(Minghui.org) Using legal tools to expose the persecution, clarify the truth, and appeal is an important way that I use to clarify the truth to the public security, procuratorial, and judicial department staff.
I was followed and arrested in 2019 by the police for distributing information about Falun Dafa. My home was illegally searched, and I was sent to a brainwashing center for persecution. Officers from the 610 Office and Domestic Security Division came to try to persuade me to write the three statements renouncing Falun Gong, but I refused.
The next day I was illegally detained in the city detention center for a month. I was then “released on bail pending trial.” The police officer in charge of my case told me that they would submit my case to the district’s procuratorate, and I had to go there if they called me.
After I was released, I found a law firm and told the lawyer the truth about Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). He listened, but said, “The Bureau of Justice has rules that when a Falun Gong case is received, it must be put on record. No lawyer can defend a practitioner’s innocence. If you ask me to be your acting defender, you have to listen to me, have a good attitude, and agree not to practice in the future, so that you can get a suspended sentence.”
I thought, “Paying for a lawyer to say I’m guilty? Isn’t that ridiculous?” I decided to defend myself and write my own defense. I sent my defense statement to the public, procuratorate, and judicial personnel, while the lawyer’s defense could be presented only in court. I exchanged my thoughts with the other practitioners and they gave me a lot of encouragement. I went to the Justice Forum to download the defense template, and in accordance with the rights granted to citizens by China’s Constitution, combined with my own situation, and with the help of my fellow practitioners, I wrote my defense statement during the Chinese New Year.
After the Chinese New Year, the COVID pandemic started, and my city was strictly locked down. The government agencies and units were not open, and even the post office was closed. The first day after the police station reopened, the first defense statement I wanted to send was to the police officer assigned to handle the case, so that he could understand the truth. When I went to the police station, he said, “We don’t accept anything during the pandemic.” I said, “It’s okay. I’ll give you the defense statement.” In this way, the first defense statement was sent.
A week later, the post office was open for two hours each morning, with a limit of one registered letter per person at a time. So I went to two post offices every day. I went to three post offices when I had time. It took me almost a month to send everything.
I received a call from the officer in my residential area. He said, “Old lady, you are a fool. You can’t send this defense statement anymore, or you will be arrested. Even if you’re not afraid, I’m afraid. Don’t send it again!” I smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern. I gave it to the police officer in charge of the case. He said he would use it as an evidence against me. I told him, if you want to use it as evidence, I can give you a few more copies, and I will let the other police officers who handle the case each have a copy, but it is definitely not incriminating evidence!”
I later saw a message on my phone: “Hello, Your defense statement has been received. Upon inquiry, your case does not fall under the jurisdiction of our procuratorate. Did you send it by mistake? Please check the jurisdiction before sending, and don’t delay your event. Special reminder!” I thought to myself, “This prosecutor is saved.”
I received a summons notice on May 8, 2020 from the District Procuratorate, calling me to the procuratorate’s office for interrogation. The first thing the prosecutor (female) said was, “The leader has already read the materials. You will be sentenced. I and an assistant prosecutor will be the prosecutors.” Then she asked a few questions, and I answered all of them. In less than a quarter of an hour, she said she had to go, and the interrogation was over. I said, “I have something else to tell you.” She said, “I don’t have time. If you can promise not to practice in the future, I can recommend that the court gives you a suspended sentence.”
I said, “I want to see your prosecutor’s ID card.” She said dismissively, “You still doubt us? We’ll see you in court.” Then she walked away. As a cultivator, of course, I didn’t care about the prosecutor’s attitude, but I didn’t expect her to be so arrogant.
I called the prosecutor the next day and asked her to re-evaluate the “incriminating evidence” made up by a Public Security Bureau. I said that the investigation and appraisal by the public security organs did not comply with the law. There must be a qualified third-party appraisal to be effective. The prosecutor said, “This is what we’ve always done. No one has ever requested what you are asking. Your request is unreasonable.” She then hung up.
