(Minghui.org) Charged for carrying printed Falun Gong materials, two elderly women, Ms. Wan Juhua and Ms. Zou Liumei, were tried at Jinxian County Court, Jiangxi Province on February 1, 2013. Their two lawyers pointed out in the trial that it was against the Constitution to accuse citizens for their spiritual belief, and demanded their immediate release.

Public procurator Zhang Daiping responded ignorantly, “What spiritual belief? Falun Gong is not Buddhism, Christianity, or Islam.”

Ms. Wan Juhua is a 68-year-old farmer and Ms. Zou Liumei is a 62-year-old retiree of Lidu Town Brush Factory. They were arrested by the Jinxian County Domestic Security Division and Lidu Town Police Station on July 24, 2012, and have been detained at Jinxian County Detention Center for over six months. They were tortured and interrogated during the detention and appeared sickly and weak in court.

The two elderly women stated that they had not done anything illegal or harmed anyone. They simply told people how they had physically and spiritually benefited from Falun Gong, so that others could benefit as well. The two lawyers hired from Beijing and Guangdong Province by their families indicated that their behavior was in the sphere of spiritual belief, which was protected by law. As none of the practitioners' actions had broken the law, they were innocent.

Furthermore, the lawyer pointed out many of the prosecuting party's illegal behavior. For example, the police had obtained the so-called evidence with illegal approaches; the most important “evidence” was invalid; the prosecuting party provided two blank search warrants as a piece of evidence; the police had interrogated Ms. Wan with physical torture prohibited by law, including deprivation of sleep; the evidence provided in the indictment was unclear and self-contradictory; and so on. Based on these reasons, the lawyers demanded the court release the two practitioners immediately.

Ms. Wan, Ms. Zou, Ms. Li Fanglan, Ms. Wu Chunling and other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested at their homes by police from Jinxian County and Lidu Town on July 23 and 24, 2012. Their homes were ransacked. Ms. Li and Ms. Wu were sent to Nanchang County Brainwashing Center the same day, and Ms. Li was transferred to a forced labor camp afterwards.

Several days before the trial, Ms. Zou's eldest son suddenly became seriously ill, due to constant worry for his mother. When the son was dying in the hospital, Ms. Zou's husband begged the court to release Ms. Zou on bail. While the court granted his request, the police did not. Her son died on the operating table without seeing his mother again.

Relevant personnel:

Han Guochang, Head of Domestic Security Division: 86-13803530559 (Cell)
Zhang Daiping, chief prosecutor: 86-791-85699263

Mao Guozhong, Judge: 86-13970955661 (Cell)

Zeng Zhicheng, Director of 610 Office: 86-13607005569 (Cell)

Zhi Yuhua, Director of Lidu Town Police Station: 86-13607002966 (Cell), 86-791-85638266 (Office), 86-791-85665721 (Home)

Please refer to the original Chinese text for more names and telephone numbers.