(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Jing Lianzhen, Yu Zhaoxia, and Wang Jianhua were to be illegally tried by the Xianghe County Court on December 15, 2017. All three reside in Xianghe County, Hebei Province.
Ms. Yu and Ms. Wang, wives of two brothers, went to Ms. Jing's home on the afternoon of February 14, 2017. The three were arrested around 3 p.m. by more than ten officers from the Domestic Security Brigade, the Anping Township Police Station, and the Anping Township Judicial Institute. The officers also ransacked their homes.
Ms. Yu and Ms. Jing have been imprisoned in the Sanhe City Detention Center since the arrest. Their arrest was approved on March 16.
Ms. Wang was released the day following their arrest but she was arrested again on March 17. She was also sent to the detention center.
The families of Ms. Yu and Ms. Jing retained lawyers for their defense. The lawyers argued with the Xianghe Domestic Security Brigade and Procuratorate that practicing Falun Gong is legal and their clients should be released.
On February 27, Ms. Yu's lawyer requested to meet with her at the detention center. The request was denied even after a lengthy negotiation. Two more requests were also denied. The lawyer finally was able to meet Ms. Yu on April 5 after he threatened to file a lawsuit.
Ms. Jing met with her lawyer on March 1.
In the middle of May, the families and the lawyers went to the Xianghe Procuratorate to review the case files, but they were not allowed to meet with the case handler at the prosecution department.
A pretrial hearing took place on August 29. Both lawyers attended the meeting. They were stopped at the court door and unlawfully had their briefcases checked.
In the meeting, the lawyers argued with the presiding judge. They said, “Practicing Falun Gong is legal in China. Ms. Yu and Ms. Jing did not break the law, nor did they commit any crime. They should be acquitted immediately.”
Meanwhile, practitioners at home and abroad have mailed letters and made calls to judicial personnel, urging them to make a just decision.
The husbands of Ms. Yu and Ms. Jing recently wrote character references to the court to attest to the moral quality, personality, and reputation of the defendants.
Letter from Ms. Yu's Husband to Xianghe Court President:
I am Wang Sihua, husband of Ms. Yu Zhaoxia and a resident of Anping Township. I am writing to tell you that my wife is a good person. She is innocent. Please investigate the truth and release her immediately!
My wife suffered lumbar muscle strain, rheumatic heart disease, lumbar disc herniation, a compressed nerve, foot deformities, and stomach problems. She had tried all treatments including medicine, acupuncture, and qigong, but nothing worked. She was afflicted with pain and had tried to end her life several times.
She then practiced Falun Gong. One week after she began, all her ailments disappeared. She became healthy and could do housework.
My wife follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person. She always considers others when a conflict arises. Don't you agree that our country needs people like her?
One more thing I thought you would like to know: my wife has had a good relationship with my parents since she became a practitioner. My mother was happy to see her changes and decided to practice Falun Gong herself.
We had a big snowstorm one winter. Several Falun Gong practitioners, including my wife, voluntarily got up early to shovel the snow off the steep village road. They received no compensation for their work. They did it for the convenience of the villagers. Don't you say that our country needs more kind people like them?
My wife said, “We were forced to package disposable chopsticks in the labor camp. The chopsticks were dumped on the ground and then we inserted them one by one into the wrapper tubes. The tube opening had to be wet with saliva to get it open. It is not sanitary because some inmates might have contiguous diseases.”
She added, “The practitioners refused to do that immoral thing. As a result, we were punished with standing and starvation. We went on a hunger strike to protest and were force-fed.” Don't you agree that our country would not be contaminated so badly if people are moral like my wife?
Regarding this arrest, she just went to a friend's home for a visit. The officers handcuffed her without showing any identification. They also illegally ransacked my house without a search warrant. Would you not say that the officers have broken the law and created the instability?
My wife is a good person and should be rewarded with goodness. She was diagnosed with uterine fibroids and anemia when she was taken to the detention center. The diseases have worsened because of the torture.
Her life is in danger now. Please acquit her immediately.
Sincerely yours,Wang SihuaAugust 6, 2017
Letter from Ms. Jing's Husband to Criminal Court President:
I am Gao Wenhe, husband of Ms. Jing Lianzhen and resident of Anping Township. I am not a Falun Gong practitioner, but I was blessed because I support her practice.
My wife used to have many diseases. I had taken her everywhere by bike for treatment. We had spent a lot of money and her diseases were not cured at all.
After she started to practice Falun Gong, she became very healthy. She has never seen any doctor or taken any medicine in the past 20-some years. We have saved a lot on medical expenses, enough to build a new house. She can do housework and farming.
Her temper also has become better. She no long antagonizes my mother. She has taken good care of her. She always gives my mother the food she cooks before anyone else is served.
I am a poor and illiterate farmer. I am fortunate to marry a good wife like Ms. Jing. Recalling her great physical and spiritual changes, I never would have dreamed of having a good life like this. How do you see anything wrong with this Gong practice?
My wife is also very considerate. There was a big snowstorm one year. My wife got up around 3 a.m. and went out with several practitioners to shovel the snow off the steep village road. Do you know any person who would do this kind deed voluntarily without compensation?
My wife was arrested by plainclothes officers without due legal process on February 14, 2017. Dear President Zhou, my wife is a good person. I do not believe that she would engage in dishonesty or vandalism. I really do not understand why she was arrested.
Our country is a lawful nation. Our Constitution provides citizens freedom of religion. My wife does not violate the laws with her belief. The Administration of Press and Publication clearly declared in 2011 that printing and owning Falun Gong books are legal.
I deeply believe that you will make the correct decision and quickly release her.
I dictated this letter and someone wrote it for me. If there is anything inappropriate in the letter, please forgive me.
Sincerely,Gao WenheOctober 29, 2017
Persons Responsible for the Persecution of the Three Practitioners
Yang Yongli (杨永利), captain, Xianghe Domestic Security Brigade: +086- 13503266006Liu Jun (刘君), president, Xianghe County Court: +086-13903163558Zhou Xiaoming (周晓明), president, Xianghe Criminal Court: +086-13785593688
