Older Practitioner Persists in Appeal After Being Sentenced for Practising Falun Gong

Practitioner Mr. Hao Yaohua, who is in his sixties, is an employee at the 852 Farm of the Hongxinglong Agriculture Administration Bureau, in Heilongjiang Province. He was sentenced to five years in prison in late 2009. He appealed, but the intermediate court rejected the appeal. Mr. Hao is currently being held in Jiamusi Prison, and is filing an appeal with the Supreme Court of Heilongjiang Province.

Officers from the Nanhenglinzi Police Department, at the Hongxinglong Agricultural Reclamation Bureau, went to Mr. Hao's workplace at 8:00 p.m. on August 10th, 2009. They arrested him while he was on duty in the guard room of the Power Supply Bureau. The police proceeded to ransack his home. Mr. Hao was detained at the Hongxinglong Detention Centre.

Officials from the Hongxinglong Agricultural Reclamation Bureau Court sentenced Mr. Hao to five years in prison on December 28th, 2009. Even though practising Falun Gong is not illegal in China, the reason they gave for his arrest and sentencing was that Mr. Hao practises Falun Gong and talked about the practice with others. Upon receiving the court's decision on January 22nd, 2010, Mr. Hao immediately appealed. The Agricultural Reclamation Bureau Intermediate Court officials upheld the original verdict and sentence.

Mr. Hao continued his appeal to the Supreme Court of Heilongjiang Province. He stated in his appeal letter that the Chinese Constitution stipulates that citizens have the freedom of belief, and that practising Falun Gong does not constitute a crime. He also said that he will maintain his right to appeal until his case is given a just decision. He will persist until he gets a fair decision from a court, including international courts.

Mr. Hao suffers from a serious lower back problem, but is being forced to do hard labour at the workshop in Jiamusi Prison.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/11/18/32657.html