(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Wang Shuwen, Ms. Zhang Lihong, Ms. Ao Guangying and Ms. Tan Xiaojie were tried by authorities at Pengan County Court of Nanchong City, Sichuan Province on November 22, 2012. Ms. Wang was then sentenced to four years in prison; Ms. Tan to three years with a delay of four years; Ms. Zhang to two years with a delay of three years; and Ms. Ao to two-and-a-half years with a delay of three years.
Ms. Wang asked her family to appeal her case, while Ms. Ao and Ms. Tan submitted their appeal letter. Nanchong City Intermediate Court then scheduled a retrial of the three women's case at Pengan County Courthouse at 10:00 a.m. on January 15, 2013.
On the day of the retrial, many people showed up in the morning to try to attend the hearing. However, the security guards blocked them from entering the front gate of the courthouse. Later, only four immediate family members of the practitioners were allowed to sit in the trial.
The trial began at 10:00 a.m. The prosecution team included presiding judge Song Feng, judges Feng Bin and Shi Li, and prosecutor Lin Hong.
The defense lawyers for Ms. Wang, Ms. Tan and Ms. Ao pleaded not guilty for them. They argued that it was legal to practice Falun Gong; to distribute Shen Yun DVDs and the book, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party; and to write Falun Gong-related information on currency bills. They also stated that Article 300 of the Criminal Law, “Using a Cult Organization to Undermine Law Enforcement,” was irrelevant to this case because the defendants were merely upholding their belief in Falun Gong and citizens' freedom of belief was guaranteed by Chinese law. They further argued that the legal interpretation cited by the Supreme Court and the Supreme Procuratorate in the first trial violated the Constitution. As a result, there were no legal grounds to convict and sentence their defendants. The lawyers also pointed out that the prosecution failed to provide any evidence of the defendants sabotaging any law enforcement in the first trial.
During the trial, the practitioners told the court of their experiences of how modern medicine couldn't cure the various illnesses they were suffering from and how they regained their health only after practicing Falun Gong. They also stated that it wasn't a crime to conduct themselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Tolerance and that their clarifying the truth to people was out of good intention. They all expressed their gratitude toward the founder of Falun Gong for their spiritual and physical well-being.
The presiding judge adjourned the trial at 12 noon and announced that the verdict would be given on a different day. However, more than ten days after the second trial, Ms. Wang Shuwen was still not released. The other three practitioners are at home with delayed prison terms. The court has still not declared any of the practitioners innocent.