I sent an appeal petition on June 20, 2020 to the Municipal Intermediate Procuratorate against the district procurator and the assistant procurator. I also sent a copy of the appeal petition to the prosecutor concerned.
The indictment reads: The procurator in this case did not strictly examine the facts of the case, exercise the procurator’s legal supervision function, and knew that the accuser did not have any criminal facts, but openly bent the law for personal gain, illegally prosecuted the accuser, and deliberately created unjust, false, and wrongful cases. It also enumerated nine facts and reasons for the public prosecutor’s conviction for “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” without presenting any legal basis for the cult organization, and pursued the responsibility of the accused and the assistant procurator for suspected violations and crimes.”
On August 4, 2020, I was phoned by the clerk of the district court and told to go get a summons to prepare for the trial. In other words, the city’s intermediate procuratorate refused to handle it, and instead referred it to the district procuratorate for “review and handling.”
The female judge asked me, “Where is your lawyer from and what’s his name?” I said, “It’s a lawyer from Beijing, his name is ......,” and before I could say his name, the judge said angrily: “If you mess around, I will immediately issue an arrest warrant to arrest you. Why didn’t you hire a local lawyer?” I calmly said, “The local lawyer was not suitable for me. The Bureau of Justice has a rule that requires the lawyer to only submit a guilty plea. I am innocent. How can I pay a lawyer to defend my guilt?” She didn’t say anything. I said, “OK. If the lawyer from Beijing is not allowed to come defend me, I won’t hire a lawyer, I’ll defend myself.” Seeing that I was so calm and sincere, the judge’s anger disappeared and she said, “Then so be it, the court will start at 9:30 a.m. on August 12, 2020.”
The prosecutor read out the indictment to the court in a low voice, accusing me of using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law... During the debate, I asked the prosecutor to explain what a cult is, and what are the manifestations of cults. The prosecutor did not answer, but asked, “Didn’t you pass out the pamphlet?” I asked the prosecutor to take out the pamphlet and read it, and see if the content relates to a cult. The prosecutor did not answer. I continued, “You say that passing out pamphlets is undermining the implementation of the law, but which article, which paragraph? Which law has been undermined?” The prosecutor still did not answer.
I said, “The judicial interpretation of Article 300 of the Criminal Law by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate is invalid because it violates the Constitution and the Legislation Law. It cannot be used as the basis for adjudicating cases. The judicial interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate also run counter to the legislative purpose and intent of Article 300 of the Criminal Law, and therefore has nothing to do with Article 300 of the Criminal Law.
“I send out truth-clarifying pamphlets, and there is no social harm. Who got hurt by reading the pamphlets? No one. If there are no victims, no consequences of the crime, and no harm to society, what is the crime? So, I didn’t commit a crime. China’s current laws have not explicitly stated that Falun Gong is a cult. I heard that the internal document stipulates it, why don’t you dare to make it public? You decided the law on the basis of internal regulations that you dare not make public.”
The judge interrupted me, “I don’t want you to talk about these things. The debate is over.” The judge asked the prosecutor if she had anything to say. The prosecutor said, “No.” That is, the prosecutor did not disagree with me on my defense of innocence and final statement. The judge asked me, “Do you plead guilty?” I said, “I am innocent!” The judge announced, “The trial is over, and the verdict will be announced at a later date.” The clerk asked me to sign the trial record. I wrote: I did not present, identify, or cross-examine all the evidence, including the pamphlet, in court.
On December 17, 2020, the court clerk asked me to get the criminal verdict, which read: I was guilty of using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law, and was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 10,000 yuan.
