(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Li Mingzhe and Mr. Wang Yingjie were illegally tried by the Taian County Court on the morning of May 19, 2015. The defendants pleaded not guilty. The trail was adjourned at noon without a verdict.

Mr. Li informed the court that he had been tortured by police during interrogation, and was tied to a tiger bench for 12 hours and deprived of sleep for several days.

He said that the police were not telling the truth about Falun Gong, and asked that the prosecutor read the informational booklets confiscated by the police out loud, to show that the information only taught people how to be good. He also demanded that the personal belongings confiscated by the police be returned to his family.

Mr. Wang, in his seventies, was very healthy and looked younger before the arrest. Due to torture while in detention he developed hearing problems and found it difficult to hear and answer the questions he was asked in court.

Arrests

Mr. Li and Mr. Wang from Taian County in Anshan City, Liaoning Province were arrested at Mr. Li’s home at around 2:00 p.m. on July 22, 2014.

Mr. Li’s mother, wife, the head of his workplace, and his attorney tried to see him for several days after his arrest, but were not allowed.