(Minghui.org) After three trials, Pingding County Court illegally sentenced Ms. Wang Qiaolan to four years in prison on August 29, 2014. She and her family have filed an appeal.
This is the third time that she has been sentenced, bringing the total number of years to which she has been sentenced to 13.
Following her arrest on November 6, 2012, Ms. Wang was detained in Yangquan Detention Center. She was tried in Pingding County Court on March 27, 2013; July 29, 2013; and July 31, 2014.
Latest Trial: Attorney Denied Entry to Courtroom
At the beginning of the trial on July 31, 2014, Ms. Wang asked prosecutor Jia Yongsheng to stay out of the courtroom because of his active participation in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The judge denied her request.
The bailiffs stopped one of Ms. Wang's two attorneys and refused to let him into the courtroom. Only three of her family members were allowed to attend the trials. The other attorney who was allowed to enter defended Ms. Wang during the six-hour proceedings.
Ms. Wang testified in her own defense. She said, “I practice Falun Gong and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a better and healthier person. Falun Gong is beneficial to society. I’m innocent and I should be immediately released.”
Prosecutor: “As Long as She Believes in Falun Gong, She Will Be Sentenced”
Ms. Wang's family demanded that she be released multiple times after the second trial. They asked the court staff: “By practicing Falun Gong, she hasn't broken any laws. She is innocent. If you don't have enough evidence to sentence her, why not let her go?”
They were told, “We don't care whether there is any evidence against her or not, we just can’t release her.”
One Pingding County Procuratorate official told Ms. Wang's family, “As long as she believes in Falun Gong, she will be sentenced.”
Ms. Wang's Head Covered with Black Cloth During First Trial
During the first trial on March 27, 2013, Ms. Wang's head was covered with a black cloth, and she was in handcuffs and shackles when she appeared in court.
Furious, Ms. Wang's family members demanded an explanation. In response, bailiffs sprayed them with an unknown substance that made them dizzy for more than 24 hours.
The bailiffs told the family that the courtroom was full, and only allowed a few family members to come in.
However, when they entered the courtroom, the family members were surprised to see many familiar faces: Du Yujun, head of the 610 Office; Zhang Baojun, deputy head of Pingding County Police Department; Duan Fuming, 610 Office team leader from the police department; Liu Yujin, deputy head of the Procuratorate; and officers from the police department and police stations.
The prosecutor attempted to charge her for possessing seven bills with the words, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, the world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” printed on them.
The lawyer argued, “Yuan bills are personal belongings. They are circulated freely. Many people have money with these words on them, and possessing them does not constitute a crime.”
Of the three witnesses identified by the prosecutor, one doesn’t know Ms. Wang at all, and another is mentally disabled.
The prosecutor could not present any physical evidence or legal basis for the accusations. The trial was hurriedly adjourned.
Related: Imprisoned for Nine Years, Ms. Wang Qiaolan from Shanxi Province Arrested Again
