(Minghui.org) Ms. Cai Jinrong, in her seventies, was tried on the morning of June 1, 2017, after being illegally detained for over a year.
Ms. Cai, from Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, practices Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that is persecuted in China.
She was arrested on February 26, 2016, along with Mr. Hou Jinlu and Mr. Zhang Kexian. They were charged with sending messages relating to Falun Gong on WeChat, a Chinese social media messaging service.
They have been held in a local detention center for 15 months. Visitation rights have been denied.
Trial
When the prosecutor tried to question Ms. Cai at the trial in Chencang District Court, she simply said, “No law says that Falun Gong is illegal. I refuse to answer your questions.”
As Ms. Cai began to read her statement, she kindly explained why she refused to answer the questions. She said that she was not against the court, but was against the unlawful persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
“Falun Gong practitioners follow the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” she said. “We are kind to everyone. I hope you can understand this. Practicing Falun Gong has brought peace and happiness to millions of people worldwide.” She demanded that the charges against her be dropped and that she be released.
Her lawyer also questioned the validity of the evidence presented by the prosecution.
The trial lasted over two hours and no verdict was announced at that time.
