(Minghui.org) Mr. Xu Yan was tried secretly in Shuangcheng City Court on August 4 and sentenced to three years in prison. The verdict indicated that the trial was public, but neither Mr. Xu's family nor his attorney were ever notified of the proceedings. The court threatened to increase Mr. Xu's term if his family appealed on his behalf, so his family retracted their appeal.
Mr. Xu is a Falun Gong practitioner from Xiaomatun Village, Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province. He was arrested as he was purchasing bricks on the morning of May 10, 2014. The police ransacked his home and took everything related to Falun Gong on May 13. He was transferred to the Shuangcheng Detention Center on June 17.
Mr. Xu's family was informed on June 26, 2014, that he had acute appendicitis and an intestinal obstruction. When the family saw him in the county hospital, he was in handcuffs and shackles and accompanied by director Luo Yan from the detention center.
Mr. Xu was so skinny, his family hardly recognized him. They were told he needed to be hospitalized and have an operation, but the police took him back to the detention center and nothing was done.
The family visited the detention center and also called captain Wang Yubiao from the Domestic Security Division multiple times, asking to take Mr. Xu home or directly to the hospital for surgery. The police refused to release him for medical treatment.
The Shuangcheng City Procuratorate submitted the indictment against Mr. Xu to the court on July 18. His family called the vice president of the court, Hu Yelin, multiple times, but they did not get a response. On August 8 the family learned from their lawyer that the Shuangcheng City Court had tried Mr. Xu on August 4. When Mr. Xu asked why his family was not present, the court staff told him his family had not been informed of the trial.
After receiving the verdict on September 2, Mr. Xu's family went to the detention center to see him, but Wu Jiafeng, the vice director of the detention center, said they would only allow family visits with him on September 9 if the family would give up appealing for him; otherwise, they would not be able to see Mr. Xu at all.
The deadline for the family to appeal for Mr. Xu was September 5, so they asked their lawyer to meet with Mr. Xu on the afternoon of September 4. The meeting lasted over 40 minutes. Mr. Xu signed the appeal asking to be acquitted.
On the morning of September 5, Mr. Xu's appeal was submitted to court vice president Hu Yelin, who then threatened Mr. Xu's family, swearing to increase his prison term if they appealed. Eventually the family decided not to appeal on his behalf.
Mr. Xu was transferred to Hulan Prison on September 10.
Hu Yelin (胡业林), vice president of the Shuangcheng City CourtShi Shantai (史山泰) president of the Shuangcheng City CourtZhang Zhenting (张振廷), prosecutor of the Shuangcheng City ProcuratorateSong Chunting(宋春婷), prosecutor of the Shuangcheng City ProcuratorateRuan Chunpeng (阮春鹏), director of the Handian Police StationLuo Yan (罗艳), director of the Shuancheng City Detention CenterWu Jiafeng (吴加峰), vice director of the Shuancheng City Detention CenterWang Yubiao (王玉彪), vice captain of the Domestic Security Division of the Shuancheng City Police DepartmentZhang Rui (张锐), vice director of the Handian Police StationDu Yuguang (杜玉广), police officer from the Handian Police StationXiao Hanwei (肖汉伟), police officer from the Handian Police Station