(Clearwisdom.net) (Correspondent from Chengdu) At 12:40 p.m. on September 2, 2009, the Qingyang District Court in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province held a trial against Mr. Li Yonghong, Mr. Yu Bin, and Ms. Xu Li. At 3 p.m., the court sentenced the three practitioners to between two and three and one half years in prison. The trial was originally scheduled for September 4, but was pushed forward by two days to avoid public attention.
Mr. Li and Mr. Yu pleaded innocence. They exposed the mistreatment they had suffered since they were arrested in August of last year, such as extortion of a "confession," beating (two teeth of Mr. Li were knocked out), sleep deprivation for six days and nights, and forcefully taking their fingerprints. After the subsequent coercive police interrogation, they were so befuddled that they involuntarily signed the confession papers. Ms. Xu appeared to have a mental disorder after the mistreatment.
The court rejected defense attorneys' requests for client interviews and examining case records, saying that "no charges have been placed". At the end of August, the court told the families and the attorneys that the trial would be held on September 4. Later the court suddenly informed them that the trial would be advanced to 10 a.m. on September 2. On the morning of September 2, the court moved the trial to 12:40 p.m.
The court sentenced Mr. Li and Mr. Yu to three and one half years in prison, and Ms. Xu received a two-year prison sentence.
Mr. Li and Mr. Yu disagreed and said that they would appeal.
Mr. Li Yonghong is a graduate from the Xian Jiaotong University. The school withheld his graduation certification because of his belief in Falun Dafa. He was imprisoned at a forced labor camp many times for his belief and suffered many inhumane mistreatments. This time, he was arrested in August 2008.
