(Minghui.org) A Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province resident was tried on September 4, 2020 for his faith in Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Yang Jianlu and his wife Ms. Wang Huijun were arrested on December 3, 2019 for talking to people about Falun Gong. Although Ms. Wang was released two days later, Mr. Yang has remained incarcerated at Xuanhua Detention Center since.
During Mr. Yang’s hearing by the Xuanhua District Court, his lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him. The lawyer pointed out that the police violated legal procedure in ransacking his client’s home without a search warrant.
Mr. Yang testified in his own defense. He insisted that he didn’t violate any law in distributing Falun Gong related materials. He demanded the prosecutor play in court the DVDs confiscated from his home. The prosecutor and the judge didn’t respond to his request.
Mr. Yang’s daughter also defended his innocence. She shared how Falun Gong changed her father for the better and brought happiness to her family. She also said that in today's society with rapidly declining morality, her father has always taught her to be a kind and upright person.
The lawyer read an affidavit signed by 415 local villagers in support of Mr. Yang.
The villagers said, “We are from Banpo Street. We are all shocked to hear about Yang Jianlu’s arrest. People in nearby villages all know that he practices Falun Gong and is a good person. Whoever needs help, he is always willing to land a hand. We don’t know much about those sophisticated principles of Falun Gong, but we know that he didn’t do anything wrong in being a good person. He has been detained for nearly eight months. Please release him. Let his family reunite.”
The hearing started at 9:15 a.m. The judge adjourned the session for a ten-minute break at 11 a.m. When the judge adjourned it a second time around 1:30 p.m., the prosecutor suddenly left without providing any reason, causing the judge to abort the hearing before it was finished.
Related report:
Hebei Man Faces Trial for His Faith, Daughter Testifies to His Character