Later that day, the police officer handling the case took me to the city detention center to be illegally detained and persecuted. The police officer asked me to sign the arrest warrant. I wrote, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
The officer was speechless. I said, “Now Falun Gong is practiced in more than 100 countries and regions in the world. Falun Gong’s main book, Zhuan Falun has been translated and published in more than 40 languages. People have praised Falun Gong not only for improving their physical health, but more importantly, for improving their morals. Falun Gong and its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, have received more than 6,000 awards from important officials from countries and governments around the world. People around the world say that Falun Gong’s principles—Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are great! Please remember: ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
Dissatisfied with the court’s decision, I decided to appeal, and I wrote an appeal in the detention center. I submitted my appeal on December 24, 2020 to the detention center police, who submitted it to the Municipal Intermediate Court. On February 20, 2021, I received the final verdict of the Municipal Intermediate Court, rejecting the appeal and upholding the original verdict.
I received a decision at the detention center, from my former employer, on March 31, 2021, canceling my retirement benefits. The detention center police asked me about the situation and asked me what I thought. I smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, I have no regrets.” The police officer gave me a thumbs up. On April 19, 2021, I was transferred to the Provincial Women’s Prison.
I was released from prison on November 15, 2021 after completing my illegal sentence. On the same day, the District Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the District Judicial Office, the District Police and others took me out of prison. They asked me sternly, “Will you still practice Falun Gong in the future?” I looked at them and said solemnly, “Yes!” Everyone was speechless.
I said, “I still want to appeal, I have been wrongfully convicted. You are all state law enforcement officers. I want to exercise my right and appeal according to the law!”
The persecution I suffered during my months in prison cannot be described in words. After I got home, I thought about writing to the prison guards. I felt these people were so pitiful because they did not know the truth, and blindly carried out the so-called instructions and orders from above, and brutally persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. In mid-December, just before the Chinese New Year in 2022, I wrote out my truth-clarifying letter and sent it to all the prison guards I had come into contact with and whose names I knew. Besides telling them the facts, I told them, “You should quickly understand the truth of Dafa, value morality, do good deeds, and receive blessings. You should do your best to treat Falun Gong practitioners well who have been unjustly imprisoned. Gods and Buddhas will record your good deeds. Dafa will give you good fortune. It is also a great accumulation of virtue for your relatives and children. Please cherish life and embrace the future!
In three years, I sent a lot of letters to the women’s prison. I will continue to do so.
I live alone. When I got home, my daughter heard that I planned to file a complaint, so she refused to let me enter her house, saying that her mother’s sentence was shameful, and that she was often humiliated because of it. In an environment where many people believe the CCP propaganda without thinking, my daughter was resentful of me and resisted Dafa.
When I called relatives they refused to answer. They used to know that Dafa was good and supported me in my cultivation. After I was sentenced, they were intimidated by the CCP, fearing that they would be implicated and that their work and lives would be affected. I didn’t give up, and occasionally called them. They later told me to stop calling, and they came to my place for a face-to-face talk.
When we met in person, they wept when they saw how I had been persecuted.
My oldest sister said, “We are all born of the same mother. How can we ignore you? Our main worry is that if you are too enthusiastic about Falun Gong, you will do more unexpected things. You will be arrested and ... again! So I snubbed you and let you taste the pain of losing a loved one.”
My younger sister said, “Please don’t appeal anymore. It’s useless. People say the police are bandits. If you hadn’t sued the procuratorate at the beginning, your situation would have been better. Your accusation caused you trouble!”
My younger brother said, “Don’t listen to the official nonsense about governing the country according to law. You just bear with it, don’t appeal, don’t be fooled...” My brother-in-law said, “Your retirement benefits have been canceled. If you appeal and complain, will those people spare you? We’re worried!”
My daughter tearfully said, “Mom, I’m afraid. You’re not afraid, but I’m afraid. After you were imprisoned, I couldn’t sleep. I often had nightmares.”
I said, “You all know the benefits I gained from practicing Falun Dafa. Cultivators do not engage in politics. Cultivators come to save people and sentient beings. As for my appealing, this is my right as a citizen, to appeal in accordance with the law, to seek justice. This is not only being responsible to myself, but also to my relatives and friends, and this is also saving people. Don’t try to talk me out of it, you can’t. Say no more, it’s not good for you.” The meeting ended unhappily.
But in the following days, everyone started to contact me. They even invited me to their homes. When I said that I didn’t have time, they said, “If you don’t come here, we will visit you. We want to see you.”
