(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Qi Fengmin was put on trial at Baicheng City, Taobei District Court in Jilin Province on July 18, 2013. A lawyer from Beijing was hired to defend her. The lawyer stated that Ms. Qi was not guilty because Chinese citizens have the right to spiritual freedom, and Ms. Qi could distribute Shen Yun DVDs. The judges were left speechless.
Before the trial, Sima, an official from the Taobei District 610 Office, attempted to stop the lawyer from defending Ms. Qi. The lawyer said, “It's my own business how to defend her.”
Ms. Qi, 45, is honest and hard-working. Someone reported her to the police because she gave out a Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD to a bicycle repairman on April 9, 2013. Lu Jizhou, deputy director of Guangming Police Station in Baicheng City, arrested Ms. Qi and detained her in Tongyu County Detention Center, Baicheng City.
At the hearing, Zhang Nannan, an official from the Taobei District Procuratorate, defamed Falun Gong and accused Ms. Qi of violating the law because she was giving out Shen Yun DVDs. Ms. Qi's lawyer pointed out, “According to the Chinese Constitution, citizens have the right to freedom of belief and freedom of speech. Everything presented in the Shen Yun program is about the 5,000 years of Chinese culture and civilization. Therefore, Ms. Qi is not guilty because she gave out such DVDs. She should be released immediately.” Everyone in the courtroom, including Zhang Nannan, was silenced by the lawyer's argument.
Ms. Qi also spoke up and stated that she was not guilty. When she began reading her statement, chief judge Zhang Enyou interrupted her. However, Ms. Qi calmly said, “I have done nothing wrong by practicing Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I have the right to my own spiritual belief. Please learn more about Falun Gong and read the book Zhuan Falun to find out what Falun Gong is truly about, and take a look at the Shen Yun program. Then you can judge me fairly. My daughter is going to start her 3 rd year in high school and needs me to take care of her. You must unconditionally release me.”
During the trial, the judges and prosecutors were left speechless many times. Chief judge Zhang Enyou had to finally announce that they couldn't agree on a verdict, so another hearing would be have to be scheduled.
Ms. Qi Fengmin was arrested in July 2008 and later sentenced to five years in prison due to her belief in Falun Gong. Her husband was forced to divorce her. Her daughter had to be raised by Ms. Qi's parents. Unfortunately, Ms. Qi's mother passed away due to illness and her young daughter had to take the train by herself to school. Ms. Qi was released five years later, so mother and daughter were able to finally reunite. However, ten months after her release, Ms. Qi was arrested again just because she gave a Shen Yun DVD to a passerby. Ms. Qi's 18-year-old daughter became very depressed.
What's in the Shen Yun DVD that Ms. Qi gave to someone? The Shen Yun show presents 5,000 years of China's divine culture. Headquartered in New York, the mission of Shen Yun Performing Arts, is to revive the 5,000 years of Chinese culture. It uses classical Chinese dance and a live orchestra that combines Eastern and Western instruments to present the divine Chinese culture. The Shen Yun show has gained popularity around the world because of its fantastic performance. Last year, three of its equally large companies simultaneously toured the world, performing at many top venues. The company tours for six months and performs in some 20 countries and 100 cities.
