(Minghui.org) Mr. Lei Bifu, a small business owner from Kai County in Chongqing City, was sentenced to four years in prison on December 19, 2014.
This is Mr. Lei's second prison term for his belief in Falun Gong. He was also sentenced in 2009 for a three-year prison sentence.
Mr. Lei was illegally arrested at his home at 8 a.m. on December 4, 2013. More than 10 police officers from both the Kai County and the Linjiang Township Police Station participated in the arrest. The authorities filed charges against Mr. Lei, and they held trials on August 22, August 26, and December 10, 2014.
The investigation, process of filing charges, three trials, and prolonged procedures took over a year. Moreover, Mr. Lei's defense attorney traveled from Beijing to Chongqing more than 10 times for the case. Several times, he pointed out the illegal nature of the trials and demanded that Mr. Lei be acquitted and released immediately.
The third trial in December took only 15 minutes, and the prosecution provided no additional evidence. The next day, Mr. Lei's attorney submitted a written request for the case to be dismissed. He cited insufficient evidence, but the court ignored the formal request, and Mr. Lei was sentenced to four years in prison on December 19.
Mr. Lei has been a target of the local authorities since the onset of the persecution. In July 2001, police officers from the Kai County 610 Office broke into his home and attempted to arrest him. Though he managed to escape, Mr. Lei had to stay away from his home for eight years to avoid being arrested.
He returned home in November 2008 and started a small business with his wife at the local farmers market.
A month after his return, several police officers from the Linjiang Police Station, including officer Liu Xuefeng, arrested Mr. Lei and his wife at the farmers market on the morning of December 12, 2008. The couple was handcuffed and escorted to the police station. Four police officers beat Mr. Lei and broke his right leg.
Mr. Lei was sentenced to a three-year prison term in 2009 and served from September 2009 to November 2011 at the No. 7 Ward of the Yudu Prison in Chongqing City.
Mr. Lei, 50, is from Linjiang. Due to a business dispute years ago, he was stabbed and became disabled. After he started practicing Falun Gong in November 1998, however, he experienced dramatically improved health. His outlook on life also changed. Grateful for these changes, he often tells others about his experience despite the risk of being persecuted by the authorities.
Zhang Weiya (张维亚), director of the Kai County Domestic Security Division: +86-23-52990001 (office)Ren Huidong (任辉东), section chief at the Kai County Procuratorate: +86-23-64973316 (office)Ren Zedong (任泽东), person in charge of Mr. Lei's case at the Kai County Procuratorate: +86-23-52666222 (office)Gao Lijun (高立均), judge at the Kai County Court: +86-23-52124013 (office)Linjiang Township Police Station (临江镇派出所): +86-23-52812033 (office)Fu (付姓警察), police officer: +86-15823720616 (mobile)Kai County Detention Center (开县看守所): +86-23-52236056 (office)Chongqing City Prison (重庆市监狱), +86-23-62521360 (office), +86-23-62524034 (office)Chongqing Brainwashing Center (重庆洗脑班): +86-23-62504241 (office), +86-23-62524114 (office)