Four Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced in Songyuan, Jilin Province

Four Falun Gong practitioners were recently tried secretly at the Ningjiang District Court in Songyuan, Jilin Province. The practitioners included Doctor Yang Weihua, Ms. Wu Dan, Mr. Liu Guoquan, and Mr. Gao Yong. The trial was held without informing the practitioners' families, and the practitioners were sentenced several days after the trial. Doctor Yang was sentenced to eight years. The three other practitioners were sentenced to seven and a half years. They are still being held at the Shanyou Detention Centre in Songyuan.

All four practitioners were taken away in March 2010. Fu Ping, head of the Gongnong Police Station, and other officers broke into Doctor Yang Weihua's private clinic at around 3:00 p.m. on March 11th. The police ransacked the place and confiscated a computer, a printer, and other personal belongings. They also took away Doctor Yang's wife, and his 13-year-old daughter.

Sun Bingren, head of the Ningjiang District 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), also took part in the arrests. Mr. Liu Guoquan and Mr. Gao Yong were arrested, and Ms. Wu Dan was taken away by the police from the Songyuan Domestic Security Division, Songyuan Police Department Ningjiang No. 2 Substation and Shihua Police Station.

The Songyuan Police Department initiated legal proceedings against the four practitioners. The case was sent to the Ningjiang District Court. According to legal requirements, the trial should have been held within 45 days. Mr. Gao Yong's family was worried about him and asked for the date. The court never gave them an exact date for the trial.

On October 16th, the Ningjiang District Court conducted the trial without informing the practitioners' families. It was a Saturday and also the 45th day after the case was submitted. According to an eyewitness, there were many guards inside and outside the court on the trial day. Several of Ms. Wu Dan's family members showed up. The whole trial seemed like a show and ended quickly. The judge didn't give a verdict inside the courtroom. Mr. Gao Yong's family went to the court several days later and learned that Mr. Gao had already been sentenced. All four practitioners disagreed with the court's decision and filed appeals. The appeals were sent to the Songyuan Intermediate Court.

Doctor Yang Weihua, 43, is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. He graduated from the Changchun College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He had a clinic and lived in the Fuyu County East No. 9 Village in Jilin Province. He has been detained several times and was sent to a forced labour camp twice for his belief in Falun Gong. He was forced to leave the village and moved to Songyuan. He opened a private clinic in Songyuan.

Doctor Yang was severely persecuted this time. According to sources inside China, he was brutally tortured. His wife and daughter were released after two days of detention.

Responsible parties:
Sun Bingren, head of Ningjiang District 610 Office: 86-438-3122122
Sun Hengfei, head of Domestic Security Division: 86-13804389697 (Mobile)
Sun Deyu, director of Songyuan City Police Department: 86-13943820116 (Mobile)

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/11/29/233084.html