(Minghui.org) A Fuxin City resident was tried on November 29 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Mr. Zhen Shijie was arrested on May 30, 2016, barely days after another 15-day detention for his faith.

Judge Cui Yi of Haizhou District Court kept interrupting Mr. Zhen’s lawyer as he defended his client’s constitutional right to freedom of belief. At one point, Cui said, “I’ve studied law for more than 30 years. Don’t you talk to me about the law!”

Cui also promised to release Mr. Zhen as long as he admitted to his alleged crime of practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Zhen refused, since no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.

Mr. Zhen’s uncle said after the hearing, “I didn’t know what Falun Gong was all about in the past. Now, that I know Falun Gong is completely legal. My nephew broke no law. The judge has power but no virtue!”

Mr. Zhen is not the first Falun Gong practitioner targeted by Haizhou District Court, which has sentenced the following practitioners to prison in the past:

Hu Zhuanting: 7 yearsWang Jie: 7 years (later reduced to 4 years upon appeal)Ma Qingyuan: 4.5 yearsGeng Sufeng: twice sentenced (4 years and 3 years, respectively)Chang Xiuhua: 4 years (later reduced to a suspended sentence upon appeal)Zhang Zhongren: 3.5 yearsHuo Xiuqin: 3 years