” information as Zong alleged. Judge Zhang refused the request.
Zong cited a “verification” report issued by the Shenyang City Police Department to prove the items confiscated from Ms. Wang were “illegal propaganda pieces.” Her defenders said that could not stand because only a third, independent agency is authorized to examine and authenticate prosecution evidence. The police department however was the supervising agency of the Wanlian Police Station that arrested Ms. Wang.
Recusal Requests Denied
Ms. Wang’s son and a relative represented her in court. The three of them requested that prosecutor Zong, judge Zhang and assistant judge Zhu Lina, as well as Zong’s assistant Cao all be recused. The following are the reasons for their requests:
Ongoing Complaints Against Zong and Zhang
Zong issued a formal arrest warrant for Ms. Wang on September 1 and indicted her on September 24 without investigating the police-supplied evidence as required by law. She also barred the defenders from reviewing the case file and ignored their repeated requests to investigate the case. The defenders filed three complaints against Zong, which were still pending at the time of the hearing.
Judge Zhang initially refused to allow the defenders to review the case file. After they were finally allowed to, they noted a large amount of illegally gathered evidence against their client. They filed requests to drop the false evidence but Zhang ignored them. As soon as they finished reviewing the case file, he set a court date short after, leaving them with insufficient time to prepare for their defense. They filed a complaint against Zhang as well.
Atheists Not Qualified to Try Spiritual Believer
Both Zhang and Zong are Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and were thus not qualified to try someone being charged with practicing her spiritual faith. The two defenders also requested that all other communist members involved in the case be recused for the same reason. Additionally, the defenders requested that anyone who has previously sentenced Falun Gong practitioners be recused.
Defense Not Notified of Change of Assistant Prosecutor
Dong Dan was listed as an assistant to prosecutor Zong, but Cao attended the hearing. By law, the defenders should be notified of the change ahead of time.
Trial Court Has No Jurisdiction Over Case
Dadong District is neither Ms. Wang’s home district nor the location where she was arrested. By law, the Dadong District Procuratorate and the Dadong District Court had no jurisdiction over the case.
Judge Zhang rejected all of the recusal requests and said that the Shenyang City Intermediate Court has designated his court to handle Falun Gong cases. Ms. Wang’s defenders immediately requested to have an administrative reconsideration of whether the Dadong District Court had jurisdiction over the case. Zhang turned down the request and gaveled for the hearing to continue.
Assailant Admits Hitting Ms. Wang Preceding Her Arrest
Minghui.org previously reported on Ms. Wang’s arrest on August 23, 2025. During her trial, she revealed further details.
Ms. Wang talked to local resident Liu Fengqing, 68, at around 10:30 a.m. on August 23, 2025 and advised him to do the three withdrawals [quitting the Chinese Communist Party and its two junior organizations] to ensure his safety. He responded by grabbing her hat and hitting her.
Ms. Wang felt dizzy and suffered urinary incontinence. She tried to run away but Liu caught her. He grabbed her collar and put her in a chokehold. He yelled for people to call the police and didn’t loosen his grip until two officers arrived more than ten minutes later.
During the trial, Liu appeared in court to accept cross-examination. He was accompanied by officers Quan Beining and Dong Chenghe from the Wanlian Police Station.
Liu failed to specify what harm Ms. Wang allegedly did to him but acknowledged that he beat her because she was a Falun Gong practitioner. He initially said he hit her 2-3 times but later said it was actually 5-6 times. He also admitted that he put her in a chokehold for more than ten minutes and told others to report her to police.
Liu refused to answer the two defenders’ questions. Judge Zhang stopped the defenders before they were able to finish all their questions. He asked Liu, “What did the defendant say to you?” He replied, “Doing the three withdrawals will ensure safety.”
“Three withdrawals are to quit being a Party member, a Youth League member and a civil servant,” Liu answered when Zhang asked him what the withdrawals were about. Ms. Wang told him it was quitting being a member of the CCP, the Youth League, and a the Young Pioneers.
