(Minghui.org) Three residents of Xinmin City, Liaoning Province stood trail on February 21, 2024 for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Judge Lin Shujing of the Xinmin City Court presided over the trial of Mr. Liu Bo, Ms. Liu Qifen, and Mr. Zhao Hongli. The three practitioners testified in their own defense, and demanded acquittal. It is unclear when judge Lin will issue a ruling.
Mr. Liu is currently being held at the Xinmin City Detention Center. The detention locations of the other two practitioners are unclear.
The three practitioners were among the over 20 Falun Gong practitioners in Xinmin City that were arrested on July 26, 2023. The Xinmin City Domestic Security Office and several local police stations, including Fahaniu, Erhongqi, and Xinnongcun, carried out the group arrest. Most of the targeted practitioners reported being beaten and interrogated by the police. One practitioner’s teeth were knocked out.
Mr. Liu and His Wife Tortured
Mr. Liu was arrested at work on July 26, 2023. The arresting officers from the Fahaniu Police Station and the Xinnongcun Police Station drove him to his home and confiscated his valuables, including 37,000 yuan in cash. None of the officers wore uniforms, showed a search warrant, or issued a list of confiscated items as required by law. They also arrested Mr. Liu’s wife, Ms. Wu Yan, and her father, Mr. Wu Junde.
The police took the three family members to the Fahaniu Police Station after the home raid. That afternoon, chief Yu Lei interrogated Ms. Wu and hung her by her handcuffed wrists. Three or four officers later took her to a different room and forced her to squat barefoot behind a door for about six hours. A male officer then came and slapped her hard twice on the face. He next tied her hands up with towels and hung her from the upper bunk of a bunk bed with her feet off the ground. Two other officers pulled her legs as far apart as possible. She screamed in pain.
The police later took Ms. Wu to yet another different room for further interrogation. The officer who slapped her before slapped her again, causing her mouth to bleed and her face to become numb. Another male officer kicked Ms. Wu, who was being forced to squat, to the ground.
Ms. Wu was released at 3 p.m. on July 27, 2023, while her husband and father remained in detention.
When Mr. Liu’s lawyer visited him on August 11, 2023. Mr. Liu complained being beaten in detention. He also said that he suddenly had pancreatitis one night and even passed out from the pain. After Ms. Wu learned of this from the lawyer, she requested that Mr. Liu be released on medical parole. The Xinnongcun Police Station forwarded her request to the Xinmin City Police Department, which turned down the request.
When Ms. Wu and the lawyer went to the Xinmin City Procuratorate to inquire about his case, prosecutor Liu Tiebing denied their request to dismiss his case, saying, “Nothing is extreme no matter what decision we make regarding a Falun Gong case.” He also challenged the family to “sue him in Beijing” if they had objections.
Given the family and lawyer’s persistent efforts, they were allowed to review Mr. Liu’s case file hours later.
Related Reports:
Xinmin City, Liaoning Province: Targeted in a Group Arrest, Five Still Detained
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