Prosecutor Lists Long-dead Villager as Witness Against Falun Gong Practitioner

(Minghui.org) When Mr. Shi Zongxi, a resident of Baoding City, Hebei Province, appeared in court on February 17, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, his lawyers were shocked to see that the prosecutor listed a villager who had died five years prior as a witness against him.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Shi’s wife, their two sons, daughters-in-law, as well as his brother, sister, and several other relatives, arrived at the Shunping County Court on the morning of February 17 to attend his hearing. However the court allowed only his wife into the courtroom by herself.

Mr. Shi, in his 60s, was carried by four bailiffs into the courtroom. He was wearing shackles and head-to-toe white protective gear. The four bailiffs were not wearing protective suits.

Mr. Shi’s wife could see only his eyes and couldn’t tell whether he had lost any weight after two years of detention. She was so worried about him that she almost fainted at the sight of him.

Mr. Shi’s two lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. They were also shocked to see that the prosecutor listed Shi Lianyou, a villager who had died in 2018, as a witness against their client. It’s not clear whether Shi’s “witness account” was deemed admissible evidence. The judge said that he would announce a verdict in two months.

Three Arrests in Three Years

Ten people, including two village officials, 610 Office agents, and police officers, broke into Mr. Shi’s home on February 13, 2020. They confiscated his Falun Gong books, informational materials, two printers, and a photo of Falun Gong’s founder. Mr. Shi escaped and was forced to live away from home to hide from the police.

Mr. Shi was arrested while working in a factory on June 4, 2020 and interrogated in the basement of the police station. He was taken to a detention center a few days later and released on bail on June 19.

Mr. Shi was arrested again in late 2020 while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was released at around midnight.

The police called Mr. Shi’s son in May 2021 and promised to clear Mr. Shi of prosecution if he went to the police station “to wrap up his case from last year.” His son believed in the police and strongly demanded he do as required. Mr. Shi thus went to the police station days later on May 27, only to be arrested and taken into custody. He has been held at the Mancheng District Detention Center since and is now awaiting verdict.

Hot-tempered Man Benefits from Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Shi, also known as Shi Chunlai, used to have a very bad temper. In his 30s, he suffered frequent dizziness and other symptoms, which further worsened his temper. He resorted to smoking and drinking to alleviate the pain, only to become addicted to it.

Just as he lost hope, he took up Falun Gong in the spring of 1999, and soon quit drinking and smoking. He reflected on himself and changed his attitude toward his family members. To everyone’s surprise, he gave away a piece of land to his brother for free. When the village head had a conflict with another villager, he stopped them from getting into a bloody fight. He remained calm even when the infuriated village head slapped him in the face in front of the crowd.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Zhang Xiaogang (张晓刚), chief of Yaozhuangxiang Police Station: [phone]Ma Zhanying (马占营), deputy chief of Yaozhuangxiang Police Station: [phone]

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