Sichuan Man Sentenced for His Faith, Denied Family Visits

(Minghui.org) A Peng’an County resident sentenced for his faith was secretly transferred to a prison more than 240 mile away. When his family finally found out his whereabouts, they were denied visits with him.

Mr. Tang Jianing was arrested on December 6, 2015 after being reported for posting messages about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. The local Procuratorate twice returned his case to police, citing insufficient evidence, but it later proceeded to indict Mr. Tang under pressure from the local 610 Office, an extra-legal agency tasked with eradicating Falun Gong and given power to override China’s judicial system.

Mr. Tang’s two lawyers entered a not guilty plea for him when he was tried on July 5, 2016. They argued that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that his client had every right to inform the public of the illegality of the persecution.

The lawyers further protested against the 610 Office’s interference with the legal process.

Mr. Tang also testified in his own defense and demanded an acquittal. The judge, however, concluded the hearing by sentencing him to three years in prison.

His wife soon filed an appeal on his behalf. She also filed a complaint against the police, the Procuratorate, and the court in Peng’an County to Sichuan Province Superior Court and Procuratorate. She is still waiting for the appeals results.

The local authorities at first tried to move Mr. Tang to a nearby prison, but it declined to admit him due to capacity constraint. They then transferred him to Jiazhou Prison located in Leshan City.

Mr. Tang’s wife was kept in the dark about the prison transfer. She grew suspicious when the detention center where her husband was initially held kept turning down her visitation request. She asked around and eventually found out what happened to her husband.

She travelled to Leshan City several times to try to see her husband, but Jiazhou Prison authorities turned her down each time. They demanded to see an approval for her visitation from the Peng’an County 610 Office.

Jiazhou Prison’s phone numbers: [phone], [phone], [phone], [phone], [phone], [phone]Prison director: Zhu Wei