(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Hu Mingxia, 52, former employee of the Xiuwen County Development and Reform Commission, was sentenced to six years imprisonment in June for practicing Falun Gong. Family visitation rights have been denied.
Ms. Hu was arrested in her office by plainclothes police on April 23, 2014. Officers Ying Xichun, Wu Weiyong and others ransacked her home on April 23, and again on 27. They confiscated a computer, printer, some printing materials and Falun Gong books, which were later used as “evidence” against Ms. Hu.
Elderly Mother Unsuccessful in Securing Daughter's Release
In an attempt to rescue her daughter, Ms. Hu’s elderly mother visited many government agencies, including the detention center, police department, Procuratorate, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the 610 Office, the county People’s Congress, and the county government. Unsuccessful in securing her daughter's release, she hired two human rights lawyers for the defense.
The Xiuwen County Procuratorate brought charges against Ms. Hu on July 15, 2014. The County Court assigned a collegial tribunal, including chief judge Zheng Yongzhou and acting judges Wang Fangqiong and Jin Jun. The court first rejected the case, citing insufficient evidence. After a year of delay, the court convened a trial on June 3, 2015.
Sham Trial and Family Harassment
Ms. Hu’s lawyers entered a plea of not guilty for their client. During the trial, the chief judge interrupted them repeatedly and demanded that the trial end before lunch. At the lawyers' insistence, the judge agreed to resume the session in the afternoon. Despite the lawyers' convincing defense, the court sentenced Ms. Hu to a six-year term. Ms. Hu was denied the opportunity to speak on her own behalf.
Ms. Hu appealed the sentence on June 15 in the Guiyang City Intermediate Court. Without a second trial, the original sentence was upheld on July 27.
Ms. Hu was transferred to the Guizhou Province Yangai Prison on August 18, 2015. Her family called the prison to apply for a visit. Guard Xiao said that in order to visit Ms. Hu, the family members had to obtain proof of their relationship with Ms. Hu. The proof was to consist of a document with an official seal from a local police station, the city police department, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the city 610 Office. Not only that, Xiao said that the document needed to be renewed for every visit.
None of the above agencies are willing to provide such proof, severely frustrating Ms. Hu’s family.