Police Extort Confessions and Forge Evidence
Ms. Wang also testified against the police during the trial. After she was arrested and taken to the Wanlian Police Station, she saw the case file contained three signatures and vague fingerprints that were allegedly hers. She did not sign any paperwork or press her fingerpints on anything.
An officer surnamed Wang (badge number F11798) brought Ms. Wang to a room and turned the air conditioner to a very low temperature. He then put her in a cage and didn’t let her out until more than one hour later. He said, “you are a tough lady who can withstand cold!”
Officers Quan and Dong, who accompanied witness Liu to court, did not show Ms. Wang the notice to establish a case against her. They kept threatening to arrest her husband and son. They never gave her a list of items confiscated from her during her arrest. They snatched her key and brought her with them when they raided her rental apartment. She was not shown a search warrant or a list of confiscated items.
The case file stated that the police raided her home from 1:01 to 2:30 p.m. on August 23, 2025, but the search warrant, who was issued after the raid, read that the police announced to have a raid to her at 5 p.m. that day. The search warrant also bore “her” signature and fingerprints but she never signed or fingerprinted any paperwork.
After the raid, the police took her to the Shenhe District Police Department for interrogation. They restrained her in a metal chair and threatened to arrest her son. She was thus coerced into giving “confessions.” During the trial, she nullified the “confessions.”
Ms. Wang needed to use the restroom after she was taken to the detention center. Officer Dong, who escorted her there, refused to give her toilet paper. The driver who drove them there also wanted to use the restroom and Dong handed him some toilet paper. Ms. Wang commented that was the most miserable moment in her life.
The detention center guards forced Ms. Wang to take hypertension pills every day in order to keep her blood pressure at a level acceptable for detention.
Prosecutor Zong deposed her at the detention center and bragged that she could decide how long a prison sentence to give to her. Ms. Wang was devastated when she heard this. Zong did not present any legal basis yet simply threatened to put her in jail.
Ms. Wang went on a hunger strike and was beaten by four inmates. She fainted and still had headaches at the time of her trial. The detention center director and the prosecutor-in-residence promised to hold the perpetrators responsible but never took any action. She asked to see a doctor for her injuries, but they forced her to take pills.
Testimonial from Mother and Son
During the trial, Ms. Wang explained how practicing Falun Gong gave her her life back. She suffered from hepatitis and always had pain in her liver area. Nothing helped. After she took up Falun Gong in 1996, her symptoms improved significantly. After the communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong in July 1999, she held firm to her faith and was targeted. Her school removed her as an assistant principal in 2000 and reassigned her to work as a researcher. She was given an unknown term of forced labor in 2002.
While she was held at the Masanjia Labor Camp, Ms. Wang was subjected to various forms of abuse, including long-term squatting (once for seven straight days), being hung up with her toes barely touching the ground, sleep deprivation, and force-feeding. Ms. Wang’s health was damaged. Her lumbar discs were herniated from the third to the eighth vertebrae, making walking extremely difficult.
After she was released, Ms. Wang was able to do Falun Gong exercises and she gradually recovered.
Ms. Wang’s son also recounted how his mother went from being quick-tempered and combative to a broad-minded, considerate and kind person, thanks to her Falun Gong practice. He remembered that his mother invited his grandparents to live with them so she could take good care of them. He was also extremely proud of his mother’s professional achievements as a teacher and later as an assistant principal.
Ms. Wang’s son was pained that his mother was targeted again years after she was sent to a labor camp term for her faith. While cross-examining his mother with another defender, he asked, “Did you talk to people about Falun Gong prior to the persecution began in 1999?”
Ms. Wang said there was no need because Falun Gong practitioners were free to practice their faith before 1999. She added that if the persecution hadn’t happened, practitioners would not need to seek justice for themselves.
Judge Zhang kept interrupting the two defenders and did not allow Ms. Wang to give a final statement at the end of the hearing. He was also seen whispering to his assistant judge Wang Yunpeng frequently during the trial.
Related Reports:
68-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Indicted for Practicing Falun Gong
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