(Minghui.org) A 65-year-old Shifang City, Sichuan Province, resident was recently sentenced to 2.5 years with a 5,000-yuan fine. This is the second time that Mr. Zhou Yubao has been sentenced for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. He was previously given three years following an arrest in 2012.
The latest ordeal of Mr. Zhou, a retired worker from the Phosphorus Chemical Company, stemmed from his arrest on February 24, 2023, while he was mailing letters containing information about Falun Gong at a post office. The seven letters confiscated by the police were used as prosecution evidence against him.
Mr. Zhou’s family hired lawyer Zhang from Beijing on March 1, 2023. The lawyer and the family soon went to the Shifang City Detention Center to visit Mr. Zhou. He told them that the police violated the law while handling his case, including arresting and raiding his home without showing their IDs or a search warrant. Only one arresting officer was in uniform and all of the more than a dozen officers who raided his home were in plainclothes. They also did not provide a list of confiscated items as required by law.
The lawyer and the family then went to the Shifang City Police Department and asked to meet with someone from the Domestic Security Office, which was responsible for Mr. Zhou’s arrest and home raid. The security guard said that the Domestic Security Office had said earlier that they wouldn’t meet with Mr. Zhou’s family. The lawyer asked the guard to call the Domestic Security Office, which he refused to do. The lawyer said, “It’s your fault if you don’t make the call, but it’s up to the Domestic Security Office whether to meet with us.” The guard then agreed to call the Domestic Security Office, which then sent an officer out to talk to the lawyer, but not the family.
The lawyer submitted his Power of Attorney and demanded that the police follow the law in handling his client’s case. He said he had heard about how the police violated the law in arresting Mr. Zhou. He also requested that the police return Mr. Zhou’s ID. It’s not clear whether the police have complied.
The lawyer and the family next went to the Shifang City Procuratorate to submit a complaint against the police for Mr. Zhou’s illegal arrest and ransacking his home. Director Cao suggested that they file the complaint with the police’s own supervision department. The lawyer said they would do so, but that wouldn’t replace the procuratorate’s supervision function.
Cao agreed to accept the complaint, but he warned that they may still end up delegating the case to the police. The lawyer responded that it was their choice, but at least they had to accept the complaint in the first place.
Mr. Zhou’s family returned to the procuratorate the next day to submit the formal written complaint. Cao accepted it and said they would make a decision in a week as to whether to transfer the case to the police.
Mr. Zhou stood trial in the Shifang City Court on October 19, 2023 and was subsequently sentenced to 2.5 years.
Related reports:
Retired Worker Faces Second Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Sichuan Man Wins Lawsuit Against Social Security Center Over Suspended Pension
Sichuan Man Seeking Justice After Pension Suspended Over Wrongful Prison Term
Deyang City Intermediate Court in Sichuan Province Frames Good People and Deceives Their Families
Deyang Intermediate Court Judge Ignorant of the Law--Update on Zhou Yubao's Appeal
Chief Judge of Criminal Tribunal Obstructs Lawyer from Representing Falun Gong Client
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