(Minghui.org) A Taian City, Shandong Province resident stood trial on July 16, 2021. Despite being pressured by the judge, Ms. Zhou Min maintained that she didn’t do anything wrong in practicing Falun Gong and that it was the judge and the prosecutor who were committing a crime in prosecuting her.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhou, 66, was arrested at home on November 25, 2020, by a dozen officers from the Taishan District Domestic Security Office and Daizongfang Police Station. The police smashed her front door and broke in. Her Falun Gong books, computer, printer, calendars with information about Falun Gong, and other office supplies were confiscated.
Ms. Zhou was first held at the Xintai City Detention Center and then transferred to the Taian City Detention Center. During the period, the police submitted her case to the Taishan District Procuratorate, which soon indicted her and moved her case to the Taishan District Court.
Ms. Zhou was tried at the detention center through a video conference on July 16, 2021. The judge told her that as long as she pleaded guilty, he would try to give her a lighter term.
Ms. Zhou responded, “I didn’t do anything wrong or commit any crime. It’s you who are committing a crime.”
The judge then accused her of subverting the Chinese Communist Party. Ms. Zhou replied, “I’m not against anyone. I’m doing good for society. Just take a look at the materials I distributed. It’s all about urging people to be good and it has so many stories of people receiving blessings after they understood the facts about Falun Gong and supported the practitioners. I didn’t violate any law. What crime did I commit? What’s wrong with my giving out the materials? You are the ones who have done wrong.”
After a moment of silence, the judge continued demanding that Ms. Zhou admit her guilt. As she insisted that she didn’t do anything wrong, the judge quickly adjourned the hearing, without announcing a verdict.
One family member and two friends of Ms. Zhou attended the hearing. Three police officers sat in front of them in the gallery, so that they couldn’t see the judge, prosecutor, or clerk clearly. The screen showing Ms. Zhou was facing the judge and her family was unable to see her.
As soon as the hearing ended, the bailiff began asking her family and friends to leave. Only after a request from her court-appointed lawyer, who remained silent during the hearing, did the bailiff allow her family and friends to talk to her for two minutes.
Prior to her latest arrest, Ms. Zhou, a former employee of a copper wire factory who credits Falun Gong for curing her brain tumors and uterine fibroids, served three labor camp terms and a prison term, totaling eleven years, for upholding her faith. She was fired from her job during her first labor camp term in 2000 and her husband divorced her during her third term between 2007 and 2009.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Li Xiaoming (李晓明), deputy head of Taishan District Domestic Security Office: +86-18653898107Tian Lin (田琳), director of Taishan District 610 Office: +86-18562338185Zhao Pingyuan (赵平原), prosecutor of Taishan District Procuratorate: +86-538-8625101Shen Yuxian (沈玉贤), judge of Taishan District Court: +86-538-8625173
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Related reports:
Tai’an City, Shandong Province: Eleven Residents Arrested in Two Days for Their Faith
Ms. Zhou Min and Ms. Zhang Liping Illegally Tried With False Evidence
Three Women Arrested and Tortured for Handing Out Informational Materials About Falun Gong
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Category: Accounts of Persecution
