(Minghui.org) Four residents in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, were forced to attend a virtual hearing on April 13, 2026, for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Liu Shuzhen, around 70; Mr. Shi Zuosheng, 74, and his wife Ms. Chen Xiumei, 54; and Ms. Li Hongmei, 65, were arrested during a police sweep of local practitioners on August 21, 2025. Ms. Liu’s lawyer was never allowed to review her case file.
The practitioners first appeared in the Acheng District Court on March 30, 2026. Their lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them. Details of the first hearing remain to be investigated.
The second hearing on April 13, 2026, was virtual even though the four practitioners and their lawyers objected. By law, a judge cannot hold a virtual hearing without the consent of the defendant.
During the virtual hearing, the presiding judge, the prosecutor, the lawyers, and the practitioners’ families were in the courthouse, while the practitioners remained in the detention center. Due to the camera angle at the detention center, the practitioners’ faces were not displayed on the screen in the courtroom. Their families and lawyers, the judge, and the prosecutor could only hear their voices. It was unclear if they could see the courtroom from the detention center, but they all felt they were unable to testify in their own defense as well as they could have if they had been there in-person.
This is not the first time that these practitioners have been targeted for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Liu was previously arrested on November 16, 2004, and given over two years of forced labor. She was abused until she was in serious condition and released on parole on November 23, 2006.
Mr. Shi was given two years of forced labor following an arrest in November 2004.
Ms. Li previously served two labor camp terms totaling four years. Her mother (in her 70s) and brother (43), both Falun Gong practitioners, died in 2000 and 2002, respectively, as a result of the persecution.
Related Reports:
Arrested in a Police Sweep, 65-Year-Old Heilongjiang Woman Gets 7.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong
Harbin, Heilongjiang Province: More Than 10 Arrested for Practicing Falun Gong, Four Face Indictment
Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested and Harassed Across China Ahead of CCP Military Parade
Two Years of Forced Labor and Torture: Shi Zuosheng Files Criminal Complaint Against Jiang Zemin
Brutal Torture at the No. 2 Detention Center at Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province
Mr. Shi Zuosheng Tortured to the Brink of Death and His Wife Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
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