Heilongjiang Man Sentenced to Prison for His Faith

(Minghui.org) Mr. Sun Wenzhong, a Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province resident, was recently sentenced to 3.5 years for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Sun was one of four local Falun Gong practitioners arrested on January 8, 2022. He and one of his roommates, Mr. Zhang Liguo, were arrested at their rental apartment at 4 p.m. that day. Without showing any IDs or search warrant, the police broke in and confiscated their Falun Gong books, debit cards, some cash, and computers. The police drank twelve cans of coconut water without asking for permission and also took away their other roommate Mr. Sun Deguo’s twelve pairs of gloves that he had bought for loading goods at work.

Mr. Sun Deguo had been arrested earlier that day at 11 a.m. together with Mr. Dai Zhidong after being reported for giving out Falun Gong informational materials while doing deliveries.

While Mr. Dai, Mr. Sun Deguo, and Mr. Zhang were later released on bail after each paying a 10,000 yuan fine, Mr. Sun Wenzhong was put on criminal detention at the Taikang Detention Center, on charges of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext used by the communist regime to frame Falun Gong practitioners.

The arrest and financial extortion dealt a heavy blow to Mr. Dai, who was still mourning the death of his wife due to the persecution. His health quickly deteriorated upon returning home and he passed away a month later, on February 11. He was 60 years old.

When Mr. Sun Wenzhong’s family went to the Lindian County Police Department to inquire about his case, officer Wei Fang shouted at them, “If you keep talking about the law with me, I’ll arrest you all!”

Mr. Sun Wenzhong’s arrest was approved on February 14, 2022 and he was transferred to the Daqing City No. 2 Detention Center around April. The police submitted his case to the Ranghulu District Procuratorate on April 14, and he was indicted on April 29.

The Ranghulu District Court held a hearing of Mr. Sun’s case on June 10, without informing his lawyer or family. He acted as his own lawyer and entered a not-guilty plea. Judge Zhang Xinle frequently interrupted him and adjourned the session in less than 30 minutes.

Mr. Sun’s lawyer attended his second hearing on June 30. The lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him and argued that no law criminalizes Falun Gong in China. Despite the lack of legal basis for the persecution, the judge still sentenced Mr. Sun to 3.5 years. He has appealed the verdict.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Zhang Xinle (张欣乐), presiding judge of Ranghulu District Court: [phone], [phone]Feng Guang (封光), prosecutor of Ranghulu District Procuratorate: [phone], [phone], [phone]Wei Fang (魏芳), head of Domestic Security Office: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

Related report:

Heilongjiang Man Stands Trial for His Faith, Lawyer Not Informed of the Hearing