(Minghui.org) A resident of Jinan City was recently tried for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Mr. Lu Shoulu was arrested on May 8, 2017 and remains at a local detention center.

Zhangqiu District Court held a hearing on August 8 and allowed only two of Mr. Lu’s family members to attend the trial. The remainder of the more than 30 seats were occupied by police and judicial officials.

Mr. Lu’s two lawyers entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.

When the lawyers demanded their client’s acquittal, the presiding judge replied, “We went to his village to investigate him, and all the people interviewed said he was a kind person who never hesitated to help others.”

However, the judge adjourned the session without issuing a verdict.

Mr. Lu’s family was taken to the local police station right after the hearing. The family had filed complaints in July against police chief Li Zhongjun for his violation of legal procedures in handling Mr. Lu’s case.

The police threatened to detain Mr. Lu’s son, but the young man and his family refused to rescind their complaints.