(Minghui.org) A former middle school teacher in Qingyang City, Gansu Province stood trial on January 11, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Ms. Liu Yuqin’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her and she also testified in her own defense.
Ms. Liu, 63, was arrested on September 19, 2023, after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The police raided her home and confiscated from her two Falun Gong books, hundreds of copies of Falun Gong booklets, a music player, a tablet and three cellphones. She was held at the Ning County Detention Center.
The Zhenyuan County Court, which has been designated to handle all Falun Gong cases in the Qingyang region, held a hearing of Ms. Liu’s case on January 11, 2024. Her lawyer argued that the Falun Gong materials she had at home were her lawfully owned assets. Her possessing or distributing the materials didn’t cause any harm to anyone in society. The judge adjourned the hearing without announcing the verdict.
Ms. Liu took up Falun Gong in April 1998. She used to struggle with a heart condition, Hepatitis B, migraine, gastritis and many other ailments. She was a frequent visitor to the hospital and often had to take sick leave. Only a few months after she practiced Falun Gong, she fully recovered.
After the persecution started a year later, the police constantly harassed her, ordering her to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong. Her home was also searched many times. As soon as the police found Falun Gong related materials, they would confiscate them.
Ms. Liu was arrested at work on April 15, 2009. The police handcuffed her to a chair and interrogated her overnight. While being held in the local detention center, she was subjected to torture and humiliation. She was sentenced to three years in 2009 and fired by her school months later. She was taken to the Gansu Province Women’s Prison on May 18, 2010. She almost died in the prison as a result of the torture. By the time she was released, she had become extremely thin and weak. All her hair had turned gray.