Twenty-one Falun Gong Practitioners in Dalian, China, Sentenced to Prison in the First Half of 2014

Twenty-one Falun Gong practitioners from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China were sentenced to prison between January and June 2014.

The notorious Chinese labour camp system, which was used extensively in the persecution of Falun Gong, was abolished in 2013, but that didn't mean that the persecution was over. Falun Gong practitioners are now being sent to brainwashing centres and sentenced to prison.

In handling suits against Falun Gong practitioners, law enforcement officials in Dalian interfere with the legal process, exert pressure on plaintiffs' lawyers, and have sent 21 practitioners to jail in the last six months alone.

The Dalian courts involved in these illegal adjudications are in the Zhongshan District, the Jinzhou District, the Ganjingzi District, the Shahekou District, the Kaifa District, the Xigang District, and Zhuanghe.

Eleven Practitioners Sentenced in the Zhongshan District Court in Dalian

Che Zhongshan and 12 other practitioners were arrested on July 6th, 2012. The Zhongshan District Court has tried them nine times since April 12th, 2013.

Twelve lawyers from Beijing discovered that law enforcement officers in Dalian had falsified evidence and tortured the plaintiffs. The court has tried to interfere with and suppress the lawyers.

One lawyer was expelled from the courtroom for pointing out illegal procedure on the part of the court. Bailiffs beat Cheng Hai, another lawyer.

The court later dismissed all the lawyers from Beijing and exerted pressure on the local lawyers, threatening them not to plead innocent on behalf of their practitioner clients.

On January 27th, 2014, judge Liang Yongguo sentenced nine practitioners to from 4 to 6-year terms: Che Zhongshan, 6 years; Zhu Chengqian, 5 years and 9 months; Pei Zhenbo, 5.5 years; Ms. Pan Xiuqing, 5 years and 3 months; Wang Shouchen, Shi Zhanshun, and Ms. Bai Ruyu to 4.5 years each; and Yu Bo and Guo Song to 4 years each.

Mr. She Yue, who was sick and had to use a wheelchair, was put on trial on April 15th, 2014. The court didn't allow his lawyer or his wife to be present during the proceedings. A week later, judge Liang Yongguo sentenced Mr. She Yue to a 6-year term without notifying any of his family members.

Practitioner Li Hong was sentenced to 3.5 years.

Six Practitioners Sentenced by the Jinzhou District Court in Dalian

Six practitioners were sentenced by the Jinzhou District Court: Mr. Ma Ruitian, 8.5 years; Xia Yuanxin, 7 years; Ms. Qin Yulan, 3.5 years; Han Xueming, 3 years; Ms. Ma Aibing, 3 years; and Ms. Zhou Huiming, sentence unknown.

Mr. Ma Ruitian, 70, was arrested with his daughter, Ms. Ma Aibing, and son-in-law, Mr. Han Xueming. Haerbing Street Police Station officers claimed that they would destroy Mr. Ma's family.

Three Practitioners Sentenced in the Ganjingzi District Court in Dalian

Ms. Zhang Xiaoli was sentenced to 7.5 years, Wang Defa to 5 years, and Ms. Xu Li to 4 years.

Ms. Zhang Xiaoli's attorney defended her by saying, “There is no evidence that Zhang Xiaoli committed any crimes. This is a political persecution. The real criminals are the law enforcement officers.”

Ms. Zhang Chengjun Sentenced to Three Years in the Shahekou District Court

Ms. Zhang Chengjun, 76, was arrested on February 18th and jailed in Dalian Detention Centre. She was sent to Shenyang Women's Prison on March 4th.

Ms. Zhang's family has never received any official notification of her arrest. When they asked the police department and the local court where Ms. Zhang was, they were ignored. No one would claim responsibility for Ms. Zhang's case.

Another 13 practitioners and a family member of a practitioner have been put on trial between January and June 2014, or scheduled to be tried soon.

Seven recently sentenced practitioners have appealed to the intermediate court in Dalian City. However, the new deputy mayor of Dalian exerted pressure on the court, and He Yunbo, the intermediate court judge, intends to reject the appeals and uphold the original judgments.

Liu Leguo, the deputy mayor of Dalian, is the one who ordered the judge to sustain the original sentences. Liu, 56, is not only the deputy mayor, but also the chief of the city police department and the vice director of the city Political and Legal Affairs Committee. He has been actively involved in the persecution of Falun Gong in Liaoning Province.