College Junior Zhang Kai Sentenced to Three-Year Prison Term

In late April 2007, officers from the Sifang District Police Department in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, along with officials from the Qingdao City 610 Office¹ arrested Mr. Zhang Kai, a Falun Dafa practitioner and college student. Mr. Zhang, 21, is originally from Leling City, Shandong Province.

Police had earlier arrested Mr. Zhang's mother and sent her to a forced labour camp after a plainclothes agent reported her for distributing leaflets exposing the persecution . She had been tortured at the Wangcun Forced Labour Camp in Shandong Province on a previous occasion, but the authorities released her this time for medical reasons. The details of her persecution soon appeared on the Internet.

When the Sifang District Police and officials from the Qingdao City 610 Office learned that their crimes had been exposed on the Internet, they became very angry. They went to Mr. Zhang's home and tried to force his mother to reveal who was responsible for the Internet posting, but she refused to cooperate.

The police found a computer while they were at Mr. Zhang's home. After they examined the browser history, they discovered what they called "sensitive" content. Because the computer belonged to Mr. Zhang, they went to the University of International Trade in Qingdao City and arrested him.

At 9:30 a.m. on June 25th, Communist officials held a preliminary hearing on Mr. Zhang's case. Judge Li from the Criminal Division of Sifang District Court presided. Because prosecutors were unable to produce evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Mr. Zhang, Judge Li decided to try him on the charge of posting an illegal article on the Internet. No decision was reached at the preliminary hearing. Court officials announced that the next hearing would be closed and that the verdict would be secret. During the proceedings, they did not allow Mr. Zhang to be represented by a local lawyer.

It was later revealed that Communist officials had secretly sentenced Mr. Zhang to three years in prison four weeks prior to the initial hearing. Mr. Zhang is currently being held at the Dashan No. 2 Detention Centre in Qingdao City.

Mr. Zhang was arrested, detained, and sentenced to three years in prison simply because of an article on the Internet. We are unaware of any law that defines Internet articles that students are not permitted to publish.

Those responsible for the persecution of Zhang Kai:
Sifang District Police Department, Qingdao City
Qingdao City 610 Office
Judge Li, Criminal Division, Sifang District Court, Qingdao City

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/7/26/159607.html