(Minghui.org) Three Falun Gong practitioners from Huaihua City, Hunan Province, are scheduled to be tried by the Yongding District Court, Zhangjiajie City, on April 12. They have been illegally detained for about six months.
The practitioners are Ms. Li Baoxing, Ms. Deng Yueer, and Ms. Jin Fuwan. Their families hired lawyers who jointly wrote a letter to the court outlining two major requests: “We ask for the court to recognize that the case lies outside of this court's jurisdiction, and release the practitioners immediately.”
The lawyers also stated: “The court does not have jurisdiction over these cases. There is no basis to summon, arrest, detain, prosecute, or try the three practitioners. The organization handling the case misused the legal codes to frame the practitioners. They have committed the crime of depriving citizens of their freedom of religion and violating existing Chinese laws.”
Dozens of Unidentified People Blocked Path and Arrested Practitioners
Ms. Li, Ms. Deng, Ms. Jin, Ms. Liu Zhourong and their driver talked to people about Falun Gong and how it is being persecuted when they traveled through the Yongding District in Zhangjiajie City on August 20, 2015. Someone reported them. Several dozen unidentified people blocked their path and arrested them.
The practitioners, their car and personal belongings were taken to the Houping Police Station. Then, they were transferred to another police station where they were interrogated, after which they were taken to the Zhangjiajie Detention Center.
Ms. Liu, who is in her 70s, was taken to the Huaihua Brainwashing Center two days later, where she was held for 16 days. The authorities extorted 3,360 yuan (~$519 USD) from her son for the brainwashing session.
The Yongdign District Procuratorate approved the arrests of Ms. Li, Ms. Jin, and Ms. Deng on September 25, 2015. However, the files were returned to the Yongding District Police Department due to insufficient evidence and unclear facts. The police department added additional materials and resubmitted the files three weeks later.
The Procuratorate submitted the case to the Yongding District Court on January 21, 2016.
The three practitioners went on a hunger strike for more than 10 days to protest the unlawful detention. They are currently held in the Zhangjiajie Detention Center.
