Hebei Practitioners Mr. Wang Zhiqin and Wife Ms. Cao Yachun Tried

(Minghui.org) Mr. Wang Zhiqin and his wife Ms. Cao Yachun, from Xiaoheyan Village, Xinzhai Town, were tried by the Luannan County Court in Hebei Province on the morning of August 24, 2018.

Zhang Hongbo, deputy president of the court, was the presiding judge. Liu Yansuo presided over the trial. Gao Meng was the juror. Li Guohua from the Prosecution Section of the Procuratorate attended the trial in support of the prosecution.

Li Guohua said, “A staff member of the Matouying Town government saw someone putting up posters in Wangzhuangzi Village, Matouying Town in mid-November 2017. He went to the town government to look at surveillance footage and called on officials of Wangzhuangzi Village to file a report with the Matouying Police Station.

When police asked people to identify who was in the footage, they said it was Mr. Wang Zhiqin and his wife. Subsequently, Su Jie and other officers from the Matouying Police Station searched the couple's home in Leting County and arrested them.

Li Guohua cited testimonies from the deputy director of the Guhe Police Station, the head of Wangzhuangzi Village, head of Xiaoheyan Village, and the town government staff, who all said that the couple practices Falun Gong.

Li Guohua admitted that Ms. Cao had not signed anything. It was the Tangshan City Domestic Security Division that certified that all the posters were illegal items.

Two lawyers were hired to jointly defend the couple. The lawyers highlighted three issues:

1. No clear facial images could be seen of either of the two people in the video footage. There was no way to determine who the people were. The police did not take the couple to the scene for verification. The charges lacked concrete evidence.

2. The materials the police confiscated were not identified by the couple either verbally or in writing. The couple did not acknowledge charges based on the video, which cannot be used as evidence.

3. Lacking sufficient evidence, there are no grounds to conclude that the couple committed any crimes, nor should they be held liable for any criminal acts.

The couple pleaded not guilty. They testified that Falun Gong guides people to improve their character and to be kind to others. They stated that it is legal to practice Falun Gong and to raise awareness of Falun Gong.

Li Guohua recommended that the couple be sentenced to three to four years in prison. At the end of the hearing, the court said that the verdict would be announced later.

Arrest and Detainment

Officers from the Leting County Domestic Security Division in Tangshan City and the Matouying Police Station arrested the couple and took them to the Leting Lockup Center on December 1, 2017.

Their families went to visit them on December 4 but were denied access by the guards. They were told that they had to get permission from the Leting Domestic Security Division if they wanted to see the couple. Mr. Wang was transferred to the Leting Detention Center and Ms. Cao to the Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Center on December 16.

The couple's cases were turned over to the Luannan County Court. Several days later, Li Guohua told their family that their cases had been returned to the Leting County Police Department, which was not true. When the family members went to the Leting County Domestic Security Division, they were told that the couple's cases would be handled by the Matouying Police Station. At Matouying Police Station, officers refused to tell them anything.

Mr. Wang is currently detained in the Luannan County Detention Center, and Ms. Cao remains in the Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Center.

Background on Officials Involved

Zhang Hongbo (张洪波), deputy president of the Luannan County Court, who was in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, was president of the No. 1 Criminal Tribunal at Luannan County Court in 2004. He sentenced Ms. Zhang Lianzhi, another Falun Gong practitioner, to four years in prison and dismissed her from her job in 2004. After Zhang Hongbo became the deputy president of the court, he was in charge of the No. 1 Criminal Tribunal and sentenced quite a few practitioners to prison.

It was reported that Mr. Liu Zongyong, from Luannan County, was sentenced to a six-year prison term. Mr. Ma Shaozhou, from Luannan County, was sentenced to a two-and-a-half-year prison term. Liu Hongying, from Leting County was sentenced to three years. Five practitioners from Tanghai County were also sentenced to prison.

Cao Jingtao (曹景涛), vice president, vice procurator-general, Luannan County Procuratorate, was in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners for many years.

Zheng Yongjun (郑永军) was chief of the Prosecution Section at the Luannan County Procuratorate for about 10 years. Several practitioners were prosecuted by that section.

Guo Xiaohui (郭晓辉) is the procurator-general at the Luannan County Procuratorate.

Additional participants in the persecution of Mr. Wang and Ms. Cao:Luannan County Police Department: [phone]Wu Qianlai (武前来), chief: [phone], [phone]Zhao Jianping (赵建平), deputy chief: [phone], [phone], [phone]Shi Guokai (石国凯): [phone], [phone], [phone]Wang Zhongcun (王仲存): [phone], [phone], [phone]