(Minghui.org) A Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, resident stood trial on August 27, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Liu Xu testified in her own defense. She said she took up Falun Gong in May 1998 and soon recovered from her chronic stomach disease, insomnia, frozen shoulder and leg pain. She also became a better person. She added that she broke no law by practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Liu’s lawyer defended her constitutional right to freedom of belief and emphasized that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. He also produced documents attesting to the fact that it was lawful to own Falun Gong publications. The presiding judge at the Zhanqian District Court looked at the documents but did not say anything. Ms. Liu is awaiting a verdict at the Yingkou City Detention Center.

Ms. Liu’s trial stemmed from her arrest on March 29, 2024. She was at work around 9:30 a.m. that day when officers from the Bayuquan District Police Department broke into her home. They forced her son to call her to return home. She hurried back, only to see the police raiding her home. They confiscated her Falun Gong books, a laptop, cash, and other personal valuables. The raid lasted until 4 p.m. The police took Ms. Liu with them when they left.

The police called Ms. Liu’s son around 8 p.m. and said she was taken to the Yingkou City Detention Center after undergoing a physical examination at a local hospital.

Ms. Liu’s lawyer visited Dong, one of the arresting officers, on April 12, 2024. He said Ms. Liu didn’t violate any laws by practicing Falun Gong and he warned Dong that Ms. Liu’s family would file complaints against the police if they refused to release her. Dong said they were gathering evidence and planned to prosecute her.