(Minghui.org) Two Chongqing residents stood trial on July 29, 2020 for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liu Chengbi, 74, and Ms. Wang Maoru, 69, were arrested on August 8, 2019, while studying Falun Gong teachings at Ms. Wang’s home. Three other practitioners, including Ms. Liu’s daughter, Ms. Tian Hong, who were arrested at the same time, were released shortly afterwards and had their cases dismissed.
After nearly one year of detention, Ms. Liu and Ms. Wang were tried by Jiulongpo District Court. Both of them were charged with “undermining law enforcement,” a standard pretext used by the communist regime to frame Falun Gong practitioners.
Ms. Liu’s lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. He said that his client should never have been charged for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief and that there was no evidence to show that she had ever undermined law enforcement. The prosecutor said that they could discuss whether Ms. Liu broke the law in private after the hearing.
Ms. Liu testified in her own defense and demanded acquittal. She argued that the police ransacked Ms. Wang’s home without a legal warrant and that there is no legal basis for the persecution of Falun Gong. She also testified that the police threatened to arrest her son-in-law, Mr. Zhang Qiyong, who also practices Falun Gong, while interrogating her.
