Judge in China Imprisoned Because He Started to Practise Falun Gong

Judge Li Dejun was a chief judge of the Hongqi Court under the Ganjingzi District Court in Dalian City, Liaoning Province. After listening to several cases brought against Falun Gong practitioners, he himself became a steadfast Falun Gong practitioner. In June 2006, he was arrested by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) personnel. In February 2008, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He is currently being held in the Dalian Railroad Detention Centre.

Judge Li Dejun was born on November 4th, 1954. When the CCP started to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, he was posted as the director of Policy Research Office in Ganjingzi District Court, where he heard many cases against Falun Gong practitioners. He thought it was strange that none of the Falun Gong practitioners who were tried pleaded guilty. This prompted him to want to find out more about Falun Gong.

After reading the Falun Gong books, Judge Li was deeply convinced by the extensive and profound teachings of Falun Gong. He realized the huge power of this belief's ability to upgrade the morality of society and started cultivating Falun Gong.

After presiding at Hongqi Court, he told people how to be good and said that people benefit society by using the principles taught in Falun Gong.

On June 21st, 2007, about ten police officers from Dalian City National Security Team arrested Judge Li. Claiming it was necessary in order to "guarantee that the Davos Conference proceed without a hitch," Dalian City government and Dalian City Politics and Law Committee officials ordered the police department, the national security bureau, companies, and local neighbourhood committees to beef up their surveillance of Falun Gong practitioners. Between June 18th and 21st, 2007, they arrested dozens of practitioners.

At that time, Judge Li's wife had no job and his daughter was in school. His parents were in their 80s. His arrest put his wife and daughter in a very difficult financial situation. His mother could not bear the pressure and stress and passed away at the end of 2007.

In December 2007, instigated by Du Benyou, a leader in the Dalian City 610 Office¹, Pulandian Court sentenced Judge Li Dejun to three years behind bars. Judge Li did not plead guilty and submitted an appeal. At the end of February 2008, the Dalian City Intermediate Court upheld the original sentence.

CCP officials have mentally persecuted Li Dejun using different measures. They blamed him for the break up of his family. They made a show of sympathizing with his family, saying that the evidence against him was not sufficient to sentence him. At the same time, they called his colleagues and friends to try to persuade him to plead guilty and write a statement of repentance², saying that he could reunite with his family, keep his position, and go back to work as long as he admitted he was wrong. Judge Li insisted he was innocent and firmly demanded to be released unconditionally.

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.

2. Repentance Statement: In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/5/30/179395.html