(Minghui.org) Thirteen Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, residents who were arrested in a police sweep almost four years ago for practicing Falun Gong are still awaiting verdicts after two court appearances. Four of them have been detained since their arrests.
The thirteen practitioners were arrested around 6 a.m. on May 10, 2021 by more than 200 police officers. Four of them, including Mr. Zhao Haibo, 69, Ms. Yuan Huifen, 69, Ms. Chang Zheng, 52, and Ms. Wen Jian, 52, were put on criminal detention by the Changshu City Police Department on November 9, 2021 and had their arrests approved by the Zhangjiagang City Procuratorate on November 16, 2021. Mr. Zhao is held at the Changshu City Detention Center and the three female practitioners are detained at the Suzhou City Fourth Detention Center.
The other nine practitioners were released on bail on November 16, 2021. Their bail condition was renewed on January 17, 2022. They are: Ms. Dong Wanyu, 73, Mr. Ji Yong, 49, and his wife Ms. Pan Ning, 51, Ms. Cui Ping, 61, Ms. Li Shoujie, 52, Ms. Wu Xiaoming, 50, Ms. Zhu Ying, 70, Ms. Han Guixiang, 60, and Ms. Zhang Yumei, 66.
The Changshu City Police Department submitted the thirteen practitioners’ joint case to the Zhangjiagang City Procuratorate on January 14, 2022. Prosecutor Guo Juncheng indicted them on May 18, 2022.
The Zhangjiagang City Court heard the case twice in 2024. The first hearing ran from January 31 to February 8, 2024, and the second hearing only lasted one day, May 22.
Prosecutor Guo cited as prosecution evidence the fact that the 13 practitioners showed support for another group of local Falun Gong practitioners who were prosecuted for their shared spiritual belief a few years back. The 13 practitioners chipped in to hire lawyers for the previously prosecuted group of practitioners and also went to the Wujiang District Court in Suzhou City during the latter’s three hearings.
Guo alleged that the 13 practitioners’ three trips to the Wujiang District Court was evidence that they used their “thoughts” to interfere with court proceedings and to lend moral support to the first group of practitioners.
Guo also accused the 13 practitioners of studying Falun Gong’s teachings together, using emails provided by Minghui.org, printing and distributing informational materials about Falun Gong, and talking to people about Falun Gong face to face since 2016.
The judges have yet to make a ruling.
This isn’t the first time that most of these practitioners were targeted for their faith. Ms. Zhu was arrested in April 2012 and detained for 12 days. Ms. Zhang was twice detained in November 2013 and October 2020 for distributing Falun Gong materials. Ms. Cui was held in custody in June 2012 and February 2017. Ms. Pan was given 1.5-year of forced labor in June 2001 and sentenced to 3.5 years in July 2007. Her husband, Mr. Ji, was given 1.5-year of forced labor in September 2009.
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