(Minghui.org) Ms. Hu Jinling, 72, was illegally arrested for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. The Zhanhe District Court in Pingdingshan City, Henan Province had originally scheduled a trial against her on the morning of May 15, 2014. When her defense attorney from Beijing arrived, he was informed that the trial had been changed to a pretrial hearing. The presiding judge coerced Ms. Hu into dismissing her attorney, and accepting the attorney appointed by the court.

According to regulations, a pretrial hearing is a session where the defense lawyer, the accused person, the judge, and any other relevant parties negotiate the case. However, court vice president Hou Shuli and presiding judge Zhang Ying deliberately took the attorney to the third floor for a “conversation,” while keeping Ms. Hu in the detention room on the first floor, and not letting them meet together. They lured Ms. Hu's daughter into the office, took away her cell phone, and placed her under house arrest.

Vice chairman Chen (known as a transformation specialist) from the Chinese people's political consultative conference was brought in by the Zhanhe 610 Office to threaten and coerce Ms. Hu's daughter. He claimed that the court would sentence her mother lightly, and appoint an attorney for free. They deceived Ms. Hu's daughter and convinced her to sign the dismissal document. Meanwhile, the court staff lured Ms. Hu into signing the acceptance of the court-appointed attorney, in order to dismiss the Beijing attorney.

It is said that the Zhanhe Court staff was afraid of the defense that the Beijing attorney would present, and notified Ms. Hu's daughter to dismiss that attorney two weeks prior to the pretrial hearing. The request was rejected, so they attempted to deceive both Ms. Hu and her daughter at the pretrial hearing, to get what they wanted.

Ms. Hu was seen distributing Falun Gong informational materials on November 21, 2013. She was reported by Yang Songtao, who works at the Jiulishan Police Station, and lives in Room No. 5, Building No. 1, at No. 13 Qimeng Road, Xinhua District. Six officers from the Pingdingshan Police Department, Zhanhe No. 3 Sub-bureau, and Jiulishan Police Station broke into Ms. Hu's home shortly after 11:00 a.m., arrested her, and ransacked her home. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and materials, among other things. Ms. Hu was taken to the Xixie Detention Center that night.

Responsible Personnel:Zhang Ying (张莹), presiding judge in charge of the criminal division of Zhanhe Court: +86-15938927291 (Cell)Court clerk: +86-15093866685Hou Shuli (侯树丽), vice president of the Zhanhe Court: +86-13733753369 (Cell)Li Jianfa (李建法), presiding judge of the Zhanhe Court: +86-13903900456 (Cell)Yang Songtao (杨松涛), 34, framed and reported Ms. Hu: +86-13064490234 (Cell)