In Secret Trial, Upstanding Medical Doctor Handed Four-year Prison Sentence for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) A court in Guilin, China, secretly tried Dr. Qiu Zhijun twice in January 2012 and sentenced him to four years in prison. His crime? Possessing Falun Gong informational materials, computers, and a printer.

 

As is typical in such cases, the orders to persecute Dr. Qiu in this fashion are believed to have come from the 610 Office.

In an apparent attempt to prevent his family from hiring an attorney to help, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities in Lipu County did not notify the family of his upcoming trial. As a result, no relatives were present when he was tried. 

 

An attorney assigned by the authorities defended him, but only superficially. Tan Zhigang, the public prosecutor from the Lipu County Procuratorate, presented the following as so-called “incriminating evidence”: Falun Gong informational materials, computers, a printer, and other items of personal property from Dr. Qiu's home.

 

After the trial, 610 Office agents threatened Dr. Qiu's family members, ordering them not to publicize the results of the sham trial. Consequently, it was a year before anyone else found out the truth about his sentencing.  

 

During that time, his father developed cancer. Emotionally overwhelmed by his son's arrest, his health deteriorated and he passed away before the 2012 Chinese New Year. Dr. Qiu and his family all asked if he could return home to see his father and take care of the funeral arrangements, but Liu Xiangzheng, chief of the Lipu County 610 Office, refused. Dr. Qiu was unable to see his father before he passed away.

Background

Dr. Qiu, 39, was a radiologist at Lipu County Hospital. Over ten years ago, he started practicing Falun Gong and has lived according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance ever since. He never accepted “red envelopes” of bribe money from his patients or their relatives, a common practice in China today. Everyone considers him very honorable.

Nevertheless, during the almost 14 years that the CCP has persecuted Falun Gong, Dr. Qiu has been mistreated many times. He has been sentenced to forced labor, arrested numerous times, and detained. He has had over 5,000 yuan extorted from him.

Home Ransacked, Dr. Qiu Arrested & Tortured, His Family Harassed

As Dr. Qiu arrived home on the afternoon of September 14, 2011, Lipu County Police Department officers who had been waiting for him jumped out and handcuffed him. They ransacked his home and confiscated two computers, a printer, a DVD burner, and a cell phone. They never showed any identification or pertinent documents.

Dr. Qiu was taken to the Lipu County Detention Center and tortured in attempts to extract a “confession.”  When his family and friends visited him, they noticed that he wore shackles on his feet that weighed over 20 lbs. There were also scars on his face and body.

On September 20, 2011, Dr. Qiu's plight was reported on the Minghui website. However, because agents of the local 610 Office and other officials threatened his family, further information about his situation was suppressed.  

No Laws Broken - Freedom of Belief is a Constitutional Right in China

According to Articles 35 and 36 of the Chinese Constitution, citizens have the right to freedom of belief, speech, and the press. As a Falun Gong practitioner, Dr. Qiu is legally permitted to own computers and to prepare truth-clarification materials, and he should thus be protected by constitutional law.

Those who try Dr. Qiu in secret are the real criminals. As is all too common, and once again in Dr. Qiu's case, CCP officials cavalierly disregard the law in dealing with Falun Gong practitioners. 

There have been numerous other instances of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Lipu County.  

 

Officials Involved

Huang Ming, director, Lipu County Police Department, Domestic Security Division: [phone]
Liu Xiangzheng, chief, Lipu County 610 Office: [phone]
Lipu County Court: Ye Li, chief judge; Wang Xuecai, judge
Tan Zhigang, Lipu County procurator
Luo Jiaxi, attorney assigned by the Lipu County Court