I sent a petition to the Intermediate Court on April 13, 2022. I subsequently sent the petition to the municipal court to the judges, prosecutors, and public security police of the original court. I also sent a complaint to the Municipal Bureau of Justice, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the person in charge of the 610 Office.
On the afternoon of May 17, the court notified me to go to the Municipal Intermediate Court for a trial. The judge, the clerk, and I were the only three people there. The judge asked me, “Why do you want to file a complaint?” When I saw that they had no ill intentions and were very kind, I asked, “Have you read my complaint?” The judge said, “Yes, it is very well written, well-reasoned, and well-organized. If you have any questions, you can ask now. If you have something to say, speak now, and we will listen to you.”
I continued, “This is an unjust case, a judgment that has been arbitrary. I think it is very important for you to not only look at my complaint, but also look at the so-called ‘incriminating evidence’ that framed me, and also the whole process of the first trial. The prosecutor did not present the so-called ‘incriminating evidence’ in court, and the ‘incriminating evidence’ did not have a qualified third-party evaluation. I asked the prosecutor to re-evaluate the so-called ‘incriminating evidence’, but the prosecutor refused to accept it. For this reason, I filed a complaint with the Municipal Public Prosecutor’s Office. At the same time, the complaint was also sent to the prosecutor concerned. After receiving my complaint, the prosecutor concerned sent the indictment to the district court without receiving the trial letter from the city prosecutor’s office.”
The judge said, “I will read it. I definitely will.” I said, “Not only should you read it, but you also should let everyone in the collegial panel of this case read it, so that they can speak on this case.” The judge said, “I will try to recommend it to them. Please continue.”
I said, “Once you understand this, it becomes clear why I am complaining.”
The judge told me to go on and finish what I had to say. I said, “Falun Gong is not ordinary qigong, it is cultivation in the Buddha School. It is saving people. As long as you understand my so-called ‘evidence of guilt’, and choose justice and kindness, you will be saved.”
The judge asked, “What else do you want?” I said, “My request has been written in my petition: Not guilty, clear my name!” The judge hesitated and said, “I don’t have the authority to do this. I have to report. If you are not satisfied with the judgment of this court, you can also appeal to the Provincial High Court or the Supreme Court.” I said, “I’m going to do that. But for you, and for those involved in the retrial of this case, you may have lost a chance to be saved. That would be a pity. I don’t want to see this outcome.”
On June 22, 2022, the Municipal Intermediate People’s Court rejected my appeal and upheld the original first-instance and second-instance judgments.
I was dissatisfied with the Municipal Intermediate People’s Court’s upholding of the original first-instance and second-instance rulings on August 1. A petition was also sent to the Provincial High Court. I concluded my petition by saying, “Judges of the Provincial High Court, my petition has been sent to your desk. You must understand the current situation. Every initiation of good and evil is a choice of life. Will you choose to be the scapegoat for the persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang Zemin’s criminal group, or will you choose to be a good person. It doesn’t need any great wisdom or courage to make such a choice. All that is needed is justice and goodness.
“As a Falun Gong practitioner and a practitioner of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I would like to advise you: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the universal value of human society, and the highest state of human morality. I hope that you will understand the truth of Falun Gong, stop the persecution of Falun Gong as soon as possible, and quickly extricate yourself from the heinous crime of persecuting Falun Gong by Jiang Zemin’s criminal group.
“At a time when the plague is raging, all kinds of natural and man-made disasters are coming. Mankind is facing a great purge, if you can abandon the so-called ‘superiors,’ and the fetters of self-interest, return the law to fairness and justice, handle cases with justice and goodness, and make judgments that can stand the test of time, then the glory of your career, the beauty of your future lives, and the happiness of your relatives are all in it. Cherish it. Every choice of good and evil in life is a choice of life!”
