(Minghui.org) Ten Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province, residents made their third and fourth court appearances on March 18-19, 2026, for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Judge Gang Jia from the Wanghua District Court in Fushun City, which oversees Qingyuan County, presided over the joint hearings held at the Fushun City Detention Center. Prosecutor Wang Jun from the Wanghua District Procuratorate was also present.
The ten practitioners, including Mr. Wang Nanfang, 70; Mr. Zhou Shuyou, 62; Mr. Wang Zexing, 58; Ms. Hu Fengju, in her 60s; Ms. Hu Mingli, in her 60s; Mr. Liu Haitao, in his 50s; Mr. Wang Guozhong (who is disabled), in his early 40s; Ms. Huang Yuping, 64; Ms. Li Shuqin (who has vision impairment and needs help with walking), in her 60s; and Ms. Lai Chunlian, 73, were arrested on July 12, 2024, and indicted on December 20, 2024.
Prosecutor Wang accused the practitioners of violating Article 300 of the Criminal Law, which states that those who use a cult organization to undermine law enforcement must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The practitioners and their lawyers refuted the allegations throughout the trial.
During the first hearing on November 11, 2025, both the practitioners and their defenders requested to see the prosecution evidence in court. The prosecutor then presented the Falun Gong books and informational materials confiscated from the practitioners’ homes. The variety and quantity, however, did not match what was stated in the police-produced list of confiscated items.
At the second hearing on January 27, 2026, the prosecutor accused Mr. Wang Nanfang of installing a satellite dish for a 75-year-old woman. The new evidence presented was that the word “Tang” appeared on the woman’s TV, which was evidence that Mr. Wang was “spreading evil information,” according to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor also presented other evidence submitted by officers Wang Tong and Zhang Minghui of the Qingyuan County Domestic Security Office. The police stated that Dong Qian of the Qinyuan Town Qiaonan Community, Yang Yi of the Tianqiao Community, and Li Junying of the Sanhuan Community reported discovering various kinds of Falun Gong materials, which were “the same” as those confiscated from Mr. Wang Nanfang’s home. The police concluded that the materials were distributed by Mr. Wang and his nine co-defendants.
The practitioners’ lawyers pointed out that the materials and testimonies submitted by the three witnesses were exactly the same, and they suspected they were fabricated. The lawyers accused the police of framing their clients.
During the third and fourth hearings on March 18-19, 2026, the prosecutor presented Mr. Wang Nanfang’s phone book, which contained a lot of contacts, many of whom were Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Wang explained that many practitioners and non-practitioners alike contacted him to purchase honey from his family’s beekeeping business. He added that his phone calls with other practitioners were by no means “evidence” of them “forming a criminal organization” as alleged. The prosecutor failed to produce any actual phone conversation records showing any “criminal activities.”
The prosecutor next claimed that the police collected a total of 3,000 copies of Falun Gong materials from the three communities mentioned in the second hearing, as well as six other communities. He repeated his claim that the ten practitioners distributed the materials because they contained the same contents as the materials confiscated from their homes.
The defense lawyers argued that the materials confiscated from the practitioners’ home could only establish they were Falun Gong practitioners, but were not evidence that they distributed the materials found in the said communities.
The practitioners’ family defenders pointed out that no law in China has criminalized Falun Gong nor labeled it as a cult organization. Even if the practitioners did install the satellite dishes or distribute Falun Gong materials, there is nothing illegal about doing so.
The third hearing ran from close to 10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break on March 18. The fourth hearing ran from 2 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. on March 19. It is unclear when judge Gang will issue a ruling.
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