(Minghui.org) Ms. Liu Yanmei was tried in Tongzhou District Court, Beijing on July 6, 2017, for inviting the public to attend a trial of Falun Gong practitioners.
Defending Ms. Liu
Ms. Liu's attorney pointed out that asking others to attend a public hearing is not a crime. The prosecutors, Peng Yanfen and Li Jun, claimed that Ms. Liu, a Falun Gong practitioner, distributed Falun Gong materials to the public in 2014 and 2015, making her a target for imprisonment.
According to Ms. Liu's attorney, those incidents had nothing to do with the case, and the Procuratorate did not approve the arrests for those incidents in the past.
Ms. Liu said in her defense during the trial, that Falun Gong is not illegal in China, Falun Gong is righteous, and that she is a good person.
Ms. Liu's two sisters and a nephew attended the hearing. But they were not allowed to speak up on her behalf. They were also not allowed to bring their cameras or cell phones into the courtroom.
Arrested and Tortured in Detention Center
Ms. Liu distributed invitations to the public, asking people to attend a public hearing against Falun Gong practitioners on November 30, 2016. She was subsequently arrested by police from the Tongzhou District, and her home was ransacked. She was held at the Tongzhou District Detention Center.
She tried to do the Falun Gong exercises while detained, for which she was put in shackles, and her upper body was tied up to prevent her from moving. She was beaten by guards and inmates.
According to her attorney, Ms. Liu's case came to the attention of kindhearted people from inside and outside of China after her abuse was exposed on the Minghui website. The torture stopped after this exposure, and he was allowed to visit her.
Evidence of the abuse was significant weight loss, and wounds and bruises covering her body. As a lot of her hair had been pulled out, her scalp was injured and her hair had turned white.
She had been taken to brainwashing sessions and a labor camp in the past, for practicing Falun Gong.
Related Report:Beijing Woman Arrested for Inviting the Public to Attend Trial of Falun Gong Practitioners