In the next few days, I sent a petition to the Provincial High Court, along with a text message to the Municipal Intermediate Court, the judge of the former Court of First Instance, the prosecutor of the procuratorate, and officers in the Public Security Bureau. At the same time, a petition was sent to the responsible persons of the Provincial People’s Congress, the Legislative Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress, and the Provincial Political Consultative Conference.
The day after the letter was sent, I received a text message on my mobile phone from a judge of the Municipal Intermediate Court, asking me to meet at a certain time and place.
I arrived early at the appointed time and the judge was very punctual. As soon as he saw me, he said, “Your letter was sent to me by mistake. The petition to the Provincial High Court was sent to me. Please resend it, don’t delay.”
I understood, and said, “That was not a mistake. It was sent to you. Didn’t you read that there was a text message at the back of the complaint?” He said, “Oh, I see, you are saving me by telling me the truth and I will receive good fortune. However, I don’t have the power to decide your case. The opinions of the collegial panel of your case are relatively unanimous, and they believe that your verdict was excessive, so the case was remanded for a new judgment. But the opinion was sent to the leader, and the leader said: ‘The Falun Gong case is a political issue, and nobody dares to touch it.’ So, nobody dares to make a change in your case.”
I said, “You have to be kind. You should stay kind, uphold justice, dare to tell the truth.” He said, “Can I be saved?” I said, “yes, as long as you quit the CCP.” He said, “Okay, can you help me?” I said, “I will help you to quit with a pseudonym.” He said, “Yes, very good. Thank you!” I said, “You should thank Falun Gong’s compassionate Master. It’s Master who really saved you!” He reverently said, “Thank you, Master, thank you!”
As we parted, the judge took my hand and said, “Thank you. You should stay safe, take care, take care!” I said, “Don’t worry, I have Master, compassionate Master.” Before I could finish my sentence, tears flowed out.
On July 18, 2023, I received a Notice of Rejection of the appeal from the Provincial High Court. It read, “The facts found in the original judgment were clear, the evidence was credible and sufficient, the conviction was accurate, the sentence was appropriate, and the procedures were lawful. The grounds for your appeal cannot be sustained, and the appeal does not meet the requirements for a new trial as provided for in article 253 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China, and is to be rejected.
I wrote on the signature of receipt: First, if you are found guilty of being a person who does not fight back, and is a good person according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, what kind of person do you think is not guilty?! Second, looking through the laws enacted by the CCP, none of them stipulate that “Falun Gong is an X-religion.” Falun Gong is not among the 14 cults announced by the Ministry of Public Security. Finally, I sincerely hope that the judge can understand the truth of Falun Gong.
On August 1, 2023, I sent the petition to the Ninth Procuratorate Department of the Municipal Procuratorate, requesting that the petition be brought to trial in accordance with the law.
I received a phone call on October 7 from a procurator of the city procuratorate, asking me to go to the procuratorate within three days to talk. I went to the meeting as scheduled. In addition to a prosecutor, there was also a clerk who participated in the conversation. The prosecutor said, “Your complaint is very formal.” I said, “It’s not just formal, it’s justified.” The prosecutor said, “I didn’t expect you to think so quickly. We are no strangers to each other. Tell us why you’re appealing? In addition to the complaint, what other questions should be added? For example, if your former employer cancels your retirement benefits, what are your thoughts and requirements? Anyway, tell me everything you want to say. The two of us will listen.”
I thought for a moment, and said, “There is no legal basis for canceling my retirement benefits. But that’s not what I’m complaining about. Cultivators do not value worldly fame and fortune. Not taking it seriously does not mean that I don’t want it, especially since this is a persecution of me. From ancient times to the present, persecuting cultivators has been a great sin and is punishable by heaven. Cultivators are talking about compassion, so I won’t complain about this matter for the time being. I’ll take the path of petitioning.”
I continued, saying, “Whether it is the previous appeals, or current protests, the purpose is to awaken the justice and kindness of the public, procuratorate, and judicial personnel, and judge the case in accordance with the law and restore my innocence!” In the 24 years since the persecution of Falun Gong, there have been lies, deception, and forceful suppression. For example, concocting the ‘Tiananmen Square self-immolation’ fake case, blaming and smearing Falun Gong, and fabricating the so-called ‘1,400 cases’ to frame Falun Gong.”
