On August 3rd, 2010, nine Falun Gong practitioners were secretly sentenced by the Louxing District Court in Loudi City, Hunan Province. Five were given long-term jail sentences: Cao Gongxun was sentenced to 10 years; Liu Xinping 9 years; Zhou Qingfeng 5 and a half years; Ouyang Zhong 3 and a half years; and He Jinlin 2 years. Four other practitioners, Deng Lianzhen, Xie Guirong, Li Zaiying, and Yuan Qiudi, were sentenced to 3 years but their sentences were suspended and they put under surveillance for 4 years. These practitioners found the sentences unacceptable and sent an appeal to a higher court.
On March 12th at 9 a.m. a trial was held at Louxing District Court which was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Loudi City.
In court, the defendant's lawyer said, "Prosecutors have no witnesses, material evidence, haven't established time or location of a crime, etc. The prosecutor's 'indictment' is different from the one given to the lawyer. The so-called evidence had not been presented in court." The lawyer then asked that the prosecutor read the laws about Falun Gong to the court. The judge and the prosecutor had no responses.
The defendant's lawyer pointed out, "The practice of Falun Gong is lawful and so is talking to people about the practice and the persecution. The practitioners have committed no crimes. They are being persecuted. We ask that they be released."
The hearing ended at about three in the afternoon. The court did not announce any verdicts that day. Five Falun Gong practitioners, Cao Gongxun, Liu Xinping, Zhou Qingfeng, Ouyang Zhong, and He Jinlin, were held in Loudi City Detention Centre. The other four were put under surveillance.
The ruling of the Louxing District Court on August 3rd came after the date required by statute, which is six weeks after the trial. Pronouncing the sentences more than four months after the trial was illegal. The illegal verdict was not passed on to the defendants until August 10th.
A brief background of the practitioners
Cao Gongxun, male, was born on January 5th, 1952 in Yiyang Taojiang, Hunan Province. He was a worker at Loudi Liangang Company, but was fired by the company after they learned that he was a Falun Gong practitioner. On March 29th, 2002 he was put in a Yiyang forced labour camp for two years.
Liu Xinping, male, was born in Hotan City, Xinjiang Province, on March 5th, 1972. He was a judicial police officer of the Hotan City jail. After he was discharged from his job he was detained and persecuted many times. In the evening of July 15th, 2009, he and Cao Gongxun were taken from their home by police officers from Loudi City who broke the lock on the door to enter the practitioner's home. They were sharing an apartment belonging to the Lian Shao Loudi Mining Bureau rental housing in the Louxing District.
Zhou Qingfeng, was born on June 18th, 1974. He was a staff member of Loudi Lian Steel Plant. He was distributing fact sheets about Falun Gong when he was arrested on January 26th, 2002. He lost his job and his printer was confiscated. He was detained and tortured at the Second Detention Centre in Loudi City for almost a year. Then, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. When he was released on January 26th, 2009 he was extremely underweight. He worked at temporary jobs to support himself and his mother. Life was very difficult for him. On July 15th, 2009 police officers again took him from his home.
Ouyang Zhong was born on January 12th, 1950 in Fuquan City, Guizhou Province. He operated a private clinic on West Lian Bin Street in Loudi City.
Deng Lianzhen was born on December 14th, 1939. She was retired from the Loudi Liangang company.
He Jinlin was born on March 8th, 1977. He lived in Juhua Village in the town of Hongshan, which is part of Loudi City in Shuangfeng County. He Jinlin worked in the motorcycle rental business. On September 9th, 2009, an undercover police officer asked him to drive to an open fishing area, where a police car was waiting to pick him up. He was sent to the first detention centre in Loudi City.
Li Zaiying was born on February 27th, 1942. She is a retired worker from the Loudi Bus Company.
Xie Guirong was born on June 26th, 1936. She lived in the family quarters of the Business Bureau in Loudi City.
Persons involved in the persecution (Loudi District Number: 86-738):
President of Louxing District Court, Criminal Division: Liu Jihong Tel: 13907388959, 8656422
Procurator of Louxing District in Loudi City: Yang Rehua Tel: 13807384778
Captain of Louxing District State Security Brigade in Loudi City: Lan Lin Tel: 13907380126
Deputy Head of State Security, Louxing District, Loudi City: Li Gangjun Tel: 13548806192
610 Office in Louxing District Tel: 86-738-8288610
Director: Zhang Yungen (also the deputy secretary of Louxin District) Tel: 13327380186
Deputy Director: Wei Xiaopeng (also Deputy Minister of Propaganda in Louxin District) Tel: 13508447729
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/8/14/228318.html
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