Mr. Guo Fengzhan from Lingyuan, Liaoning Province, Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Name: Guo Fengzhan
Gender: Male
Age: 67
Address: Linggang East District, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 28th, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Lingyuan Domestic Security Team
City: Lingyuan
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacking, extortion

Mr. Guo Fengzhan, in his sixties, was arrested on September 28th, 2010. The Lingyuan Court sentenced him to four years in prison. He has filed an appeal.

Mr. Guo Fengzhan is retired from the Lingyuan Steel Company. In the early years, he suffered from his heartbeat suddenly stopping, hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, high blood viscosity, dizziness, and severe rheumatic bone illness. His wife was also sick in bed and could not take care of herself. During those years, Mr. Guo had to care for his sick wife after a full day of work and often became exhausted.

After Mr. Guo Fengzhan and his wife started practising Falun Gong in 1994, all of their hard-to-cure illnesses disappeared. The couple ran a store and their family became more harmonious. However, Mr. Guo was persecuted for practising Falun Gong.

Five or six officers from the Lingyuan Domestic Security Team, led by a woman who lives in the Linggang Community, knocked on the door of Mr. Guo Fengzhan’s home at 5:00 p.m. on September 28th, 2010, saying they were there to check residency. After Mr. Guo opened the door, the officers ransacked his home without following any legal procedures. They confiscated a computer, a printer, a DVD burner, and other property. The officers also took Mr. Guo’s house certificate and 5000 shares of Lingyuan Steel Company stock. Mr. Guo was arrested. His family went to seek his release many times, but the Domestic Security Team did not release him. Chen Zhi, deputy chief of the Domestic Security Team, deceived Mr. Guo by saying, “You don't need to find a lawyer. You should be able go home soon.” At the same time, Chen Zhi fabricated evidence in his office and transferred Mr. Guo’s case to the court in mid-October 2010. Qiao Jianmin of the criminal court was in charge of the case.

The first trial was 9:00 a.m. on January 12th, 2011. They intended to have a secret session and didn't inform Mr. Guo’s family. However, members of Mr. Guo’s family unexpectedly showed up that day.

On February 8th, 2011, Mr. Guo’s daughter-in-law went to the court and talked to Qiao Jianmin. Qiao told her that they were still investigating. Mr. Guo’s daughter-in-law said many good things about him. Qiao said, “It is useless no matter how many good things you say about Mr. Guo. It is hard to handle as long as the case involves Falun Gong. For other crimes such as robbery, and murder, we can make some exceptions. However, there is no exception regarding a Falun Gong case. It's a political case.”

The court sentenced Mr. Guo to four years in prison and did not inform his family. Mr. Guo has filed an appeal with the Chaoyang Court.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/4/30/239865.html