(Minghui.org) A 65-year-old woman recently lost her appeal in protest of a three-year wrongful sentence for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline also known as Falun Dafa that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Jiang Guixiu, of Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province, was arrested at home on May 17, 2022. Her husband, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, was also taken to the police station for interrogation. The police deceived her husband into revealing information about her Falun Gong practice, which was later used as prosecution evidence against her. She was forced to sign the deposition. The couple was released on bail after each paid the police a 2,000-yuan bond.
The Zhaoyuan City Court held a hearing of Ms. Jiang’s case on November 24, 2022. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. Only her cousin was allowed to attend the session. Her husband also asked to attend, but a court clerk denied his request, claiming that he couldn’t attend because he was listed as a prosecution witness in her case.
Ms. Jiang noticed that prosecutor Gao Cheng’e had fabricated content in her husband’s witness account, which wasn’t included in her case documents. Her lawyer insisted that the police provide video footage of their interrogation to verify the account, but Gao said they didn’t have it.
Ms. Jiang’s husband asked to testify, but presiding judge Yang would not allow him to, saying, “It’s not good for anyone if he testifies in court.” Yang then adjourned the session.
Judge Yang accused Ms. Jiang of having a bad attitude during the hearing, especially when she tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to him. He planned a second hearing in mid-December, but later canceled it and handed down the three-year sentence with a 10,000-yuan fine on December 21.
Ms. Jiang appealed with the Yantai City Intermediate Court on December 27. The higher court summoned her on January 29, 2023, and asked her if she had any additional information to add. She said that the content from her husband’s witness account was fabricated and requested the higher court to investigate the violation of legal procedure by the police and the prosecutor.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jiang’s lawyer tried to contact the judge of the higher court, requesting a hearing of her appeal case. The judge kept telling him that he had to ask his supervisor for instruction. But without ever having a hearing, the judge announced on April 4 to uphold her original verdict. The lawyer was very angry that the judge deceived him.
Related report:
Shandong Woman Sentenced to Three Years Over Fabricated Witness Account
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