Four Practitioners Tried in Lanzhou City

Around 9:30 a.m. on August 3rd, 2009, the Political and Judiciary Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under orders from the The "610 office¹" of Lanzhou City in Gansu Province, brought Falun Gong practitioners Fang Shuguang, Cui Guilian, Zhao Yuhua, and Xue Qicui, to the Chengguan District Court for a trial.

Fang Shuguang, Cui Guilian, Zhao Yuhua, and Xue Qicui have been held in the No. 1 Detention Centre in Lanzhou since August 2008. These practitioners were tried once before in the same court, on December 29th, 2008. Five months later they were sentenced, but their sentences were not made public. Recently, the court wanted to re-try them, saying it was because "the facts were not clear and the evidence was insufficient."

During the trial Fang Shuguang, Cui Guilian, and Zhao Yuhua were in handcuffs and fetters. All three had lost weight and their faces were gaunt and pale. The practitioners rejected both the charges and the so-called "evidence." They also explained that practising Falun Gong was not a violation of the law.

It was a rainy day. Although the temperature was dropping, many Falun Gong practitioners waited outside the courtroom. The officials had arranged for many police officers and undercover policemen to stay inside and outside the courtroom. Unexpectedly, the electricity to the courtroom went out and this created some chaos.

No sentences were announced after the trial.

Perpetrators:

Zhang Xiaolan, Deputy Secretary of Political and Judiciary Committee of CCP in Gansu Province

Dong Jianming, Deputy Secretary of Political and Judiciary Committee of CCP in Chengguan District of Lanzhou City

Duan Wanning, Prosecutor of Chengguan District Procuratorate

Liu Baosen, Presiding Judge

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/2009/8/8/206097.html