(Minghui.org) Ms. Lei Shengli, a Falun Gong practitioner from Junshui Town, Hubei Province, was tried at the Tongcheng County Court in September 2012. She was on trial for practicing Falun Gong and distributing materials containing facts about Falun Gong. Her two defense attorneys argued that Ms. Lei is innocent because it is perfectly legal to practice Falun Gong in China.
Nevertheless, the judge found Ms. Lei guilty and sentenced her to three years in prison. Ms. Lei appealed and was tried again at the Xianning City Intermediate Court on March 19, 2013.
Ms. Lei Shengli, 58, was arrested on April 16, 2012 by local Domestic Security Team officers Li Chenggang, Hu Hanxiong and Zhang Dinger. She was prosecuted by the Tongcheng County Procuratorate on August 21, and was tried on September 7.
Ms. Lei's relatives invited the local people to attend the trial. Many people showed up, but the police would not let them into the courtroom.
Lei Shengli's two defense attorneys pointed out that it is completely legal to practice Falun Gong in China and that it is every Chinese citizen's constitutional right to hand out materials containing information about Falun Gong.
The attorneys added that Ms. Lei is not guilty of breaking the law, even when judged from the “evidence” used against her. It was clear that this case was a setup. The police arrested the defendant first and then searched for evidence to justify the arrest. The lawyers made the case that arresting and trying Ms. Lei was a huge waste of judicial resources.
Finally, one of the attorneys stated, "Conscience is the highest principle of law and the ultimate way to judge a case. A judge should listen to the call from his heart, follow his conscience, and make the right decision."
The judge did not reach a verdict that day, but sentenced Ms. Lei three years in prison on January 10, 2013.
This sham trial, typical of the trials of countless Falun Gong practitioners, illustrates once again that China's laws are not upheld by the judicial system. Under the Chinese Communist regime, one can be found “guilty” of doing something legal. The Chinese Communist Party merely uses the judicial system as its puppet to help it violate the law to suit its interests – in this case, persecuting law-abiding citizens who exercise their constitutionally-granted freedom of belief.
Ms. Lei's husband has been telling the story of his wife to people on the streets. Many have expressed their sympathy and signed a petition calling for her release.
