Two Female Gong Practitioners in Hunan Province Sent to Prison as Court Refuses to Hold an Open Trial

The Yuetang Court in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province disregarded the legitimate rights of Falun Gong practitioners Yao Jianping and Hu Yan. The court ignored their appeal against their first trial, as well as the requests of their attorney for a second trial. Without further legal procedures, the pair were abruptly sent to Hunan Province Women's Prison. Presently, Ms. Yao Jianping and Hu Yan are being detained in a dark room and physically abused, with their captors attempting to transform [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] them.

Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Yao Jianping and Ms. Hu Yan were arrested by local police in August, 2011. They were tried in a Yuetang Court in February, 2012 and sentenced in May. Ms. Yao Jianping was sentenced to seven years and Ms. Hu Yan to three years. Both practitioners immediately appealed. In late May, an attorney from Beijing hired by their families pointed out that the first trial was illegal and invalid. They requested Yuetang Court to hold an open trial.

According to reports, after reading their not-guilty plea statement written by the Beijing attorney, the Yuetang Court Judge said: “We are in the wrong, and they did nothing wrong. Who would dare to hold an open trial!”

Unjust Dealings of the Yuetang Court in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province

On February 14th, 2012, the Yuetang Court in Xiangtan City informed the relatives of Ms. Yao Jianping and Ms. Hu Yan that the trial would be at eight o'clock the next day.

The next day at 7 a.m., many people were waiting outside the court, including both families, relatives, neighbors and former colleagues. Around 8 a.m., the court suddenly announced a cancellation of the trial and changed the trial location to the Sanjiaoping Detention Centre in Xiangtan City.

The relatives rushed to the Sanjiaoping Detention Centre in Xiangtan City. However, the prison guards there blocked the door so that the family members and other people couldn't get in. According to court procedure, Ms. Hu Yan's daughter, Wang Wei, should have pleaded not guilty for her mother in court. But she was also deliberately blocked by the police at the door and not allowed to come in.

On May 15th, 2012, the Yuetang Court notified the families that they could visit Ms. Yao Jianping and Ms. Hu Yan. During the visit, Ms. Yao's family saw that she was emaciated and couldn't see things clearly due to a sharp decline in her eyesight. When Ms. Yao and Ms. Hu received the verdict that day, they both insisted that this was illegal and invalid. Ms. Yao Jianping immediately wrote an appeal and requested the decision to be reconsidered in an open trial. Ms. Hu Yan entrusted her relatives to write an appeal and send it to the Yuetang Court requesting an open trial.

In late May, Ms. Hu Yan's relatives hired an attorney from Beijing who had a sense of justice to plead not guilty for her. The attorney firmly insisted that an open trial should be held and pointed out that the first trial in Yuetang Court in Xiangtan City was illegal and invalid. Yuetang Court staff were very afraid when they read the not guilty plea statement written by the attorney. When Ms. Yao Jianping and Ms. Hu Yan's relatives requested Yuetang Court to hold an open trial, Judge Xu Hui flatly refused.

On the morning of September 6th, 2012, without any notice from the court to anyone, the second trial started in an open court . This happened after the Sanjiaoping Detention Center in Xiangtan City sent both Ms. Yao Jianping and Ms. Hu Yan to Changsha Women's Prison in Hunan Province.

At present, prison guards are detaining both of them in a dark room to try to brainwash and transform them through persecution and violence. They claim that they won't let them out until they are transformed. Ms. Yao Jianping's family went to Changsha Women's Prison and requested to visit Ms. Yao several times, but they were rejected by prison authorities.

Ms. Yao Benefited from Falun DGong

Ms. Yao Jianping, 55 years old, previously worked at the No. 5 Radio factory and later she served on the Shenzhen Radio Management Committee. After she started practising Falun Gong, she worked conscientiously, never fought with other people for personal gain, and always kept a calm and tolerant attitude towards others. She won the respect of the company leadership and colleagues, and everyone thought highly of her. Her colleagues could see the noble character of Falun Gong practitioners through her.

How Ms. Hu Yan Was Arrested

Ms. Hu Yan, 48 years old, lived in Heping Village in Xia Township, Yuetang Court in Xiangtan City. She started practising Falun Gong in 1998. Before practising Falun Gong, Ms. Hu suffered from a variety of diseases such as insomnia, headaches, and hemorrhoids. She was introduced to Falun Gong by her friends. During her practice, all her diseases disappeared. She understood many principles about how to be a good person and became kinder and more tolerant. Whenever her villagers, colleagues or friends needed help, she always made every effort to help.

On the morning of August 24th, 2011, three people pretending to be police officers showed up at Ms. Hu Yan's home, saying that they were conducting a residential survey. They asked Ms. Hu to take them to her rental apartment on the second floor. When policemen saw an amulet with Falun Gong information on her door they asked Ms. Hu Yan where she got them. Later without permission, they got on Ms. Hu Yan's daughter's computer and took it away after they found Falun Gong literature on it.

At that time, Ms. Hu's landlord, Ms. Yao Jianping, was not at home. The three people ordered Ms. Hu to open the door to Ms. Yao's room. Ms. Hu did not want to, but they threatened her. Ms. Hu finally opened the door. They rushed into Ms. Yao's room and took away all of her personal belongings. None of the three ever presented any identification, or permission to search the premises.

The police took Ms. Hu and her daughter to the police station to make a written report. They first told the mother and daughter that they could go home after answering some questions, but Ms. Hu and her daughter were locked up in the police station when they arrived. By 3:40 p.m., the police released Ms. Hu Yan's daughter, who had to go to work. Ms. Hu was held until the next morning, and then transferred to the Sanjiaoping Detention Centre in Xiangtan City for nine months. She was then sentenced to three years in prison. On the morning of September 6th in 2012, she was sent to Changsha Women's Prison for further persecution.