I then talked about the lawsuit against Jiang Zeming and global solidarity with Falun Gong. They listened quietly without saying a word. After that, I talked about the trend of quitting the CCP. At this time, the prosecutor spoke, “You said a lot, and we listened. We have spent a few hours on this. We don’t have the power to make decisions on your case, and we have to report it to the top. Let’s wait and see what the leaders say.”
On November 18, 2023, I received a courier email from the Municipal Procuratorate, which was the “Notice of Criminal Appeal Result.” The notice found that the complainant’s grounds for appeal could not be sustained, and this court did not support it. The case is now closed through pre-examination.
I was not satisfied with the results of the examination by the Municipal Procuratorate, so on December 6, I mailed a “Criminal Complaint” to the Ninth Procuratorate Department of the Provincial High Procuratorate.
To date, no information has been received from the Supreme Court, which means that the results of the trial have not yet been released.
In early March 2024, the local police called me and said that they wanted to come to my house to talk to me, and that this was their political task. I said I’d go to the police station.
When I arrived at the police station, the deputy chief, the precinct officer, and another police officer were waiting for me. The deputy director said, “Did you send letters to the leaders and sub-directors of the Municipal Public Security Bureau?” I nodded. He said, “In the future, write a complaint and send it to the leader. Do not add other information (truth about Falun Dafa) to it.” I said, “I want them to know and understand what’s happening.”
The precinct police said, “The captain of the Domestic Security Division of the sub-bureau told us to talk to you. Your issue is concluded. I’ll send you a box of apples as a gift.”
When the police delivered the apples to my house and were about to leave, I said, “Aren’t you going to talk to me?” He said, “Auntie, you are amazing. Do you remember? On November 15, 2021, I and a section chief of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee took you home from prison. That was the first time I met you. I asked you, ‘Will you practice Falun Gong in the future?’ You said yes. The plan of taking you to the brainwashing center was disintegrated and a certain section chief immediately decided to send you home. Later, a certain section chief asked us to send you New Year’s goods and some cash, but you resolutely refused, saying that cultivators would not accept gifts. I told the section chief about this, and he said, ‘if everyone is like her, then the Political and Legal Affairs Committee would be abolished. I would have to find another job.’ He showed me your complaint and said, ‘Her complaint was reasonable, but the authorities refused to re-examine her case.”
He said, “Auntie, you not only changed the notions of that section chief, but also changed the trajectory of my life! I was a graduate student from the University of Political Science and Law. I was transferred to public security. I became a police officer and met you. After reading the information you gave me, I understood the truth and made a decision. I am not going to climb the ladder in the government in such a troubled time. I decided not to go anywhere, so I will stay here as a police officer. It would be good to keep some peace.”
I said, “I didn’t tell you not to fulfill your responsibilities. If more good people held government jobs, society would be better.” He said, “A good man cannot be an official.”
Before he left, I gave him a gift. He didn’t want it. He said, “Auntie, in the future if you have a letter or information, I’ll help you send it. I know the difference between good and bad. I will ensure the safety of your letters.” I said, “Yes, do more good deeds and accumulate more merit! Don’t worry, I have Master protecting me!”
It has been more than 100 days since I mailed the criminal complaint to the Provincial High Procuratorate, on December 6, 2023. No result has been received. It has been more than 200 days since I sent the supplementary materials to the Supreme Court on September 12, 2023. I have not received a verdict.
In fact, I didn’t think about the outcome from the beginning of the appeal. My goal is to save people, and to tell people the truth about the persecution. The mission of a Dafa disciple is to save people including those who work for the procuratorate, the law, and the judiciary system who have been deceived by lies.
In the future, I will follow Master’s teaching, study the Fa more, be more diligent in cultivation, and clarify the truth to save more people!
Thank You, Master!
(Selected submission in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)