(Minghui.org) A 36-year-old man in Julu County, Hebei Province has become very weak after going on a hunger strike to protest his arbitrary detention for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Lu Gang was arrested at home on July 20, 2023, by officers from the Julu County Domestic Security Office. They confiscated his Falun Gong books, computer, printer and other valuables. He is currently held at the Julu County Detention Center.
Prior 5-Year Prison Sentence
Mr. Lu’s latest arrest came only two years after he finished serving a previous 5-year term for his faith.
He was previously arrested on March 9, 2016, after being reported for displaying Falun Gong informational materials at Dongliji Farmers’ Market. Chief Wei Jianchao of the Hetaoyuan County Police Station led a few officers and arrested him. They beat him at their police station before transferring him to the Guangzong County Police Department’s detention center.
Hours after Mr. Lu’s arrest, Mr. Cai Yun and a few other practitioners went to the Hetaoyuan Police Station to seek his release. Mr. Cai was arrested on the spot and taken to the same detention center where Mr. Lu was held.
The Guangzong County Procuratorate approved the two practitioners’ arrests on April 14, 2016, and forwarded their cases to the Guangzong County Court on June 3 that year.
The court held two hearings, on August 4 and September 12, 2016, respectively. During the second hearing, many local practitioners went to show their support for Mr. Lu and Mr. Cai. The court workers refused to let them in. One practitioner protested, “Every citizen has the right to attend a public trial. This is our basic human right.” The presiding judge responded, “Don’t you talk to me about the law!” The crowd erupted into a laughter. Someone asked, “If the judge didn’t even want to talk about the law, how could he uphold justice for wrongly indicted defendants?”
The judge interrupted the defense lawyers many times during the court session. Mr. Lu’s parents demanded his acquittal and were both removed from the courtroom.
The two practitioners’ families were informed in early January 2017 that they had been sentenced to prison, with Mr. Lu given 5 years and Mr. Cai 3 years. They both appealed to the Xingtai City Intermediate Court, which ruled on February 17, 2017, to uphold the original sentences.
Mr. Lu and Mr. Cai were transferred to the Liucun Farm in Shahe City on March 15, 2017, and then admitted to the Jidong No.4 Prison a month later.
Related Reports:
Two Practitioners from Xingtai City Sentenced to Prison
Two Men from Hebei Province Sentenced to Prison for Their Belief
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