(Minghui.org) A Dalian City, Liaoning Province resident was sentenced to four years in prison for practicing Falun Gong on December 11, 2018. She has appealed the verdict to Dalian City Intermediate Court.
Ms. Yu Chunxiang's daughter, who is representing her as a non-lawyer defender in her appeal, requested to meet with her and review her case document, as well as to have an open hearing of her case. The court rejected the requests without providing any explanation.
Ms. Yu was arrested on April 24, 2018 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.
The police hired a locksmith to open the door of her home and later demanded her family to pay the 200 yuan service fee to the locksmith. A portrait of the founder of Falun Gong was confiscated from the home.
Ms. Yu was transferred to Yaojia Detention Center on May 8 after 15 days of detention in police custody. Her family received her arrest warrant on May 21, which wasn't signed by any officer in charge of the case.
Xigang District Court held a hearing of Ms. Yu on September 4, 2018 without the presence of her lawyer nor her family members. She received the four-year verdict on December 11.
Daughter's Affidavit
Ms. Yu's daughter, Ms. Song Dandan, vowed to seek justice for her mother. The young woman wrote an affidavit to the judge attesting to her mother's character.
She explained how Falun Gong had returned her mother to health and given her strength to care for her ailing father-in-law. Ms. Song also recounted how her mother lived by Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and set a good example for her.
Below is an excerpt from the affidavit:
“My mother used to suffer from such severe rheumatism that she had to wear woolen pants in the summer and often cried because of the pain. Her condition disappeared soon after she began to practice Falun Gong. She had a rosy complexion and was full of energy.
“I feel that my mother had the most beautiful smile after she became a Falun Gong practitioner, because her mind was so pure and she only wanted the best for others. She is a great mother who brought up her children to be upstanding citizens. I knew from a young age that I must not take advantage of others and I should be considerate of others.
“One time we were on our way home when we noticed an unkempt young man digging in a trash can. He looked very dirty, but my mother walked towards him and gave him all the food we had just bought for dinner. She sat next to him and even helped him eat. That was the most beautiful scene that to this day remains imprinted on my mind. I was moved to tears. There were so many passersby, yet no others took a look at that man. Only my mother lent a helping hand. I admire my mother from the bottom of my heart.
“My mother is a also a filial daughter-in-law. My father has several siblings, yet only he and my mother were willing to take in his ailing father. As my dad had to go on frequent business trips, my mother became the sole caregiver for her father-in-law. She took meticulous care of my bedridden paternal grandfather for two years before he passed away.
“Every little bit my mother did left a deep impression on me and my siblings. She set a good example on how to be a good person.
“My mother didn't violate any law in practicing Falun Gong. I urge you, the judge in charge of my mother's case, to seek justice for her and to release her immediately.”
