Professor at Sichuan University Sentenced to Prison, His 94-Year-Old Father Seeks Help for His Release

Mr. Ding Zeyang, a professor of the Macromolecule Chemistry Faculty of Sichuan University in Sichuan Province, was sentenced on August 10th, 2008 to 4 years of imprisonment by the Wuhou District Court, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. Mr. Ding's case has entered the next stage in the court, but his lawyer was not allowed to make any photocopies of the court documents. The court required that the lawyer hand in his defence for Mr. Ding as soon as possible, so that they could conclude the case soon.

Since Mr. Ding was arrested on September 13th, 2007, his 94-year-old father has attempted to see him over 10 times. From his residence in Huayang City, Sichuan Province, he travelled far to visit various detention centres, including the Xinjin Brainwashing Centre, the Chengdu Detention Centre, the Wuhou Prosecution Office and the Wuhou Court. He called for help from relevant authorities for the release of his son, who has committed no crime. Each time he went, he had to cover a long distance and spent about 4 hours round trip by bus. In January 2008, a snowstorm hit Sichuan Province. He still went a long way to the Wuhou Prosecution Office to request the release of his son.

On September 27th and October 10th, 2008, the Wuhou Court had a trial for Mr. Ding and another 11 people. They announced the trial as open to the public, but refused to allow the family members to attend. Mr. Ding's father took pains to go to the court twice. But like other family members, he was denied entry to the court and had to wait outside until the trial ended. During the trial on September 27th, the temperature in Chengdu City suddenly dropped. The elderly father trembled in the cold wind and rain while he was waiting outside the court.

Now, Mr. Ding's case has entered the next stage in the court. Throughout the course of the case, the Wuhou Court deliberately overlooked the basic facts and legal procedures and made a false judgement. It also appeared that the Chengdu Intermediate Court and the judges in charge intentionally created difficulties for Mr. Ding's defence lawyer and his appeal. His father hereby calls on people of conscience to pay attention to this matter and to help stop such injustice from happening.

People involved in the next stage of Mr. Ding's case in the Chengdu Intermediate Court:
Court Judge: Lin Qiao
Court Assistants: Qiu Jing and Huang Wen
Court Recorder: Liu Huaiyuan and Zhang Yuanze

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/1/19/193763.html