(Clearwisdom.net) On July 7, 2008, Linghe District Court officials held a trial and sentenced three Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioner Xiang Ying was sentenced to twelve years, and Miao Jianguo and Yin Zhiyou were each given four-year terms. All three practitioners pleaded innocent and will appeal the sentences.

The court officials tried to obstruct Mr. Miao Jianguo's attorney from entering the courtroom when he arrived to defend his client. In the end, he was unable to provide defense. Court officials forbade him from bringing his laptop computer into the courtroom.

Prior to this incident, the same officials had brought unlawful suits twice in matters pertaining to Falun Gong. Zhou Jun was the judge dealing with those cases. When an attorney attempted to defend Falun Gong in those trials, Zhou Jun repeatedly prevented the lawyer from presenting a legal argument and interrupted the lawyer's defense attempts.

Officials at the Provincial Liaoning Political and Legislative Committee were the ones pulling strings behind the scenes and decreed these severe sentences. After the attorney pleaded not guilty in the trial of the Falun Gong practitioners, Jinzhou City Communist Party authorities put pressure on the defense attorney's law office, attempting to prevent the attorney from continuing his defense of Falun Gong practitioners.

On February 25, 2008, police department chief Wang Lijun from Jinzhou City personally ordered officers from local police stations and agents in the 610 Office under his command to take action against Falun Gong practitioners. Agents from the National Security Department in Jinzhou City also took part in this action. The police arrested more than twenty practitioners, searched their homes and confiscated many things. Practitioners Xiang Ying, Miao Jianguo, Yin Zhiyou, Cui Yaning, and Huang Cheng were among those arrested. The persecutors locked them up in the No. 1 and No. 2 Detention Centers in Jinzhou City, and other local detention centers. Practitioner Xiang Ying, from Linghe District, has been on a persecution-protest hunger strike since his arrest four months ago. He is now emaciated and skeleton-like.

On the morning of June 13, 2008, the CCP-controlled trial of practitioners Xiang Ying and Yin Zhiyou took place at Linghe District Court. Mr. Xiang Ying's family had hired an attorney to plead not guilty for him. The attorney met with difficulties, caused by the court itself, before he entered the courtroom. During the three hours of debate in court, the attorney presented a clear defense from different angles, to testify that Falun Gong is not a [slanderous word omitted], and that Mr. Xiang Ying was innocent.

A few days later, on June 18, 2008, the court tried practitioners Guo Yanping and Miao Jianguo. Mr. Miao Jianguo's family also hired an attorney. The court was confronted with a solid defense and could not bring any argument to stand the accusation, but the officials still sentenced the practitioners severely.

Linghe District Court:
Zhou Jun: 86-416-2916201 (Office), 86-416-2834230 (Home), 86-13840666678 (Cell)
Liu Geng, chief of Linghe District Court: 86-13904160692 (Cell)

People who participated in the persecution of Xiang Ying:

Liu Yuzhu, Longjiang Police Station head, Linghe District, Jinzhou City
Kong Wei, Longjiang Police Station deputy head: 86-13504066866 (Cell)
Li Ming, police officer (the person who carried out the persecution): 86-13941674900 (Cell)

People who participated in the persecution, from the Prosecuting Section of the Linghe District Procuratorate: Jin Quyi, Hu Rizhong, Zhao Bin, and Zhang Weihui

People at Linghe Court who took part in the persecution (besides Zhou Jun and Liu Geng): Cao Yang, Tian Haiqin, Li Meng

Li Yuxia, secretary general of the Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs in Guangzhou City: 86-416-2182001 (Office), 86-416-2386666 (Home)

Liu Tieli, 610 Office head in Jinzhou City: 86-416-3184001 (Office), 86-416-2938080 (Home), 86-13804165095 (Cell)

Li Wei, second in command at the 610 Office: 86-416-3194002 (Office), 86-416-2601038 (Home), 86-13897889812 (Cell)

July 11, 